Young Jody put her hands to her ear. She found it hard to hear her brother Timmy, who she knew deliberately mumbled around her. She had tried to tell her parents about Ménière’s disease, but daddy wouldn't let any commie French muck into the house.
Seeing her sister's blank response to his witty remark, an annoyed Timmy puffed out his chest to repeat it more loudly. He knew it embarrassed his sister, drawing attention to her affliction.
Unfortunately, young Timmy's lungs were malformed from his mother's heavy smoking during pregnancy. Even now, the all too familiar choking sensation reached him from his father's pipe.
Staunch Darwinists, Mom and Pop hoped their next offspring would be made of sterner, all American stuff. Or at least be smart enough to cover up their deviancy from polite society.
The future would be brighter, and with the birds about to dive into the sulphuric acid birdbath, their house would be cleaner too.