sternutation
the act of sneezing.
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Roy did not want to go outside. He wanted to stay indoors, with the AC and his games. Outside, there was the hateful sun, bugs, and the dreaded pollen. None of those were inside his sanctuary. There was only one thing that existed both inside and out: People.
“You gotta get out of the house.” Said his roommate, Greg. “Seriously, it’s not healthy to stay inside all the time.”
“I’ve been doing just fine without leaving for years.” Roy insisted.
“You keep telling yourself that. Look, you know you’ll never get a girlfriend sitting playing games all day, right?”
“That’s fine. Having a woman in my life will exponentially complicate things. I don’t see a reason to engage with them.”
Greg just looked at Roy blankly. Roy could almost see the gears turning in his head. He got a bad feeling as he became aware of just how much larger Greg was. This was reinforced when Greg clamped a hand around Roy’s shoulder. Roy was pulled and pushed along, being guided to the door leading to the hateful outside.
Roy complained the entire way, putting up as much of a struggle as he could. But none of it mattered. Greg pushed him outside and closed the door. Roy froze. He looked around. The sun beat down on his pale skin, threatening to burn him. He heard the buzzing of insects and the voices of people. He felt a tickle in his nose and clamped a hand over it.
“Let me in, damn it!” He called to Greg, knowing the door would be sealed to him.
“I will, but not now. You’ve got to spend at least an hour outside before I unlock the door.”
“An hour? That’ll…that…”
The pressure in his nasal cavity was building. He could not stop it, no matter what methods he used. And it happened. A sharp sneeze that seemed to rattle his entire head. A few seconds later, and another one followed.
“Let me in, damn it! My allergies are…” Another sneeze interrupted him, “acting up!”
No answer came. He turned to the nearby window. In between bone rattling sneezes, he saw Greg looking at him. Greg grinned and waved. Roy kept sneezing. Greg looked confused. The sneezes continued. Greg looked worried. His face vanished, and the door opened.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Roy rushed in, barreling passed Greg in his haste. He rushed to the medicine cabinet, where he kept his various allergy medicines. He quickly downed what he could between sneezes. He even went as far as to use a nasal rinse to flush out what pollen he could. The combination of everything finally allowed him to breath without sneezing.
“Greg?”
“Yeah?”
“How many times have I told you how allergic to pollen I am?”
Greg did not answer.
“Is it a lot? Because I’m pretty sure it’s a lot.” Roy continued. “And I’m pretty sure I mentioned how violent my fits can be.”
“Sorry?”
“Oh no, you don’t do that and get away with a sorry. Not by a long shot.” Roy shot his roommate what he hoped was a piercing glare.
“I…I’ll make it up to you, and won’t do it again, okay?”
“You’d better. Until then, don’t both me.”
Roy marched through the house, returning to the safety of his room. A place where he would not a bothered. A place where he was safe from the dangers of the outside.
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Seriously, allergies are no joke. They're often used as one in TV and movies, but it real life? They can be bad.
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