A stunning story by Paul Theroux worth reading right to the surprising ending

 I've been remiss on some of the recent New Yorker stories - sorry, everyone! - some of which have been pretty good, but I'll get back on track with at least a brief note on Paul Theroux's story Dietrologia. Yes, you have no idea what the title means, nor do I, but it fits w/ the story in a weird way. The story focuses on an older man, let's say in his 70s at least?, who enjoys his most-days visit from three neighborhood children; he tells them long and pointless tales and introduces them to some arcane vocabulary (hence, the title) and it's obvious that they don't understand much of what he's telling them, but they do like it that he's a soft touch on giving them cookies. His wife discourages his meeting with the children and focuses on selling their small house (it seems to be in Hawaii?) and moving them into some kind of assisted living - he needs it far more than she, and she comes across poorly this story. OK, so all the description up to this point make it seem as if this is a sweet Hallmark Channel movie about a man who gets a renewed sense of life through the wondrous eyes of children etc., but, no, that's a complete misreading, as Theroux pulls the strings in the last few paragraphs and the story becomes a stunning and surprising narrative, which I will not give away except to say that if you're thinking a ha, the old man is abusing the children you're wrong. Worth reading to the end!