The Painful Beauty Of Spring

Part 6

"Hah-hih, hih, hyeit'shiew!" I awoke to someone lightly prodding my nose, and—with my hand hovering beneath my nose—sneezed quite loudly just seconds after I became conscious. I sniffed and opened my eyes, noticing John's face a few inches from mine and realized that if I had sat up a little, our noses would have touched. "What are you doing?" I asked casually.
"Checking on you," John replied, withdrawing from me so I could sit up. "Your fingers were twitching slightly in your sleep."
"Why'd you poke my nose?" I asked slightly accusingly through a yawn. "And where's Josh?"
"I was making sure you were okay, and I felt that would be the best way since your nose is very sensitive to touch, so you'd be more likely to wake up. Also, bless you," John replied, sitting on the floor. "Josh went to the store to get you some tea," he continued, glancing at his watch. "He should be back soon."
"When did he—" I paused and felt the tickle in my nose slowly increasing. I tilted my head back, and my eyes closed as my lips parted slightly and my narrow nostrils flared. I held my hand beneath my nose as the urge reached its peak and I quickly inhaled sharply. "Hih, hiht'gschiew!" I turned my head and pitched forward, sneezing into my right arm, which was propped up on my elbow against my leg as my hand rested on the left side of my chest at my collarbone. "Hg'schh! Hih, hihs'shiew!" I sniffed thickly and scrubbed my nose with the back of my hand, looking back at John. "Augh, when did he leave?" I asked, my voice showing a vast amount of congestion. I pushed against my nose with the back of my hand, trying to relieve the lingering irritation. I then coughed lightly into my fist and rubbed my itchy eyes with my fingers.
"About fifteen minutes ago," John replied, watching me search around for my handkerchief without success.
"Where's my—?" I began but was interrupted when I sneezed barely audibly four times through clenched teeth and my crinkled nose covered with my fist, each sneeze almost immediately after the previous. Sniffling some more as John blessed me, I continued to search. "Where's my handkerchief?" I was now capable of saying.
"It's in the wash," John replied. "Do you want some tissues?" I nodded, and he brought me the Kleenex box from the corner of the room and set the box next to me.
"Hihs'shiew'gshh!" I took a few tissues from the box and laid back down, sneezing wetly and quite oddly, almost as if two sneezes had somehow found a way to merge into one. I then blew my nose forcefully with my hands holding the tissue cupped around my nose. I laid there in silence as I attempted to fall back asleep, only to be interrupted by my own sneezing every time I'd get close. I eventually realized it was no use and sat up, looking impatiently at John.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked in confusion.
"Why does this happen?" I asked, reaching for another tissue. "Can't it just go a-a—ah'shiew! Hih, hih'shh!" I sneezed, swiftly covering my nose with the side of my hand and accidentally dropping the tissue to the floor. I uttered an annoyed groan as I grabbed another few tissues from the box. "Can't it just go away?" I continued, wiping my nose with the tissue. John shrugged in response.
Suddenly, I heard the ringing of the doorbell and jumped slightly on the couch from surprise. "Is that Josh?" I asked as John peeked through the window.
"Doesn't look like it," he replied, observing a little more. "This guy looks familiar, though, but I don't know why."
I stood up, walked to the door, and opened it, noticing Christopher standing there. "Chris! W-what are y-you..." I stuttered from my unsteady breathing, and my eyes grew wide as I realized my mistake. How hadn't I thought about the outdoor pollen before opening the door? Quickly, I held the tissue in both my hands, cupped my hands around my nose, which felt as if it were on fire, and backed up. "Hyit'shiew! Ts'chiew!" I began sneezing loudly, doubling over at my waist and almost losing my balance from the force as my hair flew into my face. Christopher recognized the problem as well and rushed inside, closing the door behind him as I continued sneezing forcefully.
"I'm so sorry, Jess. It already slipped my mind about your allergies," he said, blushing slightly.
Fighting another sneeze, I looked up at him with my watery eyes. "It's o-oka—hih'schh! Ih'shiew!" I sneezed some more, pitching forward even more than last time, despite that the sneezes weren't as forceful. I blew my nose with the tissue and looked back up. "It's okay," I said feebly, wiping my nose with a sniffle.
Christopher gazed around the room. "Where'd Josh go?" He asked curiously.
"John said he went to get me tea," I replied, rubbing my nose with my palm.
"Oh, I meant to ask," John said, walking over to us to join the conversation. "Do I know you? You seem familiar."
"I think so, but I don't know where from if so," Chris replied. "Bless you," he said as I turned and bent over with a stifled sneeze into the tissue.
"Thank you," I said, continuing to rub my red nose and wish Josh would be home soon.
"How have you been, Jess?" Chris asked casually, walking over to the couch, about to sit, but I stopped him, the tissue over my nose as I spoke.
"Please don't sit," I said. "You know, with the pollen and everything." He apologized again and looked around awkwardly. "And I've been okay except f-for—hih, h'shiew! Ht'schh!" As I brought the tissue down after the sneezes, I pointed at my nose and continued, "—except for that." Yes, my allergies were calming down a little since the door was no longer open, but they clearly despised the pollen on Chris's clothes. "I was going to—Oh my God—hih, hkts'schh! Hih, iht'schiew!" I continued sneezing, and I could hear a snort from John's direction. I looked at him and saw him covering his mouth with both his hands, trying quite unsuccessfully to stifle his laughter. "John, you're ridiculous!" I said, speaking to him while looking straight into his eyes, though he tried to avoid my eye contact to lessen his chances of losing control.
John put his hands down and chuckled. "It's just so funny when you speak and keep getting cut off by your own immune system being misled to sternutation," he said, and I looked at him in confusion. "Or to put it in a simpler way, it's funny when you're cut off by your own sneezing."
"I guess you could say it that way," I replied with a shrug, blowing my nose once again. I looked back at Chris. "What made you come here?" I asked curiously.
"Just wanted to hang out, I guess. I haven't seen you since college," he replied.
"Well, what can we do when—" I paused and crinkled my nose, sitting there for a few seconds. "I need to sneeze," I said, feeling the annoying itch throughout my sinuses. But it won't release, I finished in my head, moving closer to the window and looking outside. I glanced at the sun for just a moment, and immediately the itch overwhelmed my sinuses. "Hihs'tchiew!" I sneezed freely.
"Bless. Better out than in," John replied, and I nodded, covering my nose and sneezing again. "Gesundheit."
"Th-thanks. H'shiew!" I continued.
"Three times! Nice weather tomorrow!" John called out with a smile.
"More like ten in the past minute, but where'd you get that?" I asked, grabbing another tissue. "Plus, it's basically always nice here." Feeling my nose itch again, I added, "Too nice with pollen" and blew my nose.
"It's a Dutch response for when someone sneezes three times, but that's the English translation," he replied as if the answer were obvious. I gazed at him in amazement.
"I don't get how you do it, but you're a brilliant little brother," I said, sniffling and clapping my hand on his shoulder. He smiled.
"And...Wait, give me a second," he replied and ran off, leaving Chris and me alone.
"Hih, ih, hih, hiht'schh!" I sneezed again and wiped my nose, which still itched but wasn't posing much of a threat. John reappeared about a minute later with a fresh white handkerchief. I thanked him and blew my nose before looking back at him with a smile.
"And you're a great sister," he finished from before, returning the smile and sitting with me as we said goodbye to Chris and watched him leave he had to go back home. I sneezed a few times when the door opened, but John comforted me as we waited patiently for Josh to arrive back home.