Last Thursday, we sat on the bus beside a woman who had a terrible coug ah. She looked so ill that she couldn't possibly have recognized herself in a mirror. While I was at least somewhat sympathetic, knowing that she and her husband had paid plenty for this three-day tour of Oahu, I was also a little angry, because I was afraid of contracting the same ailment. Sure enough, I began to feel sick at Pearl Harbor on Friday. I thought about the many days I used to miss work because of colds, and more days when I showed up, spreading germs to co-workers. I also wondered about military personnel on deployment. I suppose you have to show up, no matter how you feel.
I felt progressively worse through Wednesday, staying
upright with Dayquil. I was so sick that I swam only once and hardly did a damn
thing all day. Port tours were out of the question. Two days I didn’t even make if off
the ship. I’m sure I spread the virus to other passengers, but not to Bob, who
has an immune system that should be studied by immunologists or whoever does
that kind of work.
I thought about other trips and places all over North
America and Europe I have fallen ill with one thing or other. The list is so
long you’d thing I spend my life on the road. Fortunately, the cold began to
lift during the night, and by 4:00 a.m. I felt pretty good and I am jubilant!
No need to “make arrangements” this time.
No comments:
Post a Comment