AM I THE ONLY ONE . . . who has a weak stomach?

It was the early 60’s and my best friend, Bill, and I were in college. We were taking a coffee break in the café across the street from the classroom. I’d been through the line, paid for my tray and had taken a seat across from him. Then all hell broke loose. I bit into my sweet roll and as I pulled it away from my mouth, I noticed a kinky, black hair protruding from the section where I’d just taken my bite.

Did I mention that I have a weak stomach or that a hair in my mouth will almost always make me puke? No, I didn’t, but that’s only because at that particular time neither of those, now true, comments were yet to become fact. That day, actually at that very moment, I became a sniveling, weak stomached, up-chucking wimp.

I immediately dropped the sweet roll and made a dash for the bathroom, covering my mouth with both hands to catch the up-chuck that was making its way up from my stomach. The café was probably only about 15’ wide, but it made up for that fact by being about 20 yards deep and the bathroom was in the very rear. I still had a long way to go and my hands were already beginning to fill up.

Suffice it to say, that day doesn’t bring back pleasant memories, though it’s a day that I’ll never forget. That was the day that I first realized that I have a weak stomach and that a hair could make me up-chuck. Or, in this case, a half of a hair. Half of a black, kinky hair to be more precise.

When I got back to the table, Bill started in. He’s always been a quick-witted guy who was never at a loss for words and that day was no exception. It’s too many years ago to remember exactly what he had to say, but I believe it went something like this. “Where do you suppose the rest of that hair is? Did you swallow it? Where do you suppose it came from? Black, Kinky…. Could be from somebody’s arm-pit, but more likely, it could be a pubic hair.

Oh, yeah, he was very helpful. Just thinking about it made me want to turn around and head back to the bath room. Let’s just say I could have survived quite well without all that commentary.

To this day, a hair in my mouth can get me started. Over the years, I’ve learned to control the up-chuck reflex much better, but it can be difficult and there can still be that mad dash to the bath room. I’ve relived that day hundreds of times over the last 50 years,,, every time I get a hair in my mouth.

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Gramps use’ta say
R.L.King2012 #559