"A Summer Annoyance" (Sequel to "The Painful Beauty of Spring") (Updated April 13, 2018) (8 Parts)

[I love Alan Rickman]

I recently finished my original fiction called "The Painful Beauty of Spring" a few days ago, and since I loved writing the characters, I decided to write a sequel for @Sneezingnonstop, @M214186, and anyone else who is interested. I highly recommend you check out "The Painful Beauty of Spring" here (if you have not read it yet) before reading the sequel so it makes more sense and you can understand the main characters a little more. You don't need to, though, because I have made it friendly for newcomers as well. I hope you enjoy this, and please tell me what you think!

 

A Summer Annoyance

 

Part 1

—

 

Allergies...

"I d-hih-do. Hih, hiht'shiew! Excuse me!"

Pollen allergies, to be exact.

The day of my wedding to Joshua Nach was a much greater disaster than I had ever expected, but it wasn't his fault. It was a beautiful July morning, which caused many problems, but only for me. The main one was that despite having taken my new allergy medicine, I could still hardly get ready (or do anything) without sneezing my head off. 

As my best friend Sara—my maid of honor who is a few inches shorter than me (she's still quite tall, but I'm a little taller for my age, being in my mid-twenties) and has shoulder-length brown hair, a small nose, and pretty brown eyes—helped me to put on my flowing white dress, I watched myself in the mirror as a pre-sneeze expression developed on my face. My medium-sized nose gave a subtle twitch, and I furrowed my brows slightly as my dark brown eyes began to close and my mouth fell open, my breath hitching. Sara noticed the problem and paused, handing me my handkerchief. I nodded my thanks, bringing the hanky up to my itchy nose.

"Hih'schh!" I sneezed into the cloth for the fourteenth time since Sara had arrived. "I'm so sorry," I apologized with a sniffle, pushing my long brown hair back, as it had fallen into my face from the sneeze.

"Bless you. Do you need to sneeze again?" she responded patiently. I nodded quickly as an answer to her question as my itchy nose twitched again. 

"Huh, iht'schh!" I sneezed once again, doubling over at my waist. I straightened back up. "Sorry. You can continue now." I sniffled again and blew my nose as she came back over to zip my dress.

"What do you think?" Sara asked when she zipped my dress completely. I slowly turned around, observing the long lace design at as many angles as I could. My wavy hair flowed down to my breasts, complementing the white of the dress very well. I observed my lean figure and the flow of the dress. "You look gorgeous," Sara added, and I looked into her eyes.

"Thank you. I love it," I said with a smile. I slipped the handkerchief into the little side pockets, which weren't even noticeable, but were helpful so I didn't have to hold the hanky the entire time. I looked at Sara's dress as well, which was also white but silk instead of lace. "You're real pretty, too."

"Thanks. You ready to go?" Sara asked, and I nodded. We both walked out and greeted my father, who is only slightly taller than me. He smiled, his similar brown eyes showing how proud he was of me. He ran a hand through his short brown hair and straightened his tie.

 

"Ht'schiew!" When I sat down into the leather passenger seat, I pitched forward into my handkerchief with the fortieth sneeze that morning in the hour I had been awake. There were five right when I woke up, ten more when Sara was doing my small amount of makeup, five more when Sara was helping me get dressed, fifteen on the way to the car, and five when I got in the car. Yes, I was counting each one.

My nose continued to plague me with the drastic itch in my sinuses, refusing to let me buckle my seatbelt. Instead, my breath continued to hitch, and I cupped the white cloth handkerchief around my irritated red nose as my watery eyes closed without my consent. "Hah'gschiew!" The force of the wet sneeze snapped my entire body forward so violently that if I had managed to put my seatbelt on, it surely would have locked up as if my dad had slammed on the breaks.

"Gesundheit," Sara said. My father gently rubbed my back and blessed me as I stayed hunched forward and was convulsed by a short coughing fit. "Geht es Ihnen gut?" Sara asked when I finally stopped coughing and regained control of my breathing.

"Sara, I haven't spoken German since college!" I said with a laugh, straightening up, sniffling, and wiping my nose with the handkerchief. "Is that, 'Are you alright?'" Sara nodded. I smiled and buckled myself in. "Yes, I mean, 'Ja.' But thanks for your concern." 

"You ready to go?" Sara asked, sitting in the back seat and buckling in as my father buckled his own seatbelt. I held up my left hand as a gesture for Sara to wait and kept the hanky beneath my twitching nose with my right hand, my eyes closing once more while my breath quickened.

"Hih, ih'gschh!" I caught the sneeze in the hanky, sniffled, and said, "I think I'm ready" in a congested tone. I then blew my nose loudly as my father started the car.

 

My father drove to the location of the wedding, and I sneezed five more times on the way during the half hour drive. Sara—being the wonderful maid of honor and best friend she is—kindly blessed me each time, to which I thanked her. When we finally arrived, I stepped out with my father and Sara, looking around at the beautiful outdoors. I could see birds singing in the trees, flowers blowing in the summer breeze, and could of course feel in my sinuses another sneeze. 

I tilted my head back and looked toward the bright sun, which shined down upon the three of us and gave us our Texas heat. "Hih, tshh'chiew!" I sneezed freely and immediately apologized, even though only Sara and my father were here with me so far, and I didn't spray either of them. I felt it was still necessary to say sorry since I just didn't cover like I should have and was always taught to. "Huh, h'gxtshh! Hih, ih'xtchh!" Self-conscious, I then stifled two more sneezes in the back of my hand afterwards. I then apologized again.

"Bless you. It's okay," Sara responded, looking into my eyes with calmness. "You can let your sneezes out. It's just us three."

I could feel the itching sensation increasing in my nose, and I allowed it to build completely and glanced at my dad. There were many flowers around here, which made the problem worse. My nose began to feel as if it were burning, and I closed my eyes, tilting my head back again. "Hih, ih'schh! Hih'gschh!" I sneezed twice more, this time purposefully not covering (but of course directing them away from Sara and my father) so I could get it over with. I sniffled and sneezed again before wiping my nose with the back of my wrist.

I continued in a congested tone as my nose continued to tickle, "Do you know if the wedding is going to be—ih, hihkt'chh!" I directed the sneeze to the side and sniffled liquidly again, "—excuse me. Will it be outside?"

"Wait, before she answers that," Josh's voice said to my right a little breathlessly. I jumped and turned, the next tickle in my nose disappearing from the surprise. Josh had skidded to a halt, looking extremely handsome with his tall figure, brown hair slicked back, black tuxedo, and tie. "Good morning, Mr. Haldemann," he said to my father, who waved.

"Good morning, Joshua," my father responded and shook Josh's hand.

"Good morning, darling Jess," Josh stated, his hazel eyes looking into my brown ones through his thin rectangular rimmed glasses, which sat on his sizable nose. His smile spread across his slightly oblong, handsome face as he wrapped his arm around me, his breathing swift as if he had ran a marathon. "You're beautiful as always."

"Thank you. You're really handsome," I said, sniffling wetly and speaking with vast congestion in my voice.

"Please blow, sweetheart," Josh whispered in my ear, and I nodded, took out my handkerchief, and obeyed him, blowing my nose wetly until I could breathe through my nose again. "Thank you," Josh said with a half-smile, "and to answer your question you asked Sara, yes, unfortunately, we couldn't plan it to be inside. The church has other things going on inside all today."

"But I'll be s-hih-sneezing like c-crazy!" I said, fighting the next sneeze in my irritated red nose. I was seriously starting to feel like a sneezy female Rudolph in human form.

