Cushioning the Blow
We thought it best to leave the cat with Ted
along with Grandma, when we went away.
As soon as we came home from holiday
he bluntly stated that the cat was dead.
"Listen!" I said, "Bad news is better told
obliquely--such as, 'Bess went climbing on
the roof, and fell. Her legs and back had gone.
They tried to save her but she was too old.' "
Ted--who's a blunt but not a thoughtless man--
felt chastened (so he said) and mortified.
"Don't worry, Cousin Edward", I replied,
"we all drop clangers. By the way, how's Gran?"
"Not great", he said. "In fact, to tell the truth,
last night she went out climbing on the roof......"
David Anthony
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