Missing the conversation... but taking what is there

Obviously, I miss the conversations I had with Stu. Most of my adult conversations have to be with people I have online... and I'm actually ok with this, because I've been having online convos since the late 1980s (though, to be fair, real-time convos didn't become more real til I did IRC in mid-1990s).

But the issue is that the main person who is around me at home all the time is D. And he doesn't have a kind of conversation... but he is trying, and he is trying more.

I try to give him "hooks" he can react to. I don't try to make them "See Jane Run" type of conversations, if I can avoid it. But I don't know what D can understand. 

Example: [less charged, trying to see if he will engage] I'm watching a TV show, and I'm making remarks about what's going on in the TV show. I usually watch murder mystery shows, like MARPLE, POIROT, COLUMBO, CADFAEL, and similar shows. So I will exclaim on murders, etc., but it's too complicated for him to follow, so I don't push it.

Different example: I read social media posts of people I personally know, and remark on personal issues.

Me: OH NO!

D: What happened?

Me: My friend's mom hurt herself! Let's pray for her!

D: No! I don't want to pray! [he's in the middle of playing a game on his tablet]

Me: Hey D, when you finish your game, we can do the prayer. Let me tell you what happened. [I have no idea how much he will understand. I tell a story of what happened to my friend's mother.]

D: okay [playing his game]

Me: Hey D, if this happens to you... [blah blah blah]

D: okay [playing his game]

Me: are you done with your game?

D: yes

Me: let's say a prayer for my friend's mom

[prayer]

[D then runs to bed]

that's the level of discourse between me & D

other times it's a commentary between me & him about Aurebesh or kanji.