26. Allergies (May 2013)
Ugh! Kate wrote fiercely in her
journal. She underlined the word with swift, punchy strokes. Then she just sat
there and stared at the word and the blank page. Once again, she was awake in
the wee hours of the morning. This was the perfect time to catch up in her
journal, and she could not think of a single
thing to write! There was something like an elephant sitting on her nose, and
how could one possibly think clearly like that? She rocked slowly to one side
and then to the other trying to peer around the elephant and into her
disorderly brain where she knew she would see her thoughts lying in untidy
piles all over the floor. Nope. Completely blocked.
The
elephant’s name was Pollen, and Kate had been fighting him for the first few
days of their stay outside of Hillsdale. But pregnancy made her doubly
susceptible to her allergies, and when they took hold, it was with a vengeance.
She moved vaguely to the kitchen for her third cup of hot tea. Back at the
couch, she looked at the clock: 5:00AM, it said. It was almost morning, and not
a wink of sleep! Kate closed her eyes and sank into middle despair. (The size
of the elephant was too ludicrous for her to sink to the very depths.) Of all times
to not sleep, why did it have to be this one? It was now Graduation Day, and
that evening they would drive all through the night to get to Boston the next morning. Not good…not good…not good, she thought. There! That was a clear
thought! She picked up her pen to write it down, and then realized that, clear or
not, it was not a thought worth immortalizing with pen and paper.
Around 6
o’clock, Kate went back to bed for an hour and slept a little. When she awoke
again, she sneezed three times and used three tissues. She knew she shouldn’t,
but she rubbed her eyes—they were so itchy!
Her cheeks were itchy…then her ears…then her chin. She growled and shook her
head and dashed to the bathroom to wash her face. The cool water softened the
itchiness and brought relief. She lifted her face—it felt puffy and swollen and
completely atrocious, but it looked
mostly normal…except for the red streaks on her chin where she had scratched
too vigorously. And this was how the
new day was beginning! She would have to buck up and get a grip. Kate couldn’t
exactly feel brave and strong, but she did
manage to square her shoulders and give herself a wry smile.
The rest of
the morning was filled with packing and loading the car, and a hurried goodbye
to her beloved college family, though the sadness was tempered by the promise of a visit after the baby was born. Their
schedule was full: first, she and Mister would split up for coffee and
breakfast dates, then meet back at Jake’s apartment with the rest of the Miller
clan; then lunch and visiting, preparation for graduation, the ceremony, a
quick bite to eat, and on the road to Boston! Kate felt like she was four years
old again, standing at the top of the forty-foot high dive. But as they pulled
out of the drive, she said only, “Here we go!”
 |
| the apartment: eating lunch from the deli |
Kate had a
delicious visit with her old professor, and when she and Mister got to Jake’s
apartment, lunch turned out to be sandwiches from Kate’s favorite deli across
the street. Kate sank into a chair (one of the few furnishings) and munched her
pastrami sandwich, grateful to not be sitting in a restaurant crowded with
graduates and their families. She surreptitiously blew her nose into a napkin
and wondered how she would make it through the day.
“You look
tired.” Mister said, giving her a hug when she stood up. “Once we’re done
eating, we’ll all go to my parents’ hotel and you’ll take a nap while the rest
of us are at graduation.” Kate, felt a weak protest arise: weren’t they here for the graduation? But there was finality in his voice, and she had
no strength or energy to dispute.
“That would
be great,” she nodded.
Once she
was settled in the room, it was time for the others to leave to get seats. Kate
sneezed, blew her nose, and turned on her side. Her next and last conscious
thought was, I hope…I hope…I so
desperately hope that I can sleep…
 |
| see the elephant? No? He's right THERE... |
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