Grandpa tells the same story every holiday because it’s the one he wants to be remembered for. Listen like it’s the first time.

Repetition is a signal about importance, not a glitch. Out of a whole life he keeps returning to one afternoon, which means it is the one he picked as the summary, the thing he most wants known about him. Everyone at the table has heard it and half of them are checking their phones. He knows that and tells it anyway, which should tell you how much it matters.

This time, ask a question in the middle. Who else was there, what happened right afterward, how old were you. New questions usually open a part nobody at that table has heard.