It never fails: whenever my father has big, earth-shattering news, the very first question asked of him about it, the answer always the same: “I don’t know.”
Here’s an example:
On our trimaran sailboat, my father decided to reveal some huge news about some friends of ours: “The Sandsons are moving to Europe soon, I think to Switzerland.”
Wait for it, I thought, actually hearing that phrase in my head. Should I say it aloud? No, I’ll just wait to see what happens…
“Oh!” my mother exclaimed. “How long are they going to be there?” Common-enough question, asked casually enough.
“I don’t know.” I burst out laughing.
“It never fails!” I managed through a barage of giggles.