#1 Son, who spent the night at a friend’s house, just called. The conversation went something like this:
#1 Son: Hi, Mom. Sorry I didn’t call sooner but I slept late.
Mom [who had called three times and sent two text messages to his cell phone, and was now confused by the background noise that sounded like a crowd of people]: Where are you?
#1 Son: I’m on the Max.
Mom: Where are you going?
#1 Son: I thought I’d better come home.
Mom: I can’t pick you up at the transit center.
#1 Son: Why?
Mom: Because there’s 1/2 inch of ice all over everything. I have no chains. Remember yesterday when I told you that you needed to land somewhere that you didn’t mind staying?
#1Son: But I talked to my friend in Oregon City and she looked out the window and said she thought it looked OK.
Mom: We don’t live anywhere near Oregon City. We live on the west side. We live on the north side of a hill. If you have to come home, you will have to walk.
#1 Son: Isn’t that kind of … dangerous?
Mom: Yes, but right now that’s the only way to get here. Do you have an extra pair of socks with you? Put them on over your boots and that will give you traction.
#1 Son: Really? Cool! But, no, I don’t have any extra socks. [pause] Guess I’d better go back where I was. I can still get there.
Mom: Good idea. Be careful. It’s icy.
#1 Son: Can you pick me up later?
Mom: Maybe tomorrow.
15 minutes later… the phone rings again…
#1 Son: I’m back at my friends. It’s really icy out there!
Oh… really?