Me: I saw such a sad sight today…

Daughter: And you cried..

Me: A dead squirrel.

Daughter: Are you going to cry?

Me: It was lying on its back on Market Road..

Daughter: Here we go…

Me: It had this shocked expression on its tiny face as if it had been startled by its own death.

Daughter: Your lips are moving but I really have no idea what you’re saying..

Me: And there was no one to call…no next of kin to tell….

Daughter throws me a look that says ‘I really wish with every atom of my being that you and I were NOT related’ 

Me: Its claws were clutching the air…

Daughter: You’re really not well mum.

Me: And it had a nut in its mouth. That means the very last thing it saw was a nut…and he or she didn’t even get a chance to eat it.

Daughter: It could have been worse..

Me: The squirrel’s dead. How could it be any worse?

Daughter: Your face…could have been the last thing it saw…. Now that would have been tragic.