"Did you bring your extra medicine?" Josh asked as I pitched forward with another loud sneeze. "Bless you."

"Thanks. Yes, my father brought them, but just these," I said and rubbed my nose. My dad handed me two of my allergy pills.

"Can you take another yet?" Josh asked, his breath steadying.

"No, I only got up about an hour and a half ago, and I took one right after I got up after having a little sneezing fit," I stated, wiping my nose again.

"Hey, Jess, Dad, Sara!" I heard a voice call, and I recognized my brother Jonathan with his large nose, but otherwise similar features to mine: brown hair (but short), brown eyes, and a thin figure. He made his way up the hill in his tux. "Josh had a feeling you'd be here already, so he basically ran up here."

"I was wondering why he was out of breath," Sara stated. 

"Yeah, I meant to say that. Thanks, John," Josh mentioned.

"Is Jonathan your best man?" I said in awe. Jonathan smiled, nodded, and waved.

"Yep! It's wonderful, isn't it? My big sister Jess is getting married to my best friend, Josh, and I get to be the best man! Isn't that great?" his smile grew, and he looked at Josh. "I even got to prepare a little speech. This is exciting!"

"Okay, Jonathan," Josh said with a chuckle, "we know." He looked back at me. "You'll sit with your father at church?" I nodded, and my father looked back and forth between Josh and me.

"I'm real proud of both of you two, and I know you'll be a wonderful married couple," he said and turned specifically to Josh. "Josh, treat my daughter well, okay? And remember: she's always right as well as pretty. Especially pretty. She's a beautiful girl."

"Thanks, Dad," I said with a chuckle.

"Of course, Mr. Haldemann," Josh replied, wrapping one arm around me and smiling at me.

"And Jess," my father said, looking to me. "Josh is a great man, but don't get too into him. Remember you always can talk to your handsome dad if you need him."

"Oh my goodness, Dad!" I said, and Josh and I began to laugh. Suddenly, my nose remembered it was annoyed, and I pitched forward with a loud sneeze, just barely covering with the back of my right hand. Josh and I laughed some more, and Sara and my father started up as well. Everyone around blessed me before we went into the church, and I hoped that my nose would not be distracting everyone with its outbursts during the service.

[M214186]

Ooh a sneezy bride how much better can it get????

[I love Alan Rickman]

@M214186 @Sneezingnonstop Don't worry, I did not abandon you, and this story is not dead! I have just been trying to think of what to write (yes, I've been thinking for over a month) and finally figured something out. I hope you like this! I will try to work on this more often now. What do you both think so far?

 

Part 2

—

My nose was calm for a while, starting at the beginning of the service, but during the sermon, I felt the familiar tickle in my sinuses, though it was much more intense than usual. My breath hitched sharply a few times, and I quickly placed my hand over my mouth and nose, reaching for the handkerchief in my pocket. My father glanced sympathetically in my direction, recognizing the problem but not really having anything to do in this moment. The people behind me—whom I hardly knew if at all—seemed concerned.

I pinched my nose hard. I couldn't sneeze in church, especially now. It would be too embarrassing. However, the tickle in my nose was drastic, and there was no way to avoid it. "Hih..." I cupped the handkerchief as tightly as I could around my nose, hoping to muffle the sneeze as best as possible. Getting up would be even more of a distraction, so the only thing I could do was stay in my seat and sneeze in the hanky, hoping for the best. I felt the sneeze build in my sinuses and could feel my nose twitching beneath the handkerchief as my eyes closed.

"Hih, ih'ktchmpf!" I muffled the sneeze in the handkerchief, though it was still very audible, and several people around us blessed me. I went to thank them but couldn't with the next sneeze building in my nose. I didn't even have time to open my eyes before I pitched forward violently with the next sneeze, failing to muffle this time. "Ih'tschiew!" Not daring to remove the handkerchief from my nose, I blushed a deep shade of red with embarrassment.

"God bless you, whoever sneezed," the pastor said, and I could've sworn he looked straight at me. I somehow blushed even more, and my father placed his hand on my shoulder to comfort me in my embarrassment.

"Huh, ih'tschh!" I sneezed again within three minutes and realized this was becoming an entire allergic fit...in church. Was I literally having an allergic fit in church? Oh, God, I felt so humiliated. The people behind us blessed me again, and I sniffled. "Thank you," I muttered shyly, my nose still itching. I was seriously considering getting up and letting my allergies take over outside of the church, but I felt it would be disrespectful to get up right now. "Hih, ih," My breath hitched again, and I pinched the handkerchief around my nose, "H'gxtchh! Hg'xtchh! Hih, hg'xt!"

"God bless you! Are you alright?" An older woman's voice behind me asked quietly, and she placed her hand on my shoulder. I started to feel even more embarrassed and stifled another sneeze.

"Yes, it's just my allergies acting up from all the flowers," I whispered, gesturing to the flowers at the altar, which had been placed there specifically in celebration of my wedding with Josh. I rubbed my nose as my breath hitched again, and I stifled yet another sneeze, not daring to look at the woman in my embarrassment. "Thanks for your concern, though," I continued and sniffled. She then brought her arm back down. "Hah, ihts'schh! Hiht'schh!" I convulsed forward with two more sneezes and sighed, thankful that the tickle had finally calmed down, though it was still existent in the back of my nose. I looked to my right and saw Josh looking at me from across the room with sympathy.

"I'm so sorry," he mouthed, probably talking about how the wedding would be outside and now realizing how horrible that would be for me.

"It's okay," I mouthed back and sighed again, this time in preparation for a high chance of a disastrous allergy attack during the wedding.

—

I was relieved when the service was over, because I had sneezed several more times throughout, but thankfully not in a fit like that. By the end, the congregation had learned to just accept the allergic lady on the left side of the room...who was me. I still got some blessings, but it seemed by the end that people didn't really care much anymore for my sneezing and were just concentrating on the service, which made me feel a bit better and less embarrassed. 

When my dad and I walked out of the church with Josh, Jonathan, and Sara (we had waited on them a little), I started sneezing continuously from all the flowers and pollen outside, so much so that Jonathan had actually started counting:

"Hihkt'shiew!" I sneezed into my right wrist my hair in curtains around my face from the previous sneezes in the fit.

"Nineteen," Jonathan called out.

"Hih, ihs'shiew!" Another, and I didn't even lift my head, because my nose was still itching.

"Twenty," he continued.

A pause as my breath caught in my throat.

"Are you done?" Jonathan asked.

"N-hih-no. Hih, ih, hih'chiew!" 

"Okay, then twenty-one."

And so on until I finally stopped at thirty-three.

"Are you done now?" He asked.

"Yeah, I think so. At least for now," I responded, sniffling liquidly. 

"Sure you are," Sara then responded a bit sarcastically.

"For now! Yes, probably not the entire time!" I pointed out. I then blew my nose wetly into the hanky and looked around. "So where will we be?" I asked, turning to Josh, who gestured to an open field in the distance, which thankfully looked like it lacked the vast amount of flowers here. There were only a few, which would be a little bit more forgiving to my allergies. I nodded slowly and stood by my dad, Jonathan, and Josh while Sara led us all to the field to get ready for the wedding...after I sneezed again, of course.

"Thirty-four! Told you there were more!" Jonathan called out. "I'm a poet, and I didn't even know it!"

"Oh, shut up!" I said with a chuckle, and the five of us laughed as we made our way to the field, Jonathan joking about how my allergies just wanted to be a part of the wedding, too. I smiled in response, glad to have a humorous brother like him as we left behind the many rows of flowers, which had plagued me the most with my allergies.

