“He died?!” My youngest leaped to his feet and turned to face me, eyes wide. We were watching the superbowl at the time.

“What?” I asked.

“He said he died!”

“No. Nobody died.”

“No really,”  my five-year old said, waving his arms dramatically. “He really did. He said Joseph died running the ball!”

We stared at each other for a moment. Behind him, the game switched to commercials. Finally, my brain turned on. “Joseph Adai,” I said.

“That’s what I said. Joseph died!”

“No,” my wife interjected. “That’s his name.”

“A D A I,” I spelled. “His name sounds like A Die.”

The little guy looked back and forth between us, then started to smile. “Oh.”

“Pretty silly,” I said.

He laughed. “I thought he died.”

“I know.”

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