Miseries

I have been experiencing what people generally call "allergies", though I prefer to call them Mind Numbers or perhaps simply Miseries. I've never had this problem before. (When I was in college, I had a little tiny bit of allergies, but I was treated for them anyway because I was a singer and it was interfering with la voce. Actually it was because I was a singer and, therefore, insane.) I am sneezing about twice every minute. All day. No really - I have sneezed four times since I started writing this post, and I'm a pretty fast typist. And they are the brain-rattling kind, the kind that make the dogs go sleep in the other room. It is incapacitating. I can't see because my eyes are all watery and swollen. I've become a mouth-breather since my nose is so congested that it would take a bulldozer to open it up. I can't believe that people have these Miseries every year. I would throw myself off a cliff.

I was studying at a coffee shop this morning when I ran into one of my classmates. I waved to her when she came in and she started to wave back but stopped half way with a look of fear on her face. She put her things down, looking warily in my direction, and came over to my table.

FRIEND
Oh my God, is everything ok?

KATIE
Yeah, good. How are you?

FRIEND
No, really. You can tell me. Is the baby ok?

KATIE
What? The Turnip? I think so... why? What's wrong?

FRIEND
You look like you've been sobbing and up all night. What's going on? What happened?

KATIE
What? OH! I have allergies, I think. I've never had them before, but I think that's what is wrong with my face. No, I'm fine! Everything is fine.

FRIEND
(unconvinved)
Well, you can talk to me if you need anything.

KATIE
Got any Benadryl on you?

Shortly after this exchange, I went to the grocery for some drugs. This is unacceptable. Now I'm home, attempting to study, and sneezing uncontrollably all over my books. Gross.