Bonding Over Flu Medicine

Talking about impromptu bonding...read what happened:

I hunt around the house for more medicine until I realize that there is no more left to be had and also realizing that I have to go out into the cold to get some more.  This would be my 3rd trip and I'm shaking form head to foot from a lack of energy, exhausted from body aches and burning with fever.  I look at P in hopes that he won't want (or need) anymore (cause he hates medicating himself) but he gives me this feverish bright-eyed look that indicates that he is far too sick to move even an inch this way or that and that yes, he needs it badly.

Sighing I slowly, agnonizingly start the process of bundling up while my body protests against the movement.  Everything that touches me seems to hurt my super sensitive skin.  I want to lay down onto the carpeted bedroom floor in the fetal position and sleep while ignoring the man on the bed but a good wife/help mate doesn't do that, right?  I nearly wanted to scream 'talak' at him at that moment :|  But 16 years together had to account for something, particularly when he emitted a fairly weak and pathetic sniffle that turned into deep rumbling body shaking coughs. 

It took me approximately 20 minutes to get downstairs because my body refused to respond to any brain commands and just to be ornary it decided to act as if it were crawling through sand (both body and mind).  Fine, I was tenacious enough to keep at it even when I felt the nausea rise and linger at my throat.  As I pulled out of my driveway I gave a seconds thought to blasting the heat, putting the chair all the way back and going to sleep but the coughing man in the house could still be heard (okay may be it was just my mind playing tricks on me).  So instead I carefully drove out of our little housing unit surprised at how bare the streets were for a Friday night.  As I pulled into the pharmacy, I realized why the world appeared deserted, most were probably sick at home and the only other place to go was to the same place I was heading, the medicine counter of any local store (some franchisee owner somewhere was tapdancing to the bank I tell you).

Parking was ridiculously hard to find and in that cold I trampled the instinct to just cramming my car into any available space and get my business done but I found a spot and once I did the most half-ass job ever at parking, I wrapped the scarf I had grabbed before leaving the house around my neck 10 times, a perma-scowl in place so that people would know to stay away and headed inside.  It's funny how something you carry around all the time, like your cell or purse suddenly weighs a ton and bites into your shoulder unforgivingly.  That night my bag seemed to have rocks in it, no not rocks, boulders as I lugged it inside.  I even checked to see what the hell was residing in the recesses but spotted only a wallet and sunglasses.  Yea, that's how weak I was. 

The flourescent lights hurt my eyes and the place smelled slightly off, but that was probably because everything smelled weird to me at that moment.  I felt discombobulated as I tried to focus on which aisle the medicine was in however all I had to do was probably follow a long line of sniffling coughing achy folks who would lead me to the 'x'.  Making my way to the right spot I was not in the least surprised that the shelves lay empty(ish) nor that my first choice of meds were out of stock leaving the sad pathetic generic stuff behind.  Sighing in aggrevation and knowing that finding another pharmacy better stocked was out of the question I tried hard to recall which recent ad's I saw on tv that would help me make my decision.

As I stood there gnawing on my lower lip while mulling options over, 3 different flu medications in my hands, another young lady approached, blond and pretty, nose red as Rudolph's.  Her hair was pulled back into a haphazard messy bun, her eyes watery and a tissue clutched in her hand.  She came to stand right next to me, sniffing a bit as she did so and took on the same half slumped stance I had which meant her legs probably weren't supporting her any better then mine where.

She throws me a sideway glance, she eyed the boxes in my hand.  I tip one her way and sort of give her a 'did you try this' look.  She shakes her head, grimacing in the process.  I clucked in sympathy perfectly understanding.  She reaches forward and plucks a box off the shelf and sort of shakes it at me.  "This one's supposed to be good."

"A friend said that did nothing for him."  Her face fell.  "Sorry."  I felt the need to apologize.  I too was looking for that miracle medicine that would shoo the flu away fast.

I pick up another one and indicate to it, "this one has been all over tv," I think I may have sounded desperately hopeful but she shook her head sadly.

"I've tried that, no go."

We both sighed, then she said in a croaky whisper, "10 days for me, you?"

This time I gasped, "6," was my response, wanting to cry.  The idea that this flu could hang around for so long seemed impossible yet she was standing there a feverish mess so this time the proof was most certainly in the pudding.

"I feel like death," she said, sniffling into the tissue while hunkering down more into her coat.  "I think this is punishment somehow."

"For all of mankinds evils?"  We both had to pause and wonder about that for a second.

I blew out a burst of hot air, "I think I'll go home and repent."  I said, "by crawling under the covers and passing out."

She nodded in total understanding, "yea, I have every plan to go home and do the same thing...stupid stinkin' flu."  She sounded so crumpy that I wanted to smile but didn't really have the energy to do so. 

Reaching out I snagged the medicine I had finally settled on, turned to her and smiled weakly, "I think this is it."  I'm sure there was some infusion of vehment hope in that sentence.

She peered at it, then nodded, "yes hopefully that'll work."

"You take care of yourself."  I said whole-heartedly, feeling a funny sense of sisterhood in our sickness.

"You too hon, hope you're better soon."

We both exchanged tired smiles and I walked away in search of chocolate, passing her boyfriend/husband/brother/whomever in the process.  He gave me a 'oh dang I'm so sorry you got this too' sorta look while skirting by me to join the coughing woman who still stood staring at the shelves.  I nearly glared at him, or may be I did, hating how people treated you as if you carried the plague when you so much as sniffled in public.  After snagging a dark chocolate Godiva bar (which boasted bits of peanuts...yum yum) and listlessly wandering for a few more seconds through the 50% off Christmas sale items, I joined the long line at the self check-out.  Sighing in impatience I focused on the other patrons, about a total of 12 of them ranging in ages but what seemed to be the commonality was that practically everyone was sick.  As we all stood there, shuffling back and forth, some murmuring low to one another, others rolling their eyes or jabbing at their cell phones, I wondered where the hell the sales clerks were.  My crankiness was simmering at the top ready to boil over but then...I started to cough.  This set off the person in front of me and then it was like a symphony of coughs.  One could almost find it pretty in it's harshness, and definitely amusing in a twisted way.   After one particularly loud round finally subsided, all of us looked around and began to snicker like kids which turned into laughs then another round of coughs.  Soon everyone was calling out how long they'd been sick for, some were suggesting home remedies, others were checking out the array of medicine that were being purchased by the others in line. 

So yea, for that moment in time a bunch of us strangers bonded...over the flu.  Good times.