"Does she drink a lot?" Her eyes were closer to mine and intense. I suddenly found I couldn't look into them. She turned her hips toward me on the couch and seemed to be intentionally entering my personal space. She was tuned in to my every word. I felt a little self-conscious, and a little guilty for outing my innocent mother.

"Well . . ." I had to think about what she meant, "when you say 'a lot,' do you mean frequently . . . or heavily, although I guess it's a little of both. I mean, she has a couple drinks after work almost every day now, but more...