(END) FINALLY She Caught a Cold (F) classes came and wentāand it was lunchtime. No class in mid day just the student union for some grub. And again - there she was - Poor Julie was really suffering by now . We sat at different tables that day, but it was obvious she shouldāve been home in bed, tending to her nose. The redness had deepenedānow a dark magenta spreading along both nostrils.
From my seat in front of her, I could hear her sneeze. It was a new sound to meāsomehow striking, almost beautiful, though also deeply sad. I felt bad for her.
When I turned around and mouthed, āAre you OK?ā she shook her head and gave a clear no, tapping her left nostril with her finger. Things had clearly taken a turn. Sheād stopped using tissues and moved on to the rough brown paper towels from the rest room. Then came another sneezeāand a loud, wet blow, thick, goopy - nasal viscosity only a cold will produce.
I watched as she took out her Afrin bottle, tilted her head back, and gave each nostril two long, desperate sniffles. Some relief followedāor at least enough to get her through the next class.
The day dragged on. If sneezing and blowing your nose in front of your college mates wasnāt bad enough, Julie still had to sit through our college government assembly. I turned around again and said, āI canāt believe youāre still here. Please, just go home and rest.ā The room was silent and her sniffles were audible to all. Then the sneeze into her wet paper towel. And another and the masking of a wet blow to follow. Her nose was now entirely red form her lip to bridge on both side. Poor thing. But as bad as I felt - my arousal was clear for anyone who might care to see. I guess no one ever seemed surprised by tight pants back then - let alone the obvious swelling there in. Another sneeze and I whispered. āHealth Ctr time, maybe?ā She whispered back. āI literally havenāt stopped blowing since I saw you this am. Still think the nose is cute?ā Oh yes I certainly did!
She smiled weakly and said my favorite line: āItās just a cold in the nose.ā Then another nostril tap, a half-stifled sneeze, and a soggy wipe with one of those brown paper towels.
The day eventually ended, and so did the worst of Julieās coldāshe stayed home for three days to recover.
She came back on Fridayāsurprisingly, not taking the extra day for the weekend. Her nose was dry and chapped, and she still spoke through the congestion, though the constant running had stopped. The sneezing had slowed, and she now carried a little cream to soothe the raw skin around her nostrils.
That first cold, that first sneezeāsomehow, those memories have stayed with me for life. They stirred something in me, something I didnāt fully understand then.
Of course, by the next week, I had my own coldāearned, I suppose, from a few too many of her passed-off, snot-soaked tissues.
Was it worth it? The sneezing, the late-night nose care, the stuffiness?
Absolutelyāwithout question.
