Husband: Honey, can you call the duct company? We need to get our ducts cleaned.

Me: We have ducks?

Him: Of course we have ducts.

Me: Where are they?

Him: They're in every room of the house.

Me: You're telling me we have ducks in the house.

Him: Yes. Every house has ducts.

Me: Every house has ducks?

Him: Of course.

Me: I don't see any ducks.

Him: They're easy to miss if you're not looking for them.

Me: I wouldn't think you could miss ducks in your house.

Him: You don't really pay attention to the ducts unless they're dirty.

Me: I think I would notice if I had ducks in my house even if they were squeaky clean.

Him: Maybe. But either way, we need to get them cleaned. It's not good to have dirty ducts.

Me: We have dirty ducks?

Him: That's what I've been saying.

Me: How does one clean a dirty duck?

Him: There are companies that will blow the ducts out for you.

Me: So, not only do we have ducks, but we have to pay to have them cleaned and blown out?

Him: Well, we don't want to do it ourselves.

Me: Honey, I think you need to talk to someone about this duck thing.

Him: It's not a big deal but it can be bad for our health.

Me: It's bad for our health to have dirty ducks?

Him: Of course. Think of all the dust.

Me: I'm thinking of all the feathers.

Him: I suppose there could be those, too.

Me: I have a question.

Him: Sure.

Me: Who's been taking care of the ducks until now?

Him: That's the problem. We haven't done anything with the ducts since we moved in.

Me: The ducks were here when we moved in?

Him: Of course. They came with the house.

Me: So, why do you want to deal with this now?

Him: Well, we just finished the house renovation.

Me: So...

Him: It's the last thing on my checklist.

Me: The ducks?

Him: Yup. Just trying to get all my ducks in a row.

Tracy Beckerman is the author of the Amazon Bestseller "Barking at the Moon: A Story of Life, Love, and Kibble," available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble online! You can visit her at www.tracybeckerman.com.

Photo credit: AnnaER at Pixabay