Madeline Cash reflects on her boomer mother’s use of ellipses.

When I texted to thank her, she responded, ‘Enjoy . . .’ Why not Enjoy period or Enjoy exclamation point? Did she resent the gift? Are the treats poisoned?

There’s an extensive online discourse on the Baby Boomer generation’s penchant for ellipses. ‘OK . . .’ ‘Thanks . . .’ ‘See you next week . . .’ Sometimes they’re a playful way to build suspense, sometimes a form of passive aggression, and sometimes they relay an implication: ‘You were going to call me back in 5 minutes and it has been 10 so . . .’ Draw your own conclusions here. But my mother’s use of ellipses doesn’t reveal a pattern or convey a tone. She’ll ‘. . .’ in good times and bad. Excited, pensive, disappointed or otherwise. Granta