Nodding

I called my parents this morning to wish dad a happy birthday. He and I chatted for a while; at one point (or several), he called out to mom and suggested that she pick up the phone, but, from what I gather, the response was something like, "huh? whatever, yeah."

Dad: What are you up to today?
A.: I'm going to see "Cymbeline" in the afternoon...
Dad: What's that?
A.: Shakespeare...
Dad: What is it in Russian?
A.: It's not. It's a name.
Dad: Any other plans?
A.: Well, Mirella invited me to go see a Peruvian dance concert, but I don't think I'll be up for it.
Dad: That actually sounds really good. It's at the same time as the play?
A.: No, but there's only so much artistic stimulus I can take in in a day. That and it's a trek out to George Mason.
Dad: That's too bad--it sound interesting.
A.: I'm sure it is. I'll try to catch them another time.

A bit later--just as I was getting out of the shower--mom called me.

Mom: I guess you were on the phone earlier? Dad said he told me, but I didn't hear him. He said [ya tye' kivnul]--you know that joke?
A.: Uh-huh.
Mom: Anyway, he said you were going to see a Shakespearean play instead of a Peruvian dance concert? I think you should go to the concert instead.
A.: It's not an either-or thing; I've had the Cymbeline ticket for weeks, and Mirella just called about Peru Negro yesterday. I could go to both but I'm just not up for it.
Mom: Huh? What's the name of the play in Russian?
A.: There isn't one--it's a name. Of a king.
Mom: Oh. Anyway, I'd better get going on dinner.

***
I know that joke--the "ya tye' kivnul'", i.e., "I nodded" joke--because it comes up all the time in my family. You'll likely be underwhelmed, but it's very Russian. It goes something like: a woman opens her front door one morning to find her husband asleep on the other side.

Woman: Kolya! What are you doing there?
Husband: Well, you could have let me in last night when I banged on the door!
Woman: You didn't answer when I asked, "Kolya? Is that you?"
Husband: I did answer--I nodded!

My dad invokes that punchline--"I nodded"--often, because mom often makes similar statements. Sometimes it's directly analogous--she'll say something when we're out of the room or otherwise out of earshot, and then express amazement if we didn't hear her (sometimes, there's also amazement that we haven't fetched whatever "that thing" she asked us to fetch, while we were out of earshot). Sometimes it's less direct--like this morning, for example, when mom didn't listen when dad told her that I was on the phone, and later asked why he hadn't told her that I was on the phone--but they're in that genre. Remember, also, when I was up there for Labor Day weekend, and I was slicing some vegetable or another? I asked mom how thickly to slice, she said, "whatever," and later said, "those should be sliced much more finely!" It's all a variation of nodding when you're not visible to the person you're talking to (or when you leave the room, leaving them nodding at you).