recollections. But finally the memory of the orange concoction came back to her.
“You made it after the Omega Pi party, beginning of senior year.”
“And every time we got blitzed after that, which was a lot.”
Susan shook her head, wrinkling her nose. “Yeah, and I remember it tastes freaking awful.”
“Awful or not, it works like a charm.”
Susan conceded that. Even though it looked like swill from the bottom of a dumpster, smelled like burnt rubber and tasted like vomit, the stuff worked. Now Susan just had to weigh all that was bad about it against having the hangover from hell all day.
Her mouth went cotton ball dry just at the thought of chugging the nasty mess. But the wind outside picked up, and the wind chimes gained volume.
“Give me that.” She snatched the cold glass out of Kevin’s hand and brought it to her lips. But she inhaled through her nose and the burnt rubber smell she remembered had a musky gym socks scent too. She held the glass out away from her and shook her head. “How did you make it smell worse?”
Kevin guffawed. “It doesn’t. It’s just that island paradises smell so good, everything else smells worse in comparison.”
Susan looked at him doubtfully.
“Here,” he said, scooting closer. “I’ll hold your nose for you while you drink it.”
“You gonna hold my hair for me when I puke it back up?”
“Very funny. Now remember it works best if you guzzle the whole thing at once.”
Susan just wanted to kick him in the teeth. “That wouldn’t be because it tastes like shit, would it?”
Kevin grabbed hold of her nose and pushed the glass to Susan’s lips. “Everyone’s a goddamn critic.”
As the chilly liquid flowed down her throat she had to admit, without the smell it tasted like generic cough syrup. Generic cough syrup with chunks of cherries and olives in it, and laced with tequila.
Susan coughed as the last of the nasty stuff went down, and as Kevin let go of her nose, she reached for a tissue and gave her nose a swift, very quiet blow.
“What the hell was that?” Kevin said, sitting back from her, his expression confused, as if he couldn’t recognize her.
“What was what?”
“You just blew your nose like a blond sorority pledge. What happened to the angry tuba?”
He would have to remember something stupid and horribly embarrassing like that. Susan had always had a loud sneeze, often likened to a shotgun blast. And when she blew her nose it always sounded like a very loud, angry tuba. She hadn’t given it much thought in high school, and little more in college. But once out in the professional world and social situations, people stared at her like she was a circus freak when she cleared her sinuses. She had consciously toned it down. Toned down so far that now she made no sound at all.
“Angry tuba went bye-bye,” Susan said.
Kevin threw back his head and laughed, pulling her to him with his strong, muscular arm. “I guess that would put a damper on any dating situation.”
The orange sludge calmed her stomach, and her mind quieted. “Mark looked at me like I was an elephant the one time I accidentally did it in front of him.” She swallowed as she remembered the horrified look on his handsome face. “Said it was tacky. He runs off with a cocktail waitress and I’m tacky!” She stiffened. At the thought of him judging her, and then standing her up on their wedding day, her hangover was quickly being replaced by pure, hot anger.
“He doesn’t deserve the tuba,” Kevin said, kissing her lightly on the top of her head. “He doesn’t deserve you either.”
Susan laughed, but it sounded wheezy and choked. She dropped her head down on Kevin’s t-shirt clad chest and listened to his heartbeat. Strong and steady. But when she wrapped her arms around his torso she could swear that steady heartbeat lurched and started to speed up. His chest felt so good, the solid bulk of him, that she leaned in more, snuggling into his warm, hard
“You made it after the Omega Pi party, beginning of senior year.”
“And every time we got blitzed after that, which was a lot.”
Susan shook her head, wrinkling her nose. “Yeah, and I remember it tastes freaking awful.”
“Awful or not, it works like a charm.”
Susan conceded that. Even though it looked like swill from the bottom of a dumpster, smelled like burnt rubber and tasted like vomit, the stuff worked. Now Susan just had to weigh all that was bad about it against having the hangover from hell all day.
Her mouth went cotton ball dry just at the thought of chugging the nasty mess. But the wind outside picked up, and the wind chimes gained volume.
“Give me that.” She snatched the cold glass out of Kevin’s hand and brought it to her lips. But she inhaled through her nose and the burnt rubber smell she remembered had a musky gym socks scent too. She held the glass out away from her and shook her head. “How did you make it smell worse?”
Kevin guffawed. “It doesn’t. It’s just that island paradises smell so good, everything else smells worse in comparison.”
Susan looked at him doubtfully.
“Here,” he said, scooting closer. “I’ll hold your nose for you while you drink it.”
“You gonna hold my hair for me when I puke it back up?”
“Very funny. Now remember it works best if you guzzle the whole thing at once.”
Susan just wanted to kick him in the teeth. “That wouldn’t be because it tastes like shit, would it?”
Kevin grabbed hold of her nose and pushed the glass to Susan’s lips. “Everyone’s a goddamn critic.”
As the chilly liquid flowed down her throat she had to admit, without the smell it tasted like generic cough syrup. Generic cough syrup with chunks of cherries and olives in it, and laced with tequila.
Susan coughed as the last of the nasty stuff went down, and as Kevin let go of her nose, she reached for a tissue and gave her nose a swift, very quiet blow.
“What the hell was that?” Kevin said, sitting back from her, his expression confused, as if he couldn’t recognize her.
“What was what?”
“You just blew your nose like a blond sorority pledge. What happened to the angry tuba?”
He would have to remember something stupid and horribly embarrassing like that. Susan had always had a loud sneeze, often likened to a shotgun blast. And when she blew her nose it always sounded like a very loud, angry tuba. She hadn’t given it much thought in high school, and little more in college. But once out in the professional world and social situations, people stared at her like she was a circus freak when she cleared her sinuses. She had consciously toned it down. Toned down so far that now she made no sound at all.
“Angry tuba went bye-bye,” Susan said.
Kevin threw back his head and laughed, pulling her to him with his strong, muscular arm. “I guess that would put a damper on any dating situation.”
The orange sludge calmed her stomach, and her mind quieted. “Mark looked at me like I was an elephant the one time I accidentally did it in front of him.” She swallowed as she remembered the horrified look on his handsome face. “Said it was tacky. He runs off with a cocktail waitress and I’m tacky!” She stiffened. At the thought of him judging her, and then standing her up on their wedding day, her hangover was quickly being replaced by pure, hot anger.
“He doesn’t deserve the tuba,” Kevin said, kissing her lightly on the top of her head. “He doesn’t deserve you either.”
Susan laughed, but it sounded wheezy and choked. She dropped her head down on Kevin’s t-shirt clad chest and listened to his heartbeat. Strong and steady. But when she wrapped her arms around his torso she could swear that steady heartbeat lurched and started to speed up. His chest felt so good, the solid bulk of him, that she leaned in more, snuggling into his warm, hard
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