Doorbells are pretty straightforward. They ring. You answer the door. But what if no one is there? 

One Sunday, as my parents were walking home from a church luncheon, my father began talking gibberish. My mother, naturally, was alarmed. They went to the Emergency. A cat scan was performed and nothing was found. My father was told that he’d likely had a mini stroke. My mother believed the stroke had been caused by a hot dog.