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Sappho, against the wishes of her mother-in-law, has given birth to Quincy with the aid of mid-wives in the company of friends and in the comfort of her home. Homer has been wholeheartedly supportive of Sappho’s decision which has greatly pricked Mrs. Chu’s temper. Furthermore, as long as he has been present, he has not permitted Mrs. Chu to harass Sappho with her incessant subtle comments as to how Sappho is so relaxed about keeping the home tidy or how Sappho seems to only know how to prepare countless american dishes.

Homer, after years of practice, is now able to detect and snuff out his mother’s polite, underhanded criticism seconds before Mrs. Chu would utter them. In such scenarios, he would simply say ‘Mom’ sternly to silence her. She would look shocked and indignantly exclaim ‘What!’. And he would follow with ‘Nothing’. He could tell that she was about to say something quietly devastating by the eerie silence that preceded the cutting words to follow. And if he were to miss that cue, he knew how to read Mrs. Chu’s face; it was a familiar map. Her left eyebrow would arch, ready to spring, and her eyes would dart contemptuously to the right as her already pursed lips would tighten so tautly that her cheek bones would seem to grow.