A summer cold, unfolded

Thursday, August 30

1:15pm Pacific Time: Board flight home from San Francisco, feel tickle in my throat.

9:30pm Eastern Time: Arrive at Philadelphia Airport with rock-your-body sneezes and chills to follow.

- - - - -

Friday, August 31

7:45am: Take Dayquil after restless night of half-sleep.

8am-1pm: Sit on high school bleachers, hollering at girls to pick up dropped passes and hooting for good serves. Manage not to faint after swaying at the top of the bleachers in the effort to get good action shots.

1:30pm: Suggest that I head home for lunch and a nap with the best of intentions to come back for the last game.

3pm: Still not at the game. Instead, in bed, coughing up a storm.

5:30pm: Drop the dog off at the dogsitter’s. Stop at the pharmacy to load up on cold medicine, cough drops, and cough syrup.

7pm: Leave for Williamsburg, Virginia.

9pm: Stop at a Wendy’s for dinner. Choke down chicken nuggets before forcing down two Nyquil tablets. Look enviously at mother-in-law’s baked potato.

- - - - -

Saturday, September 1

1am: Arrive in Williamsburg, or so I’m told. Feel woozy from the Nyquil. Stagger after JG to our hotel room, where I manage to take my contacts out before collapsing into bed.

8am: JG gets up to find a newspaper. I loll around in bed, croaking that I need water. My abs ache from too much coughing.

12pm: JG tells me that everyone misses me, including the bride and groom, their parents, his parents, and the bridal party. I moan that I’m missing so many good photo opportunities, but since I’m not able to speak above a whisper, JG waves away my photographic ambition.

5pm: After two servings of melon and a glass of juice, resolve to get to the ceremony. Even the shower feels like an improvement.

7:30pm: Hold JG’s hand tightly as we navigate brick walkways to get to the historic chapel. Pop a cough drop as soon as we’re seated so as to avoid being That Girl Who Was Coughing.

8:30pm: Sink into a seat at the reception and wait for a spot in line at the pasta bar, relieved that I’ve rediscovered my appetite.

9pm: Dance with JG for the slow ones, but leave the faster numbers to the bridesmaids.

- - - - -

Sunday, September 2

2am: Crash into bed in wonderment at what adrenaline can do.

4:30pm: Arrive back at home. Go to pick up the dog. Stay for dinner because the family is having a barbecue. Be glad that I can enjoy being off from work the next day.

- - - - -

Monday, September 3

10am: Wake up, croaky and coughing as ever.

12pm: Go out for lunch only to find that the appetite has disappeared again. Also, have the worst server ever.

1pm: Realize that a routine trip to the supermarket was too much to handle. Collapse on the couch upon return and promise JG that I’ll call in sick tomorrow.

- - - - -

Tuesday, September 4

7am: Drag out of bed. Take a very uncooperative puppy for a truncated walk.

8am: Perform triage on work e-mail, reset out-of-office responses for today, and realize sadly that the effort has left me all but exhausted.

9:30am: Deposit Ted into his crate, per JG’s recommendation.

10am: Try to knit and read with no success. Crash for a nap.

12pm: Eat grapes. Hope for a better day tomorrow.