Ketchup on Pancakes

Julie watched her uncle take a seat on the opposite side of the island, the expression on his face grim, and he looked at her, offering her an encouraging smile. 

"Is everything alright, Uncle Tom?" asked Julie, not knowing what exactly he wanted to speak about. 

"Yeah yeah," Uncle Thomas snapped from his slightly dazed look. "Uh, what I wanted to speak to you, there has been a family secret that we never got the opportunity to speak about until now. It is about your mother. Please understand that it wasn't either your mother or my intention to tell it this late." 

Julie could already tell what her uncle was going to speak about, but she decided to play naive about it.