patteren: 122008;720
series: magnificat;161

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Homer cringes at hearing the culturally entrenched, prejudiced intoning of the word ‘girl’.  He simply stares at Mrs. Chu.  His mouth droops as if he were about to drool while his eyes betray something entirely different, not the expected stupefaction, but an unadulterated insanity.  Then, as if irrepressible tectonic forces were set into motion, Homer erupts, “That...is...it,” making a wild motion with his hands.  At that moment, Homer’s face appears to have bared his skull.  The flesh and skin around his eyes, his mouth, and his nose seem to have been blown and stretched back by some formidable wind displacing what was once his forehead, his cheeks, and his ears.  The two mid-wives freeze.  Kathryn, who is at that moment peering at Quincy, is so startled by Homer’s voice that she looks up and knocks heads with Sappho.  Sappho muffles a terrified gasp.  George looks dismayed, but stands ready, prepared to do whatever is necessary to keep the situation under control.  And Mrs. Chu coolly looks at Homer.  The phone rings.