[Sneezingnonstop]

Loved this next part! Especially loved the teasing and counting, very cute touch!

[M214186]

This was a great second part.

[I love Alan Rickman]

@Sneezingnonstop @M214186 Okay, I greatly apologize for taking forever on part three and it being shorter than usual, but I will try to work more on this and other stories in the future! Enjoy!

Part 3

—

When we arrived at the open field, Josh stood next to me, placed his hand on my shoulder, and gave me a kiss on my cheek. 

"I would've kissed your nose, but I don't want you to end up sneezing more than you already have to," Josh admitted, putting his arm around me. "Though your sneezes are still super cute, of course."

"Thanks, Josh," I replied, sniffling as my sinuses prickled with another sneeze.

"Oh, look at your adorable twitching nose," he said with a chuckle and kissed my cheek again. "Does my beautiful fiancée need to sneeze again?" I nodded and held my hand to my nose. Josh continued as my breath hitched, "The blesser is all ready."

"O-okay, if you s-hih-say s-s-so," I stated quickly, struggling against the sneeze. "Hih, ihts'schiew! Hih, ihs'shiew!" I sneezed femininely into my palms.

"Bless you, beautiful," Josh said kindly.

"Hih, ihs'schh!" He ended up kissing my nose anyway, coaxing out one last little sneeze from my nose, which seemed to relieve the tickle...for now, at least.

"Sorry, gorgeous. I felt I had to help you out a bit," Josh stated. He continued sympathetically, "Your nose seemed upset." He reached into my dress pocket, pulling out my handkerchief for me, and placed it in my hand. "Now please blow, my darling."

I blew my nose wetly, coughed, and looked at Josh with a smile. He held my hand, and we followed Sara, Jonathan, and my dad to the tables. Josh and I sat down and kissed. However, it didn't last long since I felt my nose tickle once more.

"S-sorry," I apologized quickly as I pulled back, swiftly bringing the handkerchief beneath my nose. My breath began to hitch. "Hih, ih—"

"Bless you," Jonathan stated preemptively from behind me, and my sneeze backed off.

"Jonathan!" I called playfully and accusingly, rubbing my runny nose furiously.

"Oh, did I stop your sneeze?" Jonathan asked with a chuckle.

"Yes," I replied, desperately wishing the sensation would come back so I could get it over with. "Why would you do that?"

"Well, I didn't know. Plus, you've already sneezed a lot today. Why are you so upset about missing one?" Jonathan replied with a shrug.

"Because if I don't sneeze, it just makes the situation worse, and I'll sneeze more next time," I said, standing up and trying to be taller than I really was.

"Jess, just because you're older, you're still not going to be taller than me," Jonathan said matter-of-factly. "Not even if you wore high heels."

I smiled and replied, "I know. I just like to try. And maybe if I wore five-inch heels, it would work."

"Then maybe I'd make heels for my own shoes as well," Jonathan suggested, causing him, Josh, and I to all laugh. I sat back down with Josh as Jonathan walked away.

Jonathan came back moments later with a batch of flowers. "Would this make up for it?" he asked, passing the flowers to me.

"Because they'll make me sneeze?" I asked, already feeling the tickle in my nose start to grow. He nodded. "I don't know," I replied. 

"Or maybe so we could just see how long you can last," Josh stated, taking the flowers from Jonathan and playfully brushing the petals beneath my extremely red nose.

"Oh my God, Josh," I said with a laugh. "You should kn-know by now, n-not l-hih-long." As the pollen started to irritate my nose more than ever, my laughter turned into hitching breaths, my voice became more high-pitched as I fought the sneeze, my watery eyes closed, and I quickly turned to the side, holding the handkerchief beneath my nose. "Hih, hih'gschhieww! Hih, ihs'sshiew! Ih, hih, hih, hih'ksshhieww!"

With my nose still twitching and desperate to rid itself of the pollen, I blew my nose strongly in an attempt to help it and lessen the sneezing. However, this seemed to do nothing. Josh placed the flowers off to the side and rubbed my back as my chest heaved with more shaky breaths. "Hih, yieh'sschh! Heh, ehh'shh!"

"Bless you, Jess. God, I'm so sorry," Josh stated with embarrassment.

"Hih, ihh'schiew! N-no, Josh, d-hih-don't worry. I-hih-it's f-f-fine. Hih'gsschh! Really," I assured him through my sneezes. In fact, I truly felt this allergy fit would be helpful and...Wait. Another sneeze. "Heh, ih'shiew! Damn, nose! How much sneezing do you need?" Maybe this allergy fit could get me used to this area, though. Maybe?

Josh laughed at my comment to my nose and said as I blew my nose once more, "Clearly a lot." He pushed the flowers farther away, probably to hopefully keep them at a safe distance from my sensitive nose.

"Tell me about it," I said and breathed in slowly when my nose was no longer blocked. I kissed him again and smiled. "You ready?"

"Yes, of course. People should start arriving soon," Josh mentioned. "Think you will be able to keep your nose in check?" He poked my nose gently.

"Hih, hiht'chiew!" I sneezed instantly and laughed. "Excuse me. Maybe as long as you don't do that that, I will be able to."

"Just giving it a little reset before is all," Josh responded with a wink. We stood, and I blew my nose again before we headed off to greet some guests as we saw them begin to arrive.

[I love Alan Rickman]

@Sneezingnonstop @M214186 After months of contemplating if I should continue this story since I hadn't had a response since my last part, I have decided to ressurrect it with a shorter part to set up for the next part. I love writing it too much to kill it, and maybe more people will see it. Even if they don't, I'll still enjoy writing these two and probably write another story with the two when this is over. If there is demand for it, that is. I don't want to write it for myself. I want to share it! What do you think so far?

Part 4

—

Josh's parents showed up in a short amount of time, so I talked with his mother, who would soon be my mother-in-law. She seemed concerned when—in the middle of my sentence—I swiftly turned and sneezed forcefully into my handkerchief. I turned back around as Josh blessed me kindly. 

"Whew! Excuse me! Don't worry, Mrs. Nach. I'm not going to get Josh sick. It's just my allergies," I stated with a chuckle.

"Yeah, her allergies can get really bad during this time of year," Josh agreed casually, placing his hand gently on my shoulder. "Jonathan counted her fit of thirty-three sneezes in a row once we came out of the church. But her sneezes are adorable, so I can't complain." He kissed my nose again.

"J-Joshua! I-I—huh, ihs'shiew!" I hardly caught the sneeze in my handkerchief and tilted my head back as another one lingered. "Hg'gschiew!" I playfully slapped Josh on his arm. "Joshua! I told you not to kiss my nose when other people are around, because it always makes me sneeze!" I continued with a slight whine. 

"Bless you. No, you obviously told me not to poke your nose," he clarified with a smile. I slapped him harder. "Ouch!" He rubbed his arm and chuckled.

"Same thing!" I replied and couldn't help but smile.

"Well, not really. One is a kiss, and the other is a poke," Josh responded. I laughed. We were already starting our stupid married couple arguments, and we weren't even married yet. How adorable.

"Well, kissing my nose is like poking it with your lips," I pointed out.

"I never thought about it that way," Josh admitted with a shrug, "but I guess that's kind of right."

"Of course," I stated confidently, puffing out my chest. "You know I'm always right, Josh."

"She's correct, you know," Josh's father agreed. "The wife's never wrong."

