823. Jim's mom was notorious for her long‐winded stories about her daily routine. These stories, full of mundane details, never had a payoff, punch line, or point. After months of calling her daily after his dad's death, Jim was getting tired of hearing these monologues. One day he said, "Now, don't take this personally, but..." She said, "Never mind. I don't want to hear it. Every time somebody says that, I end up crying." He said, "Okay, I understand. How about if I suggest something, but do it indirectly?" She said, "Well, okay, maybe." He said, "You love reading your mystery novels. You've probably read 10,000 in your life." She said, "At least!" He said, "If I handed you the world's greatest mystery novel, but I told you I had removed the last chapter, would you read it?" She said, "Of course not! What would be the point?" He said, "Exactly!" 4.5