�Mom! It�s not a half a pita. It�s a quarter! God, you�re so frustrating! That�s only a quarter. Not a half. What is wrong with you!�
�Honey,� the mother would respond, �this is half.�
�No it�s not, mother. A pita is round, mother. Can you double that and get something round? A pita is round. If you can�t double that and get something round it�s not a half.�
�Honey, I don�t care anymore.�
�See, mother, a half of something is half of it. So you have to be able to put two of them together to get the whole. Can you understand what I�m saying? You have to be able to have two of them make a whole. That�s the way it works.�
�Honey, would you like some more tabouli?�
�I don�t expect you to understand everything I�m saying. I don�t expect that mother. I�m a college graduate who is half way through a masters program. I don�t expect you to understand. I don�t expect that. But I thought you�d at least know what a half is, mother. I thought you�d at least know what a half is.�
�Honey, I know what a half is.�
The brother broke in with a story off topic and distorted with laughter. ��was gonna get a big �ol� I can�t breathe! Oh, god! Oh, god! It�s too funny. Oh, god! � Big �ol pile of� oh, god!�
�Do you really, mother?� the daughter continued. �Do you really know what a half is? Do you also know that a pita is round? Do you know that? I don�t expect you to know everything, but I do expect you to know that a pita is round. If you put two of those quarters together, mother, you don�t get something that�s round. You get something that�s half of round. It�s a quarter mother, a quarter. A pita is round and if you put two halves together you�ll get a round. That�s not possible from a quarter like this. It�s not possible, mother.�
When Tommy and I left she was still instructing her mother about geometry. Mother, for her part, was looking at a nearby table, her expression blank, her stare glassy.
Posted at 8:27 a.m.
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