Dinner Conversation

Dinner used to be fairly important here. We made a real point to have dinner together, as a family. It was often late of course, two parents in advertising, one with their own company......two busy kids, not to mention my very mediocre cooking talents...8pm dinners were the norm...no matter, we were together. "How was your day", Lou would ask each of us. Dinner conversations were often about the events of the day, sprinkled with the usual family bickering that can occur when everyone wants to talk at once, or win the debate. We also, often, discussed current events, or history, since both are a love of Lou's and Drew's.....and Damon soon followed. Good stuff. The last real family dinner I remember, before all this started, was one where Lou repeated himself several times...so out of character....and we all carefully exchanged worried looks....I remember it very well....the chill that came over me....since then....family dinners have taken on a different tone, a different feeling. The firstborn son no longer lives at home. It's the three of us...quiet. Lou begins with the same question, So how was your day?...and we answer. And he asks it again, a few minutes later...and again.....and "what day is it" and "what did I do today ".....sometimes our son has to leave the table, with a headache....but then Lou says his day was good....I'm glad he says that.....truth is, he did nothing today...or any day lately....but he feels it was a good day. Good. As we clear the dishes, he says "thank you for making a nice dinner, Cathy"...this he says for warmed up leftovers....and I say .. "thank you for this man dear God, thank you".