In our Q&A/Help a Member session, we discussed how to convey mundane questions followed by a bombshell. Here’s Dave Godin’s excerpt:

Was Smiley his real name? 
He didn’t reveal it to anyone for the safety of his wife and kids.
Where did he live?
He lived near Kandahar. I grew up in Wisconsin, and George in Pennsylvania.
How many kids did he have?
He had four. I had two grown boys. George had three, two boys and a girl, all married.
And then I asked a question I was not supposed to ask.
“George is a Methodist, and I am a Catholic,” I said, “and here we are together. Why can’t Sunni and Shiite get along as we do?”
His smile disappeared. “It cannot be that way for us,” he replied, “They are wrong and we must correct them.”

Weigh in on Dave’s question in the comments section below.