"It's tru—hihs'sheww!" I sneezed suddenly and snapped forward violently, my hair flying in my face. Josh and his parents blessed me. I cupped the handkerchief to my nose and held up the index finger of my left hand. "One more," I said quickly, lifting my head slightly, just to be thrown forward once again by the next sneeze. "Hih, ihs'shiew! Whew!" I straightened up as Josh blessed me again. "Didn't see that first one coming. Sorry. And thank you." Annoyed by the congestion in my tone, I folded the hanky in my left hand and delicately blew my nose. I wiped my nose gently and excused myself. Josh looked at me for a moment.

"I want to show my beautiful fiancée something," he stated and looked at his parents.

"Go on ahead," his father said casually. "Make sure you don't scare her, though."

Josh chuckled and responded, "Well, since I've gotten this far and haven't scared her away yet, I'm sure I got it down."

"Yes. Now you two have fun," Josh's mother said. "We'll see you later on."

"Yeah, see you later," I stated and shook Mr. and Mrs. Nach's hands. I turned and wrapped my left hand in Josh's, and we both smiled.

"You ready?" He asked me. I nodded again. He kissed my cheek before leading me farther in the field.

"So where are you t-hih-taking m—" I began as we walked, holding hands. Noticing the all-too-familiar growing tickle in my nose, I swiftly fished my handkerchief out of my dress pocket with my right hand (the one Josh wasn't holding) and held the cloth tightly to my nose. "Heikt'schyeww! Hih, hihs'shiew!" I sneezed daintily, but still pitching forward so much that I almost stumbled. However, Josh kept me up and blessed me kindly. "God. Excuse me!" I stated with surprise and wiped my nose. "Where are you taking me?" I finished with curiosity and sniffled as I put my handkerchief back in my pocket.

"You'll see," Josh responded casually. I saw him reach into his pocket and pull out a new handkerchief. "Though you'll probably need this," he continued and held the soft cloth out for me to take.

"Flowers?" I asked instantly, gladly accepting the new hanky to replace this used one. 

Josh smiled and replied, "But no ordinary flowers." Probably noticing my suddenly befuddled expression, he chuckled and stated, "You'll see." He held my hand slightly tighter and said, "Follow me, okay?" I sneezed in response, and he led me in a jog across the field.

[M214186]

I am excited and curious to see this continued.

[ERWcst]

This should be very interesting!!!

[Chiller, a sneezy skeleton]

Please continue

[I love Alan Rickman]

@M214186 @ERWcst @Chiller, a sneezy skeleton @Sneezingnonstop Sorry for the relatively long wait. I will try to finish the next part in a shorter amount of time, but at least I didn't take months this time! 😅 I hope you all enjoy this part.

Part 5

—

As we neared our destination, I felt my nose itch once more. I swiftly but gently let go of Josh's hand with my left and fanned myself with my left hand. My breaths hitched drastically, and I continued fanning myself until the tickle brought me over the edge and my eyes closed. I quickly brought my right hand in a loose fist beneath my nose, keeping my left hand slightly up at my side. "Hah, hs'scheww!" I sneezed daintily into my fist, feeling my nose crinkling behind my fist as I pitched forward slightly.

"Bless you, darling," Josh stated kindly, however, I stayed there, not moving as I kept my fist pressed to my nose.

"Hih, ihts'schh!" I sneezed a second time, and Josh blessed me once again. I tilted my head back to look toward the sun as I felt the next sneeze lingering in the back of my nose. "Hih, ihs'schheww!" The third sneeze seemed to satisfy my nose, so I sniffled thickly, shook my head in surprise, and brought my hands back down.

"Bless you!" Josh said again and rubbed my back as I raised my head to look back at him and sniffled again.

"Thank you. Excuse me," I responded with noticeable congestion in my tone, wiped my nose with the back of my right hand, and sniffled a third time. God, my nose was very runny from that round of sneezing. They seemed to be making my nose runnier with the more I had to sneeze with these flowers. Usually, my allergy sneezes would make my nose a little runny, but not usually this much, unless it was a lot of sneezing in a short amount of time, such as today. And with that lengthy thirty-three sneeze fit earlier, that wasn't going to be good for my case.

When Josh realized I was now sniffling about every fifteen seconds or so, he retrieved my new handkerchief from my pocket for me (because, dedicated to overcome this, I was too stubborn to pull it out, myself) and placed it in my left hand. "Blow, darling," he insisted. "Your nose needs it now and for what is coming up next."

I obeyed him and blew my nose wetly before muffling another two strong sneezes in the handkerchief almost instantly after we started moving again. The itch wouldn't go away now, no matter how much I'd sneeze or blow my nose. In fact, I had to keep letting go of Josh's hand and turning to the side to sneeze two, three, or sometimes even four times into the hanky about every ten seconds or so. Because of this, within five minutes, we'd barely moved much at all. Therefore, we just continued on without holding hands, and though we both were bummed, we physically couldn't because of my sneezing. Unless we wanted it to take us hours just to get over this hill, that is. However, Josh kindly blessed me for each sneeze.

When we finally reached the top of the hill, I looked through my itchy, watery eyes to see—"Hih..."—many—"hih..." I held my handkerchief to my nose. "Oh God. Just thinking of it m-makes me...hih...makes me—" I began and clutched the handkerchief tightly around my nose as I gasped and pitched forward violently with the forceful sneeze, "ihhs'sheew! Snf!—makes me sneeze." Anyway, I saw many flowers all around us.

"Bless," Josh stated like a gentleman. I was surprised he wasn't getting...getting tired of this...yet...

"Hah, iss'sheww! Hih, ih'shhyew!" I sneezed twice more. "Ugh, my God. Snf! So what are we doing up h—hih, hihg'sshyew!—here in this torture area for my nose?" I sniffled thickly behind the handkerchief, just to coax out yet another sneeze. Like I wasn't tired of that yet today. Though I had to admit, it was probably quite amusing to Josh, but I knew he would likely never admit that to me unless I coaxed it out of him...Like I was coaxing out my sneezes. Speaking of which...

"Hihs'shiew!" I paused and groaned congestedly, "Oh my God..." before straightening back up and blowing my nose for probably the three hundredth time that morning. I looked at the flowers accusingly and stated, "That ain't nice. Y'all better back off, or I'll kick your leafy asses."

Josh couldn't help but laugh. Though we still live in Texas, he knows I always try to hide my accent since I have students online that are obviously out-of-state or even out of the country. So when it slips out even a little when he's around, he finds it hilarious. "Oh, shut up," I said and slapped him on his arm.

"Seriously? You'll kick their leafy asses?" Josh asked with a chuckle.

"Well, they're flowers, so it's the least I can do," I pointed out. "Got to give them at least some respect. Hihgs'schh" I snapped forward suddenly with the sneeze. When I straightened up, I continued, "Oh, there it goes again. They lose some respect for that one." I heard Josh snort as he tried to stifle another laugh. "God, quit laughing, Josh!" I said, laughing a little as well, though I slapped him again.

"Sorry, your jokes are too funny," he countered.

"What the hell, Josh? They're so stupid!" I replied.

"That's the point. I love your stupid jokes," he stated and kissed my nose.

"J-Josh, w-what did I t-hih-tell—" I said and brought my handkerchief back up to my nose as quickly as possible, "hahs'shyeww!" I sniffled and glared at him accusingly but playfully. "As if I'm not sneezing enough already."

"Don't worry. No matter how much you sneeze in a day, they'll always be adorable to me," Josh stated. "And so will you." He then kissed my cheek. "I thought I'd spare you that time."

"Thank you," I responded but sneezed again within a few seconds. "But that clearly didn't work." We laughed again together.

