Dumpling Sister's Thoughts
11.7.2006 Still Sick (Chinese Version)
This might be some virus, I have been sick over a week now. If judging from my standards when I was little, then by this time I should have already finished up many bowls of the duck soup, and my grandma must have already finished the writing of my homework countless times.
Originally I thought this illness would leave soon, but that was just a naive thinking. I was sick for a day and a half, by that time my fever had gone down and my tonsils weren't swollen, so I thought it would just be a matter of time when my voice resume. Over the weekend I went to Conroe to see the Renaissance Festival to enjoy the autumn weather and the crowd. I showed no sign of being ill. However, things changed after two days. One day I woke up found myself having sore throat, nasal congestion, and sticky mucous. I must have drank three liters of water that day, and more the following days. I felt that I was being cheated by my own illness, since I thought it was gone.
Despite the illness, things still needed to be taken care of, and the time was still ticking.
One day I returned home early and thought I was have an easy night, then a friend called.
"How are you?" She asked.
"I am sick, why? " I replied with simplicity. But I knew she must have something she needed from me.
"You got sick? Whoa, never heard of that before. Well, some reporter was writing an article for me, but he didn't do a good job on it, I was wondering if you could help out, but now that you are sick...He just gave me his writing today and it is due tomororw..and you are sick.."
I looked at the clock on the wall, it was eight o clock, speechless. I know the kind of person my friend is. If she could take care of something, she wouldn't have asked for help.
I took a deep breath and continued listening to her talking. Maybe I was reading too much into her tone, so I thought I would just try to take care of it for her.
"When is it due?"
"Tomorrow afternoon, but prefer to turn in in the morning since that gives them more time."
"How about this, I will try to finish it for you tonight?"
The conversation didn't go long and was ended. I thought to myself, great!.
There was still some time left, so I thought I went out and take a run to clear my mind and get myself mentally prepared for it. I couldn't write something that was equally bad to that other person's writing. When I stepped in I went straight to working on the writing; I couldn't afford to lose any more time. I looked over the article she sent me, right, it was not good. When I finished it was past ten and I phoned my friend to notify her that. I have finished the writing between blowing my nose and incessant coughing. She said she would first read it then get back to me.
It is time likes this that time goes by very slowly, like waiting for a reply.
"Dang, you did a good job and it was 505 words," I could tell she didn't sound as anxious as she was before.
"So we are good right, nothing else, Good night then," I hurried to hang up the phone in case something else popped up uninvited.
Days went by day after day, I continued the coughing each day. It got unbearable especially before the bed time. I had no idea what virus I caught. I drank liters after liters of water, blew my nose tissue paper after tissue paper. According to my friends online, I probably had flu, but I got a flu shot.
I know getting sick is not a privilege after growing up, and my days had still continued despite my illness. But I couldn't help but thinking about where had the soup gone as it disturbed my mind.