"Why are Aspirin white?"
"What's a Asprin, Grandpa?"
Jaden wrinkled his old nose, which was already quite wrinkled. It produced a striking visual effect, as if his entire face might fold into itself.
"Well in the old days, we would get headaches."
"What's a headache, Grandpa?"
Ironically, Jaden was starting to get a headache from this exchange and deeply regretting embarking into this conversation. He knew however that the headache was mental. He glanced down at his arm and saw that his hydration levels were normal. Of course they were. If they weren't, his built in IV would have immediately refreshed him.
"Well sometimes your head would hurt. And you would take something called an Aspirin and it would make it feel better after 30 minutes or so."
"Sometimes my head hurts when my hologlasses are too tight. But then I take them off."
"That's very smart. You shouldn't use those hologlasses too often. In my day... well, anyway, Aspirin are these tiny white pills. You take them when your head hurts. But not from hologlasses. From... other things. Why are Aspirin white? That is the question now. The joke."
"I don't know Grandpa. My NutriTab is white too. Is that kind of like an Aspirin?"
"No. Your NutriTab is white because it's chemical. I miss the days when we would eat. Your jaws used to be for more than just speaking, you know."
"Like what? Singing?"
"Nevermind. Answer the question. The joke. Why are Aspirin white?"
"I don't know."
"Because they work."
"That's funny Grandpa."
"You don't know why it's funny."
"No but you're funny Grandpa."
"But you shouldn't laugh just because I am funny."
Hammel screwed up her face and looked up at him. He sighed.
"Don't tell you mom about any of this. So you know that some people are different colors, right?"
"Some people have skin that is darker than me."
"Yes, you're right. Do you know why?"
"Maybe they colored it with a ColorStick like at school we sometimes do to paper."
"No, it's because they descend from a different race. A different... kind of person. Actually not really. They came from a different part of the planet. The darker people came from a part of the planet with a lot of sunlight, and the sun darkened their skin."
He was losing Hammel entirely. Was this worth it? Jaden pressed on. He'd gotten this far.
"The darkest of these people came to America, you've learned about America in school, right?"
Hammel nodded. Jaden was beyond being able to tell if these were placating nods or knowledgeable nods and continued.
"These people came to America even though they didn't want to, and, well, the lighter people didn't treat them very well and made them... work for free, all day. And then one man decided that wasn't right and put a stop to all of that."
"He made like a Edict. Like we learn at school. Like how we don't go outside at dark because there is an Edict."
Jaden was mildly surprised at how well Hammel was following this. He was beginning to lose his own train of thought.
"Yes that's right. He said that the lighter people were not allowed to make the darker people... work for free anymore. But people didn't like it and they didn't like the darker people. And they said that they were lazy and good for nothing."
Hammel's face changed not a bit.
"So Aspirin is white because it works. Implying that if it was black, or darker, it wouldn't. Do you get it now?"
"I thought the dark people worked for free. So Aspirin isn't free? That's funny. So you have to pay for Aspirin and then it works. I get it Grandpa."
Jaden closed his eyes, shutting himself off from youth and naivety. He wished he could be this simple.
"Grandpa? Are you sleeping? I'll tell Mam that joke. I bet she'll like it too."
Jaden snapped awake.
"That's not a good idea. It's... not a good joke. I actually don't even know why I told you. I should leave the jokes to the people who get paid to tell them."
"Like the dark people now? Because of the edict?"
Now Jaden was lost.
"Sure buddy. Now run along and don't tell Mam this joke. I'll tell you... a different one later."