"That's okay," Josh responded. He held out his hand to me once again now that my sneezing had begun to calm a little since we had walked farther from the large patch of flowers there. "Let me lead you, darling. I promise you your sneezes will be worth it." I took his hand, and he led me through the valley.

[M214186]

Where or what is Josh building up to?

[I love Alan Rickman]

@M214186 @ERWcst @Chiller, a sneezy skeleton @Sneezingnonstop Alright, well I basically binged this part since yesterday, so hello! Another part already! I hope that's good.   This is shorter than usual, but that's because I was happy with it as a bit shorter and didn't want to screw it up by adding too much detail, so I just kept it as is. Enjoy!

Part 6

—

As we approached the bottom of the valley, I already sensed there was something there. That was mostly because the itch in my nose suddenly grew more as we got closer, which meant it was likely something with flowers, as Josh had mentioned before. As we got closer, I could distinguish the shape of an animal moving through the flowers. 

"Wha-huh-what is th-that?" I asked, holding my right hand beneath my nose. "Hihg'gshhew!" The sneeze was stronger than I expected and made me stumble, almost pulling Josh down with me. However, he quickly pulled back to keep me up. "Damn it. Sorry. I didn't think it would do that. Excuse me. That thing looks interesting from here but also furry." I looked at Josh. "You kn-hih-know wha-huh-what f-fur d-does to..." I paused and turned my head away from Josh. "Hyah'shhyeww!" That one was stronger and quite forceful as the animal's fur in the air—combined with the pollen—irritated my nose even more. I shook my head in surprise.

"Bless," Josh stated kindly.

"Thank you. You know what fur does to me by now," I replied, vigorously rubbing my itching nose with my hanky with a wet sniffle. "The d-huh-dander...hih!" my voice became increasingly higher in pitch as I struggled against the impending sneeze. I clasped my hanky to my twitching nose. "Oh m-my G-God! Hihhh, ihss'shyeww!" 

I was thrown forward with the first feminine sneeze and stayed bent over with my hair in my face, holding my handkerchief tightly around my nose as I took another deep breath. "Hihh, ihss'sheww! Hihs'shieww!"

"Bless—" Josh began but was cut off by another of my high-pitched sneezes. "Bless yo—"

"N-not done y-yeh-heh'gsschheeww!" I paused with the handkerchief still cupped over my nose after this sneeze, as I was expecting more. However, all I got was another gasp that I held for a moment before exhaling in relief, the tickle finally having died down. However, it hadn't gone away, of course, because there was still pollen and dander in the air. 

I looked over at Josh through my itchy, watery eyes. "Bless you!" he exclaimed, obviously surprised. I was as well. Though I knew I'd have a bad reaction with two allergens in the air at once, I didn't expect that much of a reaction.

I crossed my eyes to look down my nose and pointed at the tip of my nose as I stated, "Impressive, nose. Very i-hih—" I paused, having realized my mistake a little too late. Unknowingly, I'd poked my own nose, which flared up the tickle once more, just like it always does when Josh pokes my nose. I bent over. "Hihgs'schyeeww!" I straightened up and looked down my nose again, pointing once more, but making sure not to poke it again. "Bad nose! I was telling you how impressive you were, but you were rude and m-made me sneeze again. You're on a t-huh-timeout. Hg'xtchh!" I stifled into my fist. "No. Bad! I told you, you're on a sneezing timeout." My nose ran, and I sniffled. "Go ahead and cry, nose. I'm not changing my mind. I'll let you sneeze again later, once you're out of your timeout. Four minutes left. In the meantime, think about what you've done." I then uncrossed my eyes and blew my nose as Josh chuckled uncontrollably. 

"You treat your nose like a toddler," he stated through his laughter. 

"Well, that's what it's like," I responded. "It doesn't listen and is needy, but despite all that and that it sometimes embarrasses me, I still love it. Hih, hkt'shheew!" I pitched forward slightly with the delicate sneeze. "Yes, nose, I know. It's very emotional that I don't hate you. And fine, I'll let you out of your timeout." I looked back at Josh. "This is why children would be difficult for me. For sure, I would not be able to go with my word if I put them in a timeout."

Josh and I laughed again, and after one more sneeze from my sensitive nose, he led me closer to the mysterious animal in the valley.

[M214186]

Dear god! Hanging on the edge of my seat. 

[I love Alan Rickman]

@M214186 @ERWcst @Chiller, a sneezy skeleton @Sneezingnonstop I’m sorry for such a long wait on part seven, but I finally finished it! It’s also unintentionally almost three times longer than other parts, so I hope that makes up for the wait. Enjoy!

Part 7

—

"Damn, Josh, I didn't know you knew where to find one of these," I whispered, opening a fence and observing a mysterious animal with the head of a dog, stripes of a tiger, and pouch of a kangaroo. I'd never seen anything like it except in fantasies. Though the thing didn't look as furry as I'd thought it was from a distance, it was still surely releasing dander that was tickling my nose. 

"Don't worry, he won't run," Josh insisted at a regular volume, closing the fence gate. "He's been well-trained, so he won't hurt you, either. We just don’t trust him not to run off yet. He’s got a lot of room here, though, so it’s fine.” He gestured to the fence around us, extending hundreds of feet around. I wondered how he came here and fenced in this large area without me knowing, but I dismissed the topic.

I slowly approached the odd-looking creature before pausing. "What is it?" I asked Josh in awe, not taking my eyes off of it as I itched my nose a little, my breath catching in my throat as my eyes closed partly. From here, I could physically see some of the dander being shed with his fur, and my nose clearly didn’t want me getting any closer to it. I backed up a little and held my hands to my nose as I closed my eyes.

"He's a thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, previously thought to have gone extinct almost fifty years ago," I heard Jonathan's voice say. My sneeze disappeared as if scared away, and I jumped in surprise and turned to see my younger brother standing there right next to Josh.

"Jonathan! How the—Did you—? How did you—? When did—? Damn it! Words. Hard." After shaking my head with frustration in an attempt to straighten my thoughts since they were all jumbled together, I looked at Jonathan once again. He was laughing at my terrible attempts at speaking. "Oh, shut up! When and how did you get here? Did you follow us or something?" I asked and added in a low voice, "Now that I can actually speak."

"Oh, I was crouched behind that bush over there," Jonathan stated, pointing at a large bush a few feet behind him. 

"So wait. If the Tasmanian tiger was supposedly extinct since fifty years ago, how'd you get ahold of one?" I asked, turning back to Josh and subconsciously rubbing my nose with the back of my hand.

"That was Jonathan," he stated, casually gesturing toward my brother.

"Really?" I stared at my brother in surprise and crossed my arms, changing my expression to be serious, however, my nose gave a single violent twitch, obviously not wanting me to look serious right now. I rubbed my nose vigorously in an attempt to halt the sneeze. "J-hih-Jonathan Haldemann,” I began through my hitching breaths, “when did y-huh-you get your hands on a Tasmanian tiger, and h-how d-d-didn't I...” My eyes narrowed and my nose crinkled, though very obviously not from anger at my little brother from keeping this a secret as I tried to make it seem to be, but instead from the impending sneeze. Not having time to grab my handkerchief, I turned slightly to my right and brought the back of my wrist to my nose. “Hih, ihs’sheww! Hih, ts’shyeww! Hiht’schew!” I sneezed helplessly into my wrist. All hope of looking or sounding serious or intimidating was now lost because of my ridiculous allergies that were making...making me... “Hah, GSS’scheww! My God...” ...that were making me sneeze. 

“Doesn’t seem like your nose wants you to scold me,” Jonathan said with a chuckle.

