Amy tossed her phone on the bed. “Any idea what happened between John and Zack?”
From across the room, her husband David answered, “What do you mean?”
“Well, John always gets invited to Zack’s birthday party. But not this year.”
David and Amy Goodwin’s eleven-year-old son John was friends with Zack Thomas, who lived in the neighborhood. Today was Zack’s birthday, so Amy had just texted Charlotte, Zack’s mother.
Charlotte’s reply was pleasant enough. But Amy was hoping for more. Over the past two weeks she had been expecting a colorful card in the mailbox, announcing some big production: paint ball, or ice hockey, or white water rafting. John loved Zack’s parties, so Amy thought her message would trigger a forgotten invitation for her son. No such luck.
“I don’t know of any problems between the boys,” said David. “Maybe Zack isn’t having a party this year.”
“Yeah, maybe,” said Amy. “It’s just that Charlotte’s text seemed so brief. I gave her an opening to mention a party, and there’s just nothing.”
“Can I see?” asked David.
Amy turned her phone toward her husband.
AMY: Happy birthday to Zack! Hope your new TWELVE year old has a great day! Any big plans?
CHARLOTTE: Thanks! Can’t believe he’s 12!
“I see what you mean,” said David. “But maybe she’s just short on time. You could be reading too much into something that isn’t there.”
“Maybe. I just think if that friendship was important to Zack, Charlotte would have said something—one way or the other. I hope John will be okay.”
Amy made a mental note to talk with her son about Zack. She knew John didn’t have any friends to spare.
A few weeks later, the Goodwins were heading over to the local pool on a Saturday afternoon. John, who wasn’t phased by any previous birthday drama, asked his father if he could bring Zack along.
“Great idea,” said David. “I’ll text Mr. Thomas.”
David pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped out a message.
DAVID: We’re headed to the pool. Do you want to join us? Or we can just pick up Zack on our way.
A reply pinged on David’s phone within 30 seconds.
JOSH: Sorry, we can’t. Charlotte’s parents are in town this weekend.
DAVID: No problem. Hope you have a good visit!
JOSH: Thanks. It will be a blast.
When they got to the pool, David relayed his text exchange with Josh to Amy.
“That’s a little weird, right?” asked David.
“What do you mean?” asked Amy.
“Well, I thought Josh liked his in-laws. But it sounds like he’s bracing for a hard weekend.”
“What? He said the visit would be a blast,” Amy said.
“No, he’s being sarcastic. Don’t you see? No exclamation point, no emoji. There’s no way he’s having fun,” said David.
Amy frowned. “You’re drawing a big conclusion from that little phrase. I’m not sure you’re hearing his intended tone.”
“I think it’s pretty clear,” said David. “I’ll have to stop by their house tonight on my walk. I bet Josh could use the interruption. We’ll throw the football in the yard for a while.”
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