Dear Mom and Dad,

Last Wednesday, when you picked me up from work,

I thought my ear was going to explode.

Or would it implode?

Burst?

Rupture?

Remember when my ear drum ruptured when we lived on Skylark?

I was babysitting down the street when my ear started screaming with pain.

I did not know what to do and just laid on the couch at my Friday-night-employer's home.

I waited and waiting - for what seemed like forever.
Thinking of that night, it still feels like it was forever.

I wanted to leave.

I wanted to go home and get in my bed 

and have mom take care of me.

My ear ruptured shortly after I got home that night.
Red-orange puss.
Gross. I cannot believe I just wrote that.

It was one of those sicknesses that I remember quite well.
I remember laying upstairs on the daybed in the extra room... 
or maybe it was Mark's room? 

Did Mark and Brian share a room on Skylark?

Why was the daybed in that back corner room?
Was it? 

I also remember sick days when mom would wash out the puke bucket with bleach; 
to this day the smell of bleach reminds me of the puke bucket.

I definitely remember laying on the daybed with the puke bucket by my side from time to time. I am still remembering the daybed in the back corner room. 

I wonder what smells will remind Lucia of sick-days?

And what is it with childhood and puking? 

It does not seem that puking happens as much later in life.

There are only a few times I can remember having a severe stomach sickness post high-school.

And as for an ear infection? 
There is not one time that I can 
remember having an throbbing lobe post Skylark.

It had been so long that I did not even recognize the symptoms.

It started in third block.

The pressure started building.

During lunch I felt like I was talking through a tunnel.

Talking through a tunnel?
Talking into a tunnel?

You know what I mean.

By fourth block the pressure was unbearable.

I could not hear much.

There was a throbbing too,
an occasional ringing.

By the time you arrived at my school,

I was finally figuring it out ...

I had finally decided that there was more than just a little pressure in my ear. Plugging my nose, holding my breath and pushing air into my cheeks to pop my ears was not going to cut it.

Before we went to the doctor, we had to stop at Best Buy to get Adalynn's computer;

if the trip had not been for Adalynn, 

I may have thrown even more of a fit than what I did.

I got rather impatient while mom was in the store.

What took so long anyway?

There must have been a long line.
I sent dad inside to figure it out because he needed a task; he was asking a lot of questions while we sat in the car.

Lucia blabbered in the backseat.

I held my ear.

We finally arrived at the Urgent Care.

The lady at the check-in was new and 

could not get anything right.

It took forever.

Dad brought in a Krispy Creme Doughnut for me while I sat in the waiting room. Mom had sent him there after he dropped me at the office. I have a feeling Lucia had her first bite of doughnut while I waited in the waiting room. I bet she liked it.

The nurse was so kind.

I tried to talk to her and be polite, but I was really in pain.

Of course, I overly extended myself because I have this thing about being super nice. It is a game I play with myself. I try to be as nice as possible to as many people as possible on a daily basis. I refuse to be the jerk that ruins someone's day. I was losing my game with you guys - you were the target of my pain. Snippy-snip was I.

The doctor finally saw me.

I told Matt that it was awkward because he was a relatively attractive man and he had to look up my nose. I am pretty sure that I have nose hairs that stick out of my nose. {I need to do something about that.} I do not even let Matt get that close to my nose. 

When he finally checked out my ear, 

he said "ew". I take it that was a bad thing. It hurt when he touched it.

"Bacterial Ear Infection,"

the verdict finally announced.

Thank you for telling me what I had known since fourth block. 

Thank you for giving me the steroid shot and looking up my nose.

Thank you for showing me on the diagram what was going on in my ear. I tried to pay attention, but I was in a lot of pain. I still appreciate your effort. 

I tried to be nice to him too. It was difficult and awkward.

It was even more difficult to be friendly when I arrived back in the car. I was a grouch to you guys. You took me home, got the heating pad out for me, put me on the couch. I was still Ms. Snippy Snip. 

Mom went to get my medicine.

Finally when she arrived home, the Ibuprofen had kicked in and I was in less pain. I was even able to get up and move around.

Less snippy at that point.
She thankfully stayed the night, bathed Lucia, helped me around the house. 


I am sorry for being a bratty grump. 
Thank you for taking care of me,
just like old times.


Love, 
Your Favorite Daughter