“Oh, sh-huh-shut up! Hih! And s-hih-stop l-laughing! I-hih-I—“ I paused and fanned myself with both hands, my nose scrunched up, eyes almost fully closed, and breath hitching uncontrollably. I then quickly clasped my hands around my ticklish nose. “Hah, tsss’scheww! Hih, hiht’shyeww! Ihts’chew!” Each sneeze bent me forward slightly, and when I had finished, I paused, in case there were more, before bringing my head back up and wiping my eyes, which had begun to water from the little fit.

“Bless you, darling,” Josh stated kindly and gave me a gentle kiss on my forehead. 

I thanked Josh before turning back to Jonathan as I rubbed my nose. “Now, as I was saying before my allergies got the best of me,” I continued seriously once more and sniffled softly, “how didn’t I know about this before?"

"Well, I kind of kept it secret from you just for this purpose," Jonathan explained calmly, gesturing to the creature behind me. "I had heard about them while doing some research about extinct animals and thought I could find a way to bring one back." He paused at my expression, scrunching my nose a little and furrowing my brows as if I was befuddled. "No, Jess, I'm not acting like I'm making an animal Frankenstein here.”

“No, I didn’t think so,” I replied quickly and pinched my nostrils. “I’m just fighting another sneeze. Go on.”

“Do you want me to wait?” He asked.

“N-No, just g-hih-go a-ahead. I’m listening,” I replied, still tightly pinching my nostrils, which were beginning to flare beneath my fingers.

"With some more research," he continued, "I was able to discover the cause of the extinction and figure out the animal's distant ancestors. Fortunately, one of my college friends was—“

Feeling as if the tickle had finally died down, I let go of my nose, however I sneezed two forceful, uncovered sneezes almost immediately afterward, “Hihg’gsscheww! Hih, hgsss’shhyew! Whew! E-excuse me.” I shook my head in surprise. “Sorry. Continue.”

“Bless you. It’s okay. So anyway, that college friend of mine was able to get the DNA of some of the Tasmanian tiger's ancestors since he was in the area, and—" Jonathan began.

“Pause there," I interrupted, and Jonathan stopped. "You're telling me—“ I felt my nose twitch once again as the tickle flared up once more. I gasped and rushed my sentence, which was swiftly punctuated by a sneeze I could only barely catch in my right palm, followed by a second, “I n-need to s-hih-sneeze again! Hihg’shew! Hih, GSS’shheww!”

“Bless,” Josh and Jonathan both stated.

“Guh, sorry,” I stated, shaking my head again. Noticing some congestion developing in my sinuses and tone again, I pulled out my handkerchief and blew my nose liquidly. “Excuse me. You’re telling me your friend just so happened to be in an area with DNA of the Tasmanian tiger's ancestors?" He nodded. "What the—? That doesn't—. Wait, did—? Gah! Speak! How long ago was this?"

Jonathan stood and thought for a moment before responding, "Probably about ten months ago."

"Ten months and I didn't figure out what you were doing until you told me now?" I stared at Jonathan once again in surprise. "Oh my God, Jonathan. You're impressive but also absolutely insane. What made you think this would even work?"

"Well, having only have been half a century since the Tasmanian tiger went into obsolescence—“ Jonathan mentioned as my breath hitched once more, but the sneeze disappeared within seconds. “False alarm?” I nodded and told him to continue. “I was able to use some research I’d learned about resurgence to bring it back into existence.”

“Snf! First of all, what the hell does that even mean?” I asked with confusion, rubbing my nose again. “Remember, Jonathan, I don’t speak science nerd.”

“True,” he responded with a shrug. “Since it’s only been fifty years since the Tasmanian tiger went extinct, I was able to use some research I’d learn about resurrection to bring it back to life.”

“Such as?” I asked, not believing him quite yet, even though there clearly was a Tasmanian tiger wandering around just a few feet away. Speaking of that, before Jonathan could even respond, I held up my index finger for him to wait. My nose was itching and twitching again. I held my hanky tightly around my nose and muffled three wet sneezes into the handkerchief.

“Bless you. Ah, just science stuff, you know,” Jonathan replied casually as I buried my nose in my hanky and began to blow my nose once more.

I paused while blowing my nose. “Jonathan, this is resurrecting an extinct animal we’re talking about!” I exclaimed in surprise in a congested tone behind the handkerchief. “You act as if this isn’t a big deal, but if anyone else had known about this, it would for sure be a news story.” I finished blowing my nose before continuing in my normal tone now, “What makes you think this isn’t a big deal?” I subconsciously pocketed my handkerchief.

“Well, it’s stuff my friends and I contemplate all the time,” he replied with a shrug.

“Figures, with your s-science-y minds,” I stated. I turned and took a deep breath, my nose already tickling again. “Hih, gsss’shhyew! Gsss’schew! Huh, uh huh’gsssheww!” I sneezed each wet sneeze into my slightly cupped hand I had held beneath my nose. They sprayed my hand and a few flowers beneath my feet, though since I had turned and still covered somewhat, I avoided spraying Josh or Jonathan. I opened my eyes, retrieved my handkerchief once more to wipe my nose, and watched Jonathan walk over to the Tasmanian tiger.

“I think it’s time you meet him,” he stated, approaching the creature. “Benjamin,” he called softly. The creature quickly turned to look at him. It knew its name. “Follow me.” It slowly came toward Jonathan until it stood at his heel. As Jonathan walked toward me, it followed. As it came closer, my nose tickled even more. “This is Benjamin. Named after the last original Tasmanian tiger.” Jonathan stated, petting it gently. He looked up at me with my handkerchief held to my nose as my breath hitched. “Is he making you sneezy?”

“Y-hih-yes,” I responded and closed my eyes. “Hihh, gsss’scheww! Hih, ihs’sheww! Ihs’sheww! Tss’schew! Gss’sheww! Gsss’chhyeww!” After the first two sneezes, the next four came instantly after the others until I ran out of breath. I gasped for air, allergic tears streaming from my eyes. Something like this hardly ever happened unless... “Hahh, gss’schahh! Gss’sheww! Ihs’shyeww!” Unless I was having a full-out allergic fit, though usually only with animals that release a lot of dander. I’m really...really allergic to dander. Even more so than pollen.

“Bless—“ Josh began.

“Hg’gsshew! I c-can’t—hah, ahg’sheww!—c-can’t stop—hih, ihg’shew! Ihg’gsshyeeww!—sneezing,” I said congestedly through my sneezes. 

I paused to blow my nose wetly before holding my breath, putting my handkerchief into my dress pocket, sitting down on my knees, and petting the odd creature. Instantly, when my right hand touched its soft fur, it threw some more dander into the air and tickled my nose once more. I inhaled deeply, turned my head to my right, and sneezed freely and violently three times, knowing that if I held that hand to my nose, it would make the situation much worse. 

When I turned back, I saw Benjamin’s dog-shaped head right in front of my nose, and he gave me a big lick on the cheek. I snapped forward, sneezing another four times and directing them toward the grass beneath me.

“He loves you,” Jonathan stated when I’d finished sneezing.

“Well,” I replied, my nose more ticklish than ever, “I a-already have a fiancé who doesn’t cause me to—hih, ih, hih...hih, ih, hih’eishh’tsheww! Huh, uh, huh, huh, huh’ihtsshh’tsshhew!” I sneezed two itchy sneezes before sniffling and continuing, “—who doesn’t cause me to sneeze anytime I’m n-hih-near him. Hih, ih, hih...hih’eshh’tshhew! Ugh.”

