On Monday, I thought it was a good idea to email Audio’s teacher to inform her that Audio was not sick but had thrown up before school because of her allergies.  It wasn’t a good idea.  I spent a good chunk of that morning explaining to school staff how postnasal drip can cause nausea.  So, I was happy that Tuesday morning went smoothly, and no one threw up.   But, while I was in the bathroom on Wednesday morning I heard coughing coming from the dining room where the girls were eating their breakfast.   

I called out, “Are you OK?” to whoever was coughing.  A shaky voice answered, “I think I’m going to throw up.”  I assumed it was Audio.  I got out of the bathroom in time to see Dee Dee washing her face at the kitchen sink.  She said, “It was mostly just phlegm.”  Then, she went back to the dining room table, sat down, and finished her breakfast while arguing with Audio about what the temperature might be. She was fine. But Tuesday was still the best morning of the week, so far. 

Recalling Monday morning, I told Dee Dee not to mention throwing up to anyone at school, and I showed how quickly I learn by not sending any emails about it!  The girls finished their breakfast, got ready, and we walked to school.  Dee Dee and Audio were both their usual (if a bit congested) selves.  I went for a walk, went home, and went to work at getting on with the rest of my day.  I had enough time to check emails, read some news, and have a cup of coffee between working on laundry and tidying up the kitchen before I got a call from the school.  Dee Dee was in the nurse’s office.  She had thrown up in the cafeteria. 

The school nurse, familiar with both girls’ allergy issues thanks to our discussion two days earlier, said that Dee Dee seemed fine and was sitting in her office, “eating her lunch and looking cute.”  She said that Dee Dee did not have a temperature and it was up to me if I wanted to come collect her.  She put Dee Dee on the phone.   

I told her that since everybody saw her throw up, and it was in the cafeteria no less, it was best that I come get her and bring her home.  Dee Dee was upset that she would miss her classroom’s first trip of the year to the school library, which they call “the media center” nowadays.  The school didn’t have the budget for a librarian last year and they finally hired a half-day librarian for this year.  The only thing that Dee Dee likes more than books, is more books. 

I thought about driving over to the school to pick up Dee Dee and giving her a ride home.  But, I can walk over to the school in five minutes, which is about as much time (or less) than it takes to get the car started and drive to the school.  So, I decided that if I thought it over while I walked towards the school, I’d be there before I had to make a decision.  I met Dee Dee in the school’s front office.  She had a big smile on her face and a spring in her step.  She didn’t seem sick, but I signed her out, just the same. 

As I walked Dee Dee home, I asked about what had happened.  She said that she was at the front of the lunch line and had just told the lunch lady that she didn’t want any beans when she realized that she was going to throw up.  She said that she did eventually make it to a garbage can, but before that she managed to throw up on herself and everything and everyone around her. 

After we got home and got Dee Dee cleaned up, I found something for her to eat.  I wasn’t sure if she was throwing up because of the amount of drainage from her sinuses to her stomach, or if she was actually sick, or what.  The girls have swimming lessons on Wednesday nights, and I wanted to get something into Dee Dee’s belly to see if it was going to stay there before she was in the pool.  It was the last night of her Level 2 swimming lessons.  And, although she’d been doing a great job of floating and swimming, and jumping into the water, I figured puking in the pool might likely result in an