Sick cousin

[Sequoia]

Hey there (: 

We had lunch with the whole family today. My cousin was a bit late and when she came, I already thought she looked a bit tired. She's about 20 years old, has short brown hair and a really small nose. Today it looked a bit red. I didn't really pay much attention, though. 

Some time later, she scratched her nose and sneezed a sudden "KTShhh!" into her hands. There was no buildup, no sharp breath, but it sounded quite forceful nonetheless. I was taken by surprise and my mental block kicked in, preventing me from blessing her immediately. I tried to overcome it, as there were plenty of people around and it would've been strange if I'd been the only one not to bless. When I finally managed to say it half an eternity  about four seconds later, my cousin still had her hands in front of her face. I began to wonder if she had to sneeze again, but her brother knew better. He handed her the tissue box, she mumbled a bleary thank you and blew her nose (It was a rather soft, fluid sound, as the cold was just beginning).

She didn't sneeze again, but asked me for another tissue shortly after. I managed to hand her the box without trembling. This time she didn't blow, but only dabbed at her nose. It didn't work,  though: Not even a minute later she asked for another two tissues.

We finally decided to put the box on her side of the table, which made it much easier for me to enjoy our Easter lunch. Family sneezes/symptoms are always awkward...  I hope that at least you can enjoy this obs  

[snzycg]

It's always the best when the tissue box ends up next to them  I love all the detail about your family's dynamic as well, like how 'her brother knew better'

[Sequoia]

14 hours ago, snzycg said:

It's always the best when the tissue box ends up next to them  I love all the detail about your family's dynamic as well, like how 'her brother knew better'

Oh, yes, it definitely is. It's the same with my brother, who always sneezes more than once and needs a tissue every time he sneezes. I'm practically programmed to find the nearest tissue box. My mental block is easy to break then (after years of training ), but when it comes to other family members or even strangers, I'm not able to react properly.