well then what was it?

Overheard today at the Riverside County Vital Records Office:

clerk: Hi, how can I help you?
girl: I need to pick up a birth certificate.
clerk: When was the child born?
girl: Oh, it's not for a child. ::pause:: It's for my brother-in-law.

If you can be breathless in suspense while sitting in a waiting room waiting for a death certificate, I certainly was.