After dinner that evening, Frederick sat on the verandah smoking a cigarette. Simmy and I hid around the corner of the house, listening in. I had to shush him several times or he"d have given us away.
“You"ll ruin your lungs.” Frederick turned to see Katya standing in the shadows. He smiled at her.
“Come,” he said. “Sit.” Despite her bold pronouncement, she sat beside him demurely. “You"re probably right. I don"t have the wind I once had. Your brother outran me today. I guess I"m getting old.”
“Nonsense,” she said then hesitated. “I mean, it is proven that the chemical properties in tobacco cause lung damage. Maybe you shouldn"t inhale.”
Frederick dropped the glowing butt on the verandah floor and ground it out under the heel of his summer loafers. “I heed your command.”
“Don"t be sil
