the etiquette and customs performed by my elders. One tradition that was passed down to me that we all particularly enjoy involves using the art of imitation when talking about, or more specifically, when relating a story about another family member. This involves adopting one or two of the particular person's mannerisms, characteristics, personal use of language or tone or any other trait that is uniquely theirs. As an example, imagine you have a horrible new boss who transferred in from your company's London office. If you had a particularly bad day and wanted to call your best friend to bitch about it, you would adopt an English accent when repeating what he said that made you upset.
             There are two unspoken rules we have all silently and mutually agreed upon. The first is not to mimic the person in their presence and the second rule is that in order to participate properly, one must abide by the pre-established basic framework of each other's most recognizable and distinguishing features. This serves as the foundation of any good impersonation and can be freely built upon at one's own discretion. Generally, I stick to the basics but some of the more experienced and observant of us tweak their portrayals to deliver truly uncanny performances. I'm not exactly sure who initiated this specialized communication or how it all started in the first place. I think because our father worked long hours and our mother was pregnant for an entire decade, we had to invent ways to entertain ourselves over the countless hours of unsupervised time. The point is, it belongs to all of us now and we use it so freely that I sometimes don't even notice.
             Maybe we subconsciously use it as a tool to differentiate ourselves from one another by recognizing our individual identities because in a large family, people can get lost. So if when telling my brother Jack what was discussed over lunch with Elizabeth that...