"The Flu Bug Cometh"

All winter long I have been sitting back and watching people wheeze and sneeze and do all manner of "sick" things. I have rested smugly in the comfort of my wonderful health and felt pity for those not as healthy as I. Every time I would hear a report on the flu and its percentages affected, I would puff up my chest and marvel at my constitution.

But yesterday I started feeling a little scratchy throated. And last night I began to lose my voice. This morning my throat was all out sore, and now I am having trouble moving my eyes back and forth because they actually hurt. In truth even my hair hurts. Now that may sound ridiculous but it seems where the follicles go into my scalp, there is pain. There is no getting around it, I have the flu.

The bad thing is I don't have time to have the flu. I need to be doing some writing and I have to tape my "Entertainment Report" for the TV station. I have a luncheon appointment I don't want to miss, and I want to catch up on "American Idol." So how can I squeeze the flu into all these activities.

As I said, I don't usually get sick. And when I do it is usually just a cold or something mild like that. At these times I will just pile myself up in the bed with books all around me as well as the TV remote control near by. I read to my hearts content while the cold or whatever wears off. I also wait patiently for my wife to fix me some chicken noodle soup, and to fluff up my pillows.

But my wife is working full time now and isn't here to feed me. She did leave the cans of soup out on the kitchen counter along with a variety of over the counter medications. At this point today I haven't been able to bring myself to wrestle with the can opener, so I am not only achy and sneezy, I am also starving.

When I am well, I am gone from home a lot during the day. But being here sick I have learned telemarketers are alive and well in our land. First off the phone rings a lot and there is no one there when I answer. That leads me to believe the computers are dialing the number and whoever answers first gets the call. Secondly for some insane reason I listen to the spiel these people hand out. Instead of hanging up as soon as I learn what they want, I force myself to stay polite. It must be my southern upbringing.

It is also at this time that I start missing our cat. Her name was Fluff and whenever one of us in the household got sick she would park herself on their bed and watch over them. We even nicknamed her "Nurse Sally" because of the tender loving care she gave. But Fluff is gone now and we have never been able to bring ourselves to replace her.

So here I am with no wife at home to feed me, no cat to offer me comfort, and aches and pains too numerous to mention. I am miserable. Still I know that eventually I will feel better, and when I do I am going to be a little more sympathetic to others suffering with the flu bug. None of us are invincible - no matter what I thought.

 

 

 

 

 

©2005 Jackie K. Cooper

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