Thought I would share a couple more stories about my mother that I love. Again, they are especially funny because they go against her normal quiet, intelligent, unassuming self.

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My mother and I were in the theater watching “Searching for Bobby Fischer.” At the end of the movie there’s a tense climactic match involving the young chess prodigy. My mother is leaning forward in her seat, grabbing both armrests tightly, completely immersed in the action.

“This is so nerve-wracking,” my mother said to me. “I’m so glad you kids never did anything!”

“I love you too, Mom,” I said. 🙂

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The family was in Chicago over Christmas years ago – we used to spend every holiday at my grandmother’s house in Hinsdale, where my mother grew up. We were all in the car together, and I was in the backseat absorbed in the Chicago Reader. I came to the back of the paper, where the “adult services” ads were. I just had to tell the entire car how funny I thought it was that one of the “adult services” had a phone number that was listed as 382-DUCK.

“’Duck’? Why is that funny?” said my mother.

I prompted her that D, E, and F were all on the same telephone keypad button. She thought about that for a minute.

“E-U-C-K? Well, that doesn’t even spell anything!” she said.