Familial nonsense

I was giving the brother a lift to Sembawang (we got lost and, after 40 minutes, ended up where we'd started, but nevermind that), when he asked me what a genocide was.

"It's the killing of an entire race of people -- like, you know, when Hitler wanted to kill off all the Jews," I explained.

"Oh, okay," he nodded.

I went on: "Actually pretty much anything that ends with -cide has to do with killing -- like insecticide, pesticide, suicide, matricide, patricide..."

I was on a roll, until my brother helpfully offered: "Backside?"

"..."

***

My dad was running a temperature last night, and when it wouldn't subside, we decided to bring him into the hospital, just in case. In the waiting room, my mom took out her phone and fiddled with some picture messages.

"Hey," she nudged me, and thrusted her phone at me, with Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes) on the display. "What's Calvin's last name?" she asked.

"I don't know. I don't think he has one. Why?"

"He does!" Mom insisted. "I just can't remember..." she pondered for a moment, then her face lit up. "I remember, I remember! His surname is Hobbes!"

"..."