Today I got a sandwich at my work cafeteria from a lady, whom I hadn’t seen in at least 10 years. I’m not routinely chummy with anyone I see at work, except close work friends, but I was happy to see her smiling face and greeted her warmly. She responded in kind with ‘long time’ and then she surprised me with ‘how’s the boy - big?’ I stammered out a ‘yes’ and hurriedly proceeded with my order. How do you tell the sandwich lady that your son has in fact been dead for 7 and a half years? How do you fit that in between ‘do you want pickles with that?’ without coming out as an awful freak, who can continue ordering a sandwich while her son is dead?