The Benefits of Conversation

"Fine," she said. Alexis couldn't remember the last time she actually talked to her brother. There was a barrier before, but...it didn't seem to be there now. "You?" "Well..." he started, then stopped as he noticed his mother on her phone again. He decided to ignore that, and continued having a nice, polite conversation with Alexis about what was going on in his life. After a few moments, Megan joined in. The three talked about how their schools were, and what was new, while Kimberly completely ignored everything, and Scott picked at his pizza. When the check came, the waiter placed it in front of Scott, who paid it, giving the waiter a big tip, and the whole family headed toward the car.