The dog was whining and running around and barking at every passing car or person in front of the house. It was bothering me.

I joked to Mom, "Do you think it's too late to drop her off at the fire station?"

Mom looked at me and said with a straight face, "I would never drop her off at the fire station."

"Why did I just hear a specification?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, laughing a little.

"If that sentence were written, it would be italicized," I said.

She laughed more and said, "And capitalized and bolded."