There’s too much air in the house,” Lydia said. She took a deep breath and pinched her nose to hold the air in then all at once blew it out until her lungs were empty. Then she took long sniffling breaths until her lungs refilled, again pinching her nose then coughing the air out.
Archie looked up from his Sunday Times puzzle, which, after three solid evenings of work had little more than the top right corner completed. Sure, there were a few three-letter words scattered about – ego and fur – but the abundance of white space was beginning to agitate him. “I’m never going to finish another puzzle,” he said.
“Who are you kidding? You’ve never come close…,” she squeaked, and on the verge of passing out, took another massive inhale. “…to finishing even the Monday puzzle. Did you hear what I said about the air? There’s too much air.”
“Tourniquet!” Bob said, slapping his hand on the arm of his chair. “This changes everything.”
He glanced up at Lydia, who was holding her nose. Her face was getting red and a bead of sweat drizzled down one of her temples.
“Archie, honey,” she said, “I think I’m going to pass out.”
Her head pitched forward and Archie, quick as an ocelot, sprang from his chair and caught her an inch from the coffee table. He lay her down on the couch with her head on his lap and fanned her face with the Sunday Magazine.
She opened her eyes. “The air,” she started.
“I know. There’s too much of it. Why don’t I open a window to let some out.”
“Oh, would you?”
Archie stood and opened the window.
“Archie?”
“I know, darling, I’ll close it in a minute before too much air gets out.”
She sighed, contented, and picked up his puzzle. “Twenty-seven across.,” she said. “Anemophobia. It fits.”
“Well, look at that; it does.”
“Close the window,” she said.
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