Megosztott hang

Oh, I remember something like this. My 2 cousins, which were about 17 years old, had invited their friend of the same age over to their house for a weekend. They offered him to stay a bit more, but he denied, saying that he only had 3 days left to see his father. My uncles were dumbfounded, because they thought he meant his father was passing away. When their friend noticed the miss understading, they all laughed. Turns out his father passed away 3 days later.