Runny nose, harsh, gasping breath, the terrible lack of control. My brother was on the bed bouncing up and down, pointing and laughing at me. If I could have killed him I would. Eventually I calmed down and said I had just been thinking about stuff. My mother, in her infinite wisdom, decided it would be best if we took my brother down to the pool and continue our discussion there.
Public places are great for that sort of thing.
So I took a deep breath, grabbed a towel and followed the pair of them down to the pool. My mother got my brother into his water-wings, tossed him in the deep end and left him to his own devices. Her chair screeched as she pulled it out from the table. I stared at my hands clenching each other in my lap as she asked me what all the hysterics were about. I gulped down a sob and managed to choke out the word nothing .