in an internet cafe (M)

[atchoum]

I was at a conference last week and away from my computer, so on the second evening I had to call into an internet café just to catch up.

There were about 20 people there, mostly men in their early twenties playing various games. There were literally hundreds of messages, so I was there for a couple of hours, which is enough for at least the law of averages to gratify me with a few sneezes. The first was a violent one – a very loud sneeze, coming from what seemed like the back of the café, behind me anyway. About a minute later there was a second big sneeze and I realised it was the man just diagonally behind me – a man probably in his late twenties, a bit overweight, and looking more Greek than French. His friends started to comment on the sneeze, and as I now could see him from the corner of my eye, I kept him just in my field of vision, and about another minutes or so he said – in the middle of talking about other things, as he was very voluble – oh here comes another, and he just let out another sneeze-yell. I don’t think he was exaggerating, or not much: his sneezes seemed to come strongly (and without any visible build up) and suddenly.

Just as I was finishing up, I heard a soft “Tchhh eh”, and turned to see a much younger man, possibly only just twenty, in the middle of a small fit “Tchhh eh”, “Tchhh eh”… three small sneezes, not stifled or suppressed in any way, rather cute, but so different from the first man. No one acknowledged these sneezes. But it did make me think that peoples sneezes could be so different as far as the power that they pack is concerned.

[Sneesee]

Just another beautifully written and wonderfully described observation atchoum. Thank you! I think the guy with the smaller sneezes was my favorite. How adorable when they are soft like that!! Thank you for sharing! And you must go back as often as you can!