Family Emergency

Last night, while in the car with my mom, her cell phone rings. She answers, "OH NO! What happened?!" The entire car quiets down as even the kids in the backseat can sense the sound of fear in her voice. I am tapping her, asking who is on the phone. She is listening intently and saying, "Oh dear. Oh no. Well, call me if you hear anything else." Click. "What is wrong? What happened," I plead. She turns to me and I prepare for the worse. "Dad just called and the flea market in North Myrtle Beach is burning. It's on fire and looks like it may be a total loss." I have a split second where I ponder the possibility that I was adopted years ago and then slowly turn and look out the window. "While you were on the phone, here I was thinking that we were having a family emergency. Turns out the flea market is burning. And I also suppose that in our family, that is an emergency," I say to her and she laughs. "True," she replies.