Mucus Mates

So the girl I sit for has the same cold I do (why the boy doesn't have it I have no idea). We're at the same phase, coughing constantly and violently, our chests rattling, our faces red, our noses running as we gasp for air, choking on our own sputum.

It goes like this: she begins to cough, a wet rattling roar, her face crimson, her nose streaming, choking for air. This elicits a sympathetic response in me, and I begin to do the same thing. 30 seconds later, as we finally stop and manage to breathe, she catches my eye, and we both laugh.

The boy feels left out and fakes a dry cough.