"How are you today?" she shined, an invitation to share her gratitude, and worldview.

"Grieving the loss of a family structure that no longer exists," he described, "accepting the inevitable loneliness of accepting only those who respect me, living with children who love me but can't receive from me, operating with a personality designed for connection in a world that punishes that, among those for whom idle entertainment includes invalidation of my observations of the pattern of my life."

"And you?"