With the specific quality of someone who is genuinely considering the question.
She said: she must be very unhappy.
I said: probably.
She said: or very afraid.
I said: maybe.
She said: people say things like that when they’re afraid, I think.
She said: afraid of getting old.
She said: afraid of not mattering.
She said: and so they try to make other people feel small.
She said: like that makes them bigger.
I said: Grandma.
She said: yes.
I said: you had juice.
She was quiet for a moment.
Then she said: I had juice.
She said it with the specific quality of something that is technically true.
Then she said: and I may have been a little careless about holding the cup.
I said: you may have been.
She said: very slightly inattentive.
I said: possibly.
She said: the turbulence was unexpected.
I said: there was no turbulence.
