Daily Blague

At four in the morning on Monday, I awoke from an awful nightmare with a fever and the dry heaves. I don't remember it very well, thanks to the fever, which reached 104.5. Our internist happened to be on call for the holiday weekend, and he counseled Tylenol and hydration. And patience, of course. After three uneventful retchings in the bathroom, my system quieted down, and I got back to sleep. Poor Kathleen. Working round the clock since November, she had just enjoyed the first two consecutive days off in over six months. A good night's sleep was just what she needed but didn't get.

When I woke up at about nine-thirty, I felt all right, sort of. That's to say that I didn't feel seasick. I did feel as though I'd been in some sort of train wreck. And the queasiness did not take long to return. It was mild and intermittent, but it boded ill for the coming night. I spent most of the day in bed, but I got up for won ton soup at lunchtime. I kept it down, but thereafter I could only manage dry rye toast. A big, rich-tasting banana sent me back to the bathroom, but, again, nothing came up. At about ten, I realized that continuing to drink ice-water would just try my bladder, so I switched to Scotch.  A bit later, I took a shower; not succumbing to chills while I dried off was very reassuring. Shortly after midnight, I ate one scrambled egg. Just one. I felt good. Two hours later, still reading, I toasted an English muffin and slavered it with butter. It felt heavy, like too big a meal, but, aside from that ghostly discomfort, my stomach was sound. Some time before three, I stretched out, leaving my bedside lamp on but without a book in my hands. I fell asleep almost at once.

Meanwhile, I finished two books that coincidentally fell into my pile at the same time. I say, "coincidentally," because the differences between them underline the fact that they both exemplify Domestic Adventure. This genre - adventure, but with indoor plumbing - is not my cup of tea, really. I picked up one of them after a long resistance, and I am quite sure that I should never have bought the other, which was a gift. They were very welcome yesterday, however.

And that is where the burgeoning literary discussion will have to stop for today. I'm convalescing.