Awkward

I leave for New York this week to pitch the book I’ve written called "Cancer with Charisma". In preparation for this, I've been compiling a list of books that I consider to be "comparative titles." That's how I got myself into the following phone conversation with a Barnes and Noble employee named Kevin. From what I gathered, Kevin was a nice but somewhat naive teenage boy.

Kevin: Barnes and Noble, this is Kevin. How may I help you?

Me: Yeah, hi. Can you check and see if you have a certain book in stock?

Kevin: Sure. What's it called?

Me: Oh. Well it's actually called Why I Wore Lipstick to my Mastectomy by Geralyn Lucas.

Kevin: Why I wore lipstick to what?

Me: My mastectomy.

Kevin: I don't see it. Maybe I'm spelling mastectomy wrong. What is a mastectomy anyway?

Me: Uh, how about I just spell it for you.

Kevin: Wait, I may have found it. What's a mastectomy though, for real?

Me: It's when a woman gets her breasts removed.

Kevin: (silence).... Is this a joke?

Me: No. It's just incredibly awkward.

Kevin: I'll say.