Be Tactful
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Joe had a cat he loved very much. When he went west to California on a business trip he left the cat with his brother Al and his mother. When Joe arrived in Los Angeles he called his brother and asked him how the cat was doing. Al replied bluntly, "I'm real sorry, Joe, but your cat is dead."
Brokenhearted, Joe said, "How could you be so cruel? You know how I loved that cat. You could have said, &ls;Your cat is up on the roof and we can't get her down!' Then the next time I called you could have told me, &ls;Your cat is off the roof but it has broken a small bone in its leg and is in the hospital.'"
"Then a few days later, when I was better prepared, you could have called and said, &ls;Your cat has passed away in her sleep. She felt no pain.'"
"You're right," replied Al meekly. "I'm real sorry about how it was handled. Please forgive me."
A couple of weeks later Joe once again called his brother from California. After chatting for awhile he asked, "Say, Al, how's Mother?"
"Oh, Mother?" responded Al, "O.K., I guess, but she's up on the roof and we can't get her down..."
