Coworker with cold

[snuffles]

I've posted about my coworker multiple times already as she is seriously the sneeziest person I know. I think by now we are all used to her sneezes that no one even bats an eye. But I thought that today's display was particularly cute so I made a note to post here about it.

A little about my coworker again: she is 21, is about 5'6", has straight dusty blond hair that falls past her shoulders. She is fit and trim but not petite, and she is very curvey around the waist and hips.

Her sneezes always comes in fits of 4 or 5 with about 16-18 seconds between each. Yes I have timed them. Her pauses between sneezes are always filled with heavy breathing and lots of nose flaring. After her fit of sneezes passes, she generally gives her itchy nose a very harsh sounding blow and attacks it with a long rough rub. The pile of tissues will also pile up on her desk as she goes through so many of them.

Today was no exception. She asked me over to her desk for help with an excel problem. She sounded quite stuffy but I am so used to her allergies that I didn't even notice. I pull up a chair and sit next to her to help her with the problem. As we are working, she suddenly announces that "Ugh, my nose is so raw!" and pulls away from the computer to sniffs wetly. She lightly rubs at her nose with her index finger and holds then her finger firmly under her nose. No sneezes in sight, but I can tell her nose is tickling and itching badly.

At this point, our boss walks in. He asks her a questions that I can't remember for the life of me. And during this entire conversation (which lasted a couple minutes but felt like half an hour), she keeps her finger pressed firmly under her nose the whole time.

Now, the finger under the nose routine, particularly under an itchy nose, is probably my most favorite aspect of sneezes. And I have never seen someone hold a conversation with their finger under their nose the whole time. She did this so naturally, like someone that does it often. And it was only after our boss finished talking that he asked her if she had a cold.

She replied "Yes, it's all my mom's fault. She was coughing and sneezing this entire weekend!" This catches my interest because up to this point I had only thought it was her normal allergies. Our boss says something about how she should take care, and she replies that yes, she's taken medicine, vitamins, and Airborne as well.

When he leaves, she comments again to me about her nose being so raw. She sniffs a couple times and then rubs under her nose again with her index finger. That seemed to make matters worse because the next sniff is wetter. She then uses her thumb and her index finger to massage her nostrils and rubs at her nose harder and harder. Again the tickles increase and I can see her nose visibly flaring by now.

Her eyes half close but the rubbing doesn't stop. She takes a couple deep breaths and frantically grabs at the half-empty box of tissues on her desk. Grabbing one just in time, she manages to bury her nose into the tissue and catch her very wet sneeze heh-chngth.

Knowing the tickles are far from gone, she tosses that one and grabs at another to help her rub harder on her nose. Holding the tissue up to her nose with her thumb and her index finger, she rubs vigorously back and forth. The next sneeze comes and her breaths deepen before a violent sneeze causes her to lurch forward heeeh-ngth. Still rubbing and without taking the tissue away from her nose, she eventually sneezes the third heh-chTH! and the finally the fourth heh-CHNTH!

She tosses the very soiled tissue and blows heavily into a clean one. Dabbing at her nose gently, the sneezes are finally gone but her nose is still very red. She excuses herself and goes into the bathroom to wash up. When she comes back out, she has regained her composure and is no longer holding her finger under her nose. I make a comment about how she should remember to keep taking Airborne and she smiles and promises to do so. Then we continue working where we had left off.

All in all it was a really cute display.

[liricospinto]

What a great obs -- very detailed, nice narrative flow. It was so well-done that it momentarily distracted me from my horror at people with colds who spread germs by touching and rubbing their noses. Man, it bites to have this fetish and a germ phobia at the same time. Yeesh.

[count tiszula]

Oh God, all that nose-rubbing is meltworthy; And the traditional finger under the nose that actually works! Phew; I'm amazed you managed to keeep [reasonably] calm...

[bob12]

wow cool obs really detailed loved it