Last night I wasn't feeling well. With a premonition that things would be worse in the morning, I emailed all my professors saying there was a chance that I wouldn't be able to make it to class due to sickness. This turned out to be a good plan, for the next morning, after a long fitful night of trying to sleep and hacking and coughing and the contents of my cranial cavity pounding on my skull trying to get out giving me a massive headache all night, I woke up and was like, "Nope! Not happening today!" and slumped back into bed. I felt even worse than I had before. Zero energy, head still hurting at what I imagine would be a migraine level, and the back of my throat scratching with every breath. I felt miserable.
Despite this, I still managed to get a little reading done and think up a paper topic, so I guess you could say it worked out alright. I tried at various times to take a nap, but to no avail. Time seemed like a distant memory, lost in Herodotus-length rabbit paths from which there was no foreseeable escape besides to wait it out and hope for the best. It was a long lonesome day with hardly anybody around, except Froh was in and out a few times before classes. During one such time upon which he was present, in reply to my saying that I was tired of being sick, he said, "Well Socrates would have you know that..." continuing on to say in so many well chosen words, that basically if I would only not be swayed by the appearance of pain there would be no need to endure it, and even if it was real, my reaction to it was the only thing making me suffer. He chose all the perfect words, never pausing to think up what he was going to say next, just letting it all pour off his tongue like water from a fall. It was perfectly hilarious. My laughter was only put in check by a coughing fit and the need to blow my nose.
Several hours later, I got a text from Lucy asking if they could drop by and give me some health stuff to get better. Fifteen minutes later she and Brooke and Anna showed up, and upon opening the door exclaimed in voices of pure genuine pity, "Oh Leaf, you look so horrible!" "Your eyes are bloodshot!" "I'm so sorry!" I smiled, glad that they had come to visit me and bring me stuff to get well again, and shuffled back to the chair I'd been sitting in as Lucy went straight for the kitchen and started boiling water for tea. Then she noticed the bag of sugar on the table and said sternly, "Leaf, why is there sugar on the table? You shouldn't be eating sugar when you're sick! This shouldn't even be out!"
"Well I put some on my rice this morning..."
"You had rice!?" Lucy shuddered. "What else have you been eating?"
"Well rice for breakfast and mashed potatoes for lunch and..."
"Mashed potatoes!?! You can't be eating that when you're sick!"
"Well I..."
"Here is some soup we brought. Make sure to heat it up in a saucepan. Don't eat anymore potatoes!" With that she went back to slicing lemon and preparing tea. And then, a minute later, no longer stern, but happy and chirpy, "Leaf! Here is your tea. Drink it when it cools down a bit and then..."
Here Brooke interjected, "That tea looks kinda gross with all the big lemon pulp floating around."
Lucy stopped immediately and fixed her with a steely glare so intense that..
Brooke responded with her signature half laughing/joking half apologetic voice, "Alright, I'm sorry!"
And Lucy picked right back up where she was at, cheery as ever, with, "and then you'll drink this other tea right here, and if it's too bitter you can add some honey. Then after you're through with both of those, take this vitamin C packet and dissolve it in some water and drink that too. And when you get hungry be sure to heat up that soup or eat a muffin, which are right over here."
And Anna chimed in, "I like your shirt!" (It had a picture of a stone weeping angel statue with the words, "RUN LIKE YOU BLINKED" across the front. Doctor Who fans will relate.)
With that and a few other pleasantries exchanged and as hearty a thanks as my failing voice and strength would allow was given, they took their leave and went on their way.
Soon after I discovered that I now had another tea to add to my long list of favorites, which now reads: oolong, spice dragon red chai, and lemon tea. It was superb, and made my throat feel much better after drinking. I then drank the other tea, which, in fact, had been imported from Taiwan, while heating up some of the soup. A couple minutes later I could almost feel myself getting better with every bite. Not quite, but almost. And then later I drank vitamin C water while reading and eating a muffin. Muffins are the best. If you ever want to make me really happy, muffins are the way to go. Just saying.
The next day I felt considerably better. Not quite one hundred percent, but well on the way to recovery. And how could I not after all that tea, vitamins, and food had been administered? Ever shall I be grateful for all the wonderful friends in my life.
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