Hows that bent over? Whats his condition? exclaimed the motherinlaw, eyes wide. Hes just lying there! Its only a tiny fever, nothing serious. Winters just started.
Thats not just winter, love! Its your job that drags all this rubbish home from the shop! How many times do I have to tell youfind a new line of work!
Emily was halfasleep when a sudden bang sounded at the front door. She blinked at the alarm clockonly eight oclock in the morning.
Oliver, darling, is that you? she asked, ears pricked for any other noises.
No answer came, only the soft creak of the bathroom door opening and then silence
She threw on a cotton robe, slipped barefoot into the bathroom and flung the door open. There, to her amazement, stood her husband Oliver, staring at his own reflection, tongue lolling out like a lazy cat.
Emily, is it true that a person with a cold gets a white tongue? he asked, puckering his lips.
Are you catching a cold? she replied, halfasleep.
I think so, Oliver said, touching his forehead worriedly. I need a thermometer. Wheres it? Let me lie down. They let me off early from work. I suppose well have to call a doctor.
Emily fetched the thermometer. It read 37.2°C. Just a bit of winter, she muttered, as Oliver flopped onto the bed. The doctor arrived an hour later, handed over a fitnote, and sent them on their way.
Emily rang her mother:
Could you pick up little Sam from nursery? He cant come homeOlivers got a cold.
Her mum was delighted; she adored her grandson, lived alone, and Sam was her sunshine.
Is Oliver all right? Anything serious?
No, nothing major. The doctor gave us a note, prescribed a few things, and well rest.
How are you feeling? her mother asked, concerned.
Fine! Ive got a second shift at work, Ill ask my motherinlaw to pop over this evening and check on Oliver. Thatll make a whole week of double shifts. Thanks, mum, were sorted.
So what to do? A light chicken broth soup, of course. That meant a quick trip to the corner shop as well as the chemist. She pulled a few chicken thighs from the freezer, bought carrots and potatoes.
At the chemist she collected everything she needed, then at lunch she roused her husband.
Oliver, get up and have some soup, Emily nudged him by the shoulder.
Groggily, Oliver sat up on the bed.
Oh, I feel a bit nauseous! Could you bring the soup to the bedroom? I cant make it to the kitchen.
Is it that bad? All right, Ill bring it. Then you can check the temperature again
He ate the soup, checked his tempstill 37.2°C. Emily handed him some tablets. Oliver turned his face to the wall and drifted back to sleep. Thank heavens. In England, the husband gets a full sick pay, but Emilys parttime shop job barely covers the grocery bills. With the mortgage and all, she cant afford to get sick herself. She called her motherinlaw:
Irene, Olivers run down. If anything, keep an eye on him this evening. Well have a crowd of shoppers later and I wont be able to call you.
Hows that run down? Whats his state? the motherinlaw gasped.
Hes just lying there. Its a lowgrade fever, winters just begun.
Thats not just winter! Its your job dragging all this home! How many times must I tell youfind a new line of work!
Irene, Im not weak! You yourself said Oliver used to collapse at the drop of a hat when we were kids. The colds started, so Im not really up for a chat
To stop the endless nagging, Emily cut her off. Irene loved to blow things out of proportion, and she might be at the door in an hour. Let her have a look, Emily thought, and I can finally get ready for my shift.
Sure enough, the motherinlaw arrived with a mountain of herbal sachets for her grandson, muttering, Better safe than sorry. She fussed over Olivers damp shirt, exclaiming:
Look at you, lying there in a wet teeyoull catch a chill! How did you miss that?
Irene, he was already asleep, what could I have done?
Emily left for work. A few hours later she felt a wave of fatigue. Well, there goes my excuse, she thought, but she couldnt show weakness; the shift had to be covered. That evening her temperature spiked higher than Olivers. She wanted to complain, but Oliver was preoccupied with his own misery.
I feel chilly and dizzy. Mum gave me tea with raspberry and honey, felt a bit better, but now its gone again. What should I take?
You know, Im not feeling great either
Then take something, Oliver said, glancing once more at his pale tongue in the mirror. Still white, after all.
She couldnt afford to fall ill, and complaining would only bring a flood of advice from her mother or accusations from Irene, while Oliver would stay oblivious on his own little island.
The verdict: swallow the pills in silence, keep working, and let the bills keep coming.
All week Oliver wallowed in his illness, insisting he felt dreadful even though the thermometer stubbornly read 37°C. The motherinlaw kept dropping off her tinctures and teas, and Emily dreaded every knock on the door. Olivers attention drifted between the TV and his phone; when Emily measured his temperature on the fourth day, it finally settled.
The weakness lingered, but they managed. Oliver demanded bedside meals, frequent temp checks, and extra cups of tea. Irene kept reminding everyone how frail hed always been as a boy, now catching a cold for the first time in five years of marriage, which she declared unbearable!
He trudged through his mild malaise, whining about feeling awful. By the following week the doctor cleared him, Sam was taken home from nursery, and Oliver was back at work the next day.
Sitting at the kitchen table with an evening cuppa, Oliver mused:
When we were kids, a cold was nothing. Now Im feeling like Im on fire, you cant imagine!
Whats so special about that? Why cant you just tough it out?
Oh, youd know if you were in my shoes! Easy to say when youre healthy.
Ive been there too! You just didnt notice.
Oliver gave his wife a skeptical look, then smirked, as if catching her off guard:
Joking, are we? All right, lets get to bed!
Emily sighed, He never really notices, does he?
And that was thatjust another English winter, a bit of a sniffle, and the endless dance of family, work, and the everpresent tea.
