Your Mother Is Still Alive

It was the best of times. It was a laughing experience. We were having school cafeteria lunch. All was well. Then someone talked about their mama. The hilarity ground to a freezing halt. "No one talks about my mama!" a non-listener said. "She was talking about her own mama," I told her. The two girls glared at each other. "Let me tell you about MY mama," I said. One of them could not keep it in. "Your MAMA is still ALIVE?" The girls started clutching their stomachs in happy laughter. "She was this morning," I said. "I guess I could call her."