…I live in fear of the sorry-about-your-grandma pause. In fact, I’m so afraid of it am I that until very recently, I attempted to avoid the pause altogether. If a friend came to me with heavy emotional troubles, I would give them all the hugs they needed, and sit there gazing soulfully at them, afraid to speak. If they talked, they talked; otherwise, it became an emotional staring contest. And I played to win.