Maintaining Dignity
By the time I heard the third retch I knew that the outcome wasn’t going to be pretty. Rather than wait until I heard the revulsion in the voice of our aide, I headed quickly towards the source of the sound. Along the way I deftly grabbed a dishtowel and in one smooth move, slipped it under Bethany’s chin. It was a beautiful action, almost a visual poem – if only the timing had been better. My poor work at estimating forced me into the second stage of this whole event; that of maintaining dignity for all those involved. Everyone around you is aghast in horror and dismay while the guest of honor of course, thinks its funny. I on the other hand am trying with all my being to downplay the drama of it, not encouraging a repeat, while hopefully calming the “just puked on “ helper by demonstrating a comfortable awareness of the mess that’s covering the lot of us. Many take it in stride; the few unaccustomed ones cause me to wonder if I should have grabbed two towels. I