ROOTS, or I don't really have them
Because we are going to South Africa (!) I am looking into some Family Information. I have very little. My father had some cousins named OLDERMAN. I called one of them a few weeks ago, a man I vaguely remembered named Richard. He sold insurance. His son has the company now.
Richard Olderman seemed happy enough to hear from me. "You know," he said, "a while ago I got a family tree. Maybe it's in the garage. I'll make a copy for you. Then you'll have it too. Give me a few days. I'll let you know when I find it." A few days went by. Richard Olderman left a message on my machine. "Not yet," he said. "I need a few more days." Three weeks went by. He didn't want to tell me he couldn't find the tree.