Itchy sneezes weren’t a very common occurrence for me. They usually only happened during my most intense allergic fits when the allergens were most plentiful. And more... “Hih, ih, hih...hih’gihshh’tshheww!” ...more than likely with animals than with pollen, though I have had a few itchy sneezes with very high grass pollen counts in the past. But never when I was sick. And Josh would always pick up on my itchy sneezes. In fact...I looked over at Josh.

“Your nose sounds very ticklish,” Josh stated sympathetically. 

“You always notice,” I stated with a chuckle. “And yes, it i-hih-is. Ih, hih, hih’tsschew! Hiht’tsschhah! Hih, ih, hih, hih’tsschh’sheww!” 

“Bless you, darling,” Josh said lovingly. He reached out his hand for me to hold as I sneezed again. “Bless. Maybe your visit with Benjamin should go on hold for now. Jonathan told me he’s shedding a lot more recently since he was just recently ‘resurrected.’” He made air quotes with his other hand and pulled me up to my feet. I turned to Jonathan who nodded in agreement. Though I then stumbled from another sneeze, Josh kept me up and blessed me.

“It was nice meeting your Tasmanian tiger, Jonathan,” I stated after pulling out my handkerchief and holding it to my nose with my left hand. “Nice job with it. You even got the—“ I scrunched up my nose and clutched the handkerchief tightly around my nose. “Huh, tss’schhff!” I muffled the sneeze behind the cloth and sniffled, bringing the handkerchief down. “You even got the fur, which is a good thing, but a b-hih-bad thing for my—dear God, my aller-hih-allergi-huh-allergies!” I clutched the hanky to my nose once more.  “Hihh, gsss’shyeww! Tss’schyeeww!” I sneezed femininely.

“Bless you, Jess,” Josh stated sympathetically, rubbing my back. “We should probably go now, before it gets too bad.”

“See ya later when you don’t make me so sneezy, Benjamin,” I stated, waving to the Tasmanian tiger. He wagged his tail and went to approach me again, but I sneezed again, and Jonathan stopped him.

“Benjamin, no,” Jonathan said sternly, and the creature turned its dog head back at Jonathan, stepping back again with a slight whimper. “You already gave her a kiss. She’ll come back later when you’re not shedding as much.” Jonathan looked up at me. “I’ll join y’all back in a bit.”

Josh and I nodded before heading back up the valley and to the location of the wedding once more. After I sneezed for the fifth time since we’d left the valley, I stated, “You know, Benjamin’s a really cool Tasmanian tiger and all, but he really makes me sneeze.”

“I could tell,” Josh replied. “I’ve not seen you sneeze that much in such a short period of time since I helped you bring Maurecio home to your place when he was a little kitten.” The two of us laughed.

“I got to tell you, I honestly don’t know which situation was crazier,” I responded with a chuckle. “I think Benjamin may have been even more of a shedder than Maurecio.”

“Well, you can’t really top that night when we brought Maurecio home,” Josh pointed out. “Even when you left for work the next morning, you were still sneezing your head off, and I ended up having to drive you there. At least now, the sneezing has died down a little.”

“True,” I responded with a shrug, feeling my nose itch once more as if it didn’t appreciate us reimagining that scene. “I guess that is a little hard to top.”

“Speaking of which,” Josh stated and kissed my nose. 

Not even a second later, I pitched forward with two uncovered wet sneezes, “Hihtss’shyeww! S’chhyeww!” I looked back up at Josh. “What was that for?” I asked, trying unsuccessfully to hide my amusement.

“Bless you,” he stated kindly. “Your nose was twitching, so I thought I should be your sneeze helper once again since you were going to sneeze either way.”

“Hkt’cheww!” I sneezed one more time and straightened back up. “Well thank you, Josh. I appreciate that you helped me get it over with.” I kissed him gently on his cheek, and he kissed my nose, making me sneeze again. We laughed together, he blessed me, and we continued our trek back to the wedding area.

 

Question: Do you want a flashback of when they brought home Maurecio for the next part? I’d love to know what y’all think.

[M214186]

Yes I want a flashback 

[Chiller, a sneezy skeleton]

Yes please i would like the flashback!!!

[I love Alan Rickman]

@M214186 @Chiller, a sneezy skeleton @ERWcst I have finished the flashback and divided it up into two parts (I am still working on the second part) since it is so long (as in the first part itself is a little over 2,000 words). I hope you enjoy the first part of the flashback!!

Part 8

—

As we made our way back to the wedding location, I contemplated the night Josh and I took Maurecio home to my house. 

 

It was just three years ago. I had just recently moved into my own house, and Josh and I had been dating for a few months. I had just finished teaching all my music students for the day and was about to go to my car to drive home as usual, but I paused when I suddenly felt an overwhelming tickle in my nose when I was halfway to my car. It was a winter night and had just recently finished raining here in Texas, and I wasn’t allergic to mold, so it couldn’t have been that. I held my right hand in a loosely clenched fist beneath my nose.

“Hih, ihs’shhyeww!” I sneezed femininely and a little wetly. I didn’t have a handkerchief since it wasn’t an allergy day, and I didn’t feel to be getting sick. Therefore, when I sneezed, I was confused. I didn’t recall coming across anyone sick recently, and even if I had, I knew it wouldn’t have come on so suddenly. But the pollen count was very low, and I didn’t have winter allergies. I didn’t even know if that was possible since there were hardly any flowers in winter. And my lesson room hadn’t been dusty. I also didn’t sneeze for no reason very often, despite my very sensitive nose. It was mainly sensitive to allergens and other common irritants such as dust and pepper. Especially dust. If I entered a dusty room, I would be sure to start sneezing quite quickly and not stop until hours after. Completely forgetting about going to my car for a few moments, I walked to the curb and stood there, trying to think of what had made me sneeze, until... 

“Hih, tss’cheww!” I sneezed again. “God, am I getting s-sick? I feel f-fine, though. Hih!” I cupped my hands around my nose. “Hih, ih, ihs’sheww! Ihss’shyew! Tss’shhyew! Hss’sheww!” I furrowed my brow in confusion. I didn’t sneeze many times right after the other when I was sick. That was only allergies. But what the hell was it that I was allergic to? “Hih’tsschew!”

Then, I figured it out. I heard the mewing of a little kitten coming from my left. I looked in that direction to see my car, and a black and white kitten wiggling his way out from underneath. The kitten walked delicately over to me, and my nose twitched in protest. Right. I was allergic to cats. How could I have forgotten? I buried my itchy nose in my elbow sleeve as my breath hitched furiously. “Hih, ih...hih, ih, ih, ih’eishh’tsschew! Ih, hih, hih, hih’tsschh’sheww!” The familiar itchy sneezes that usually came from my dander allergy. I opened my watery eyes and lowered my arm. 

The kitten had bolted to a tree to my left and climbed up it, having been startled by my sneezes. “I’m sorry,” I said softly. 

I slowly approached the tree, trying to ignore the overwhelming itch in my sinuses that slowly crawled down my twitching nose, threatening to take control of my body any second now. But I couldn’t startle the kitten again.

I pinched my nose and stifled two forceful sneezes. They left my head pounding a little, but I didn’t care. I had to save this kitten, no matter how sneezy he would make me. He was shaking in fear on one of the low branches, but I spoke to him in a calm, high-pitched tone, making up a name, “Don’t worry, Maurecio, baby, I’m here to help you.” The kitten mewed again. 

I went back to my car and searched through. I had just had fish this evening during my lunch break and put it in a little styrofoam box. Did I have any left? As I searched, my nose prickled with another sneeze, and my eyelids began to flutter. “W-Where is i-hih-it?” I asked myself and quickly held my hand beneath my nose. “Hih, tss’shh! Ihs’schh!” I sneezed as quietly as I could manage. I sniffled, and within a few seconds, I discovered the little box with a whole piece of fish left. I broke off a few pieces. That should be enough.

I approached the tree the kitten was residing in. Or at least I had thought. I looked up, and the kitten I had named Maurecio wasn’t there. I furrowed my brow. He had to still be around, as my nose still itched drastically.

I heard the kitten’s soft mew from below. I looked down and saw the kitten on his hind legs, gently holding onto one of my long legs and rubbing his head against my pant leg. I sniffled, and he mewed once more. I watched him try to climb up my leg but slip down each time his little paws would leave the ground. I reached down and let him sniff my fingers before lifting him gently in my cupped hands. 

“Hih-ih...” My breath hitched as I held Maurecio in my hands. He fit perfectly in my palms. What a tiny thing. “Hih...” He couldn’t have been more than a month old. My nose scrunched up in irritation, and I fought the urge to rub my nose, as it would make it worse. “Ih, hih...” Maurecio watched in confusion as my nose twitched, eyes shut, and mouth parted. I took a deep breath and turned my head away from the kitten. 

“Hih’gsschhh! Hah, ihss’sheww!” I sneezed freely to the side, attempting to sneeze a little quieter to try not to startle the little kitten in my hands, though I couldn’t really do much without using my hands or a handkerchief. “Hih, ih, ihss’chew!” I sniffled and turned back to the kitten. He didn’t seem startled anymore and still sat there in my hands and mewed once more. 

Sniffling, I carried him over to the car, holding him gently in my hands, but also tight enough that I wouldn’t drop him when I sneezed about another twelve times on the way to the car. When I got there, I brought Maurecio to my chest in both hands first, before holding him there with one hand as I opened the door. “Maurecio, j-huh—huh, gss’scheww!” I began, placing Maurecio in the back seat and sneezing once more. I sniffled and wiped my nose on the back of my sleeve. I closed the door before going around the other side to sit on the other side in the back with him. As I closed the door, I stated, “Just st-stay here while I-hih-I—“

I turned to the side, subconsciously bringing my hand to my nose. “Hih, yihg’gssheww!” I sneezed forcefully into my palm. “Hih, ih, hih, tsss’scheww! Gss’cheww! Ihs’shyeww! Ugh.” I sniffled thickly and wiped my nose with my sleeve once more. I pulled out my phone, dialed Josh’s number, and sneezed four times while the phone rang.

“Hey, Jess, what’s going on?” His voice asked lovingly.

“Josh, I—“ I began as I watched Maurecio rubbing his head against my leg. “Hih, ih—“ I turned my head to my left, away from Maurecio and the phone as I held the back of my left hand beneath my nose. “Hih’gssheww! Hah, ahs’shyeww! Ihss’shyyuu!” I sneezed again, sniffled, and brought the phone back to my ear.

“Bless you,” Josh stated kindly. “The pollen count is low today. Are you alright? Are you ill?”

“N-no,” I stuttered, my tone congested as I tried to fight another sneeze that was already building in my nose, which felt as if it were being tickled by many feathers. Well...fur. Dander from it, specifically. “I found a stray kitten outside of the lesson building. H-hih-he was under my car and—hih, ahs’shyeww! Ugh, sorry.” I rubbed my nose vigorously with a long finger, but then I remembered with terror that I had held Maurecio in my hands. There was fur and dander all over them. I tilted my head back in surrender to the tickle in my nose. “Hih, hiht’schh! Ihts’schh! Huh, ghts’schew! Snf! He was under my car, and I knew I h-had to save him even if—hih, hihts’sschew!—even if he—hah, hahgs’schhyeww! Ugh—made me sneeze.” 

“Bless you!” Josh exclaimed. “Do you want me to pick you up?” He asked as I sneezed another two times. “Bless.”

“I mean, my car is h-here,” I replied, trying not to rub my nose. “But y-hih-yes, that would be...be g-g-hih-grea-huh-great. Hah, tss’chyeeww!” My sneezes were slowly beginning to become more desperate. “It probably wouldn’t be good for me to try to drive with all this s-sneezing.”

“I’ll be there in three,” Josh stated. “Love you. Hang in there.”

“Love you, too,” I responded with a sniffle.

Sure enough, Josh arrived three minutes later. He pulled in right next to my car, and I opened the door to come out. “Hihgs’tcheww!” I sneezed freely toward the ground, and Josh blessed me. “Excuse me,” I stated in a congested tone. “Sorry, I can’t really cover with my hands, because—hih—I carried the k-hih-kitten to the car, and—hih, tsss’yeww!”

“Bless you. I understand,” Josh responded. “I have a gift for you. Hold out your hands.” I held out my hands and turned to sneeze again. “Bless you.” I turned back as he placed a clean white handkerchief in my hands.

I sniffled, held the handkerchief in my hands, and cupped the hanky around my nose. Then, I closed my eyes and blew my nose forcefully and liquidly. Finally, when I’d cleared my nose enough to be satisfied, I opened my eyes, looked at Josh, and blushed with slight embarrassment. “Thank you, Josh,” I said quietly. “I really needed that.”

“Any time, darling,” he replied and kissed my forehead. “Any time.”

I placed the handkerchief in my pocket and went to reach for Maurecio, but I sneezed. Josh then took a gentle hold of my wrist. “What?” I asked, looking back at him.

“I’ll get him,” he responded, letting go of my wrist. “He’s made you sneeze enough already and still will even if he’s just in the car with you.” I held my head, slumped my shoulders sadly...and sneezed. “Bless you. Darling, you’ve done enough for him already, despite your allergies. I’m sure he’s very grateful if cats can be grateful.” I chuckled, and Josh smiled. “Now we just need to get him home. And if you were to try to transfer him to my car right now as well—“

“Hih, hss’shyeww!” I sneezed suddenly, turning my head away from Josh.

“Bless. That would get worse,” he continued.

“Okay,” I stated, itching to rub my nose, but it would make it worse. Therefore, I instead retrieved my handkerchief and blew my nose once more. I sniffled and looked back at Josh, who gently picked up Maurecio and placed him in the back seat.

“Should I go in the back with him?” I asked. “In case he tries to get into anything.”

“No, it’s fine,” Josh responded as he made sure Maurecio was settled in safely. The little kitten laid down on a blanket on the back seat that Josh had set up, likely just for this purpose to minimize the amount of fur and dander that would be in the car after this trip. “I just cleared out the back seat this morning, so there’s nothing for him to get into.” He shut the door. “Besides, you’re sneezy enough. The farthest you can be from him on the drive would be best. And in this case, that’s the passenger seat.” 

I watched as Josh opened the passenger door for me. He looked at me and quickly  down at the handkerchief I held in my right hand, clutching onto it like my most prized possession for quick access. 

“Hang in there,” Josh stated and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into an embrace. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around him as well, placing my head against his chest and listening to his soothing heartbeat for a moment.

“Hg’tsschh!” I sneezed delicately and suddenly. I pulled back from our hug and clasped the handkerchief to my nose. “Hih, tsss’schyeeww! Iht’sschhyew!”

“Bless you, darling,” Josh stated kindly and gave me a gentle kiss on my forehead. He then helped me into the passenger’s seat as I sneezed a few more times. “Let’s get you home, sweetheart.”

As Josh started up the car, I closed my eyes and attempted to ignore my itchy nose as Maurecio mewed softly in the back seat. Within two sneezes, two blessings from Josh, and a few more moments, I drifted off to sleep.

[M214186]

So delightful