Feeding Time at the Dinner Table

I remember one dinner when I was eight that nobody in my family will talk about.

We were eating spaghetti when my dad suddenly stopped mid-bite and stared at the ceiling.

Then my mom did the same. My older brother too. All three of them

just froze, forks in the air, eyes locked upward. I asked what they were looking at

but nobody answered. The silence lasted maybe two minutes but felt like forever. Then as if on cue,

they all looked down and continued eating like nothing happened. When I brought it

up later, my mom got pale and told me to never mention it again. My dad pretended

he didn't hear me. My brother said I was making things up. For years I convinced