Mother brought up the sad tale of Father getting older and overworked out of the blue, presumably to appeal to the sympathetic side of me and have me offer to help out on a more permanent basis or even take over the business.

Question is, how can she possibly expect me to respond in the way she expects me to when I was brought up without a shred of it ? It's always my fault. I'm never good enough.

I held out, and let the conversation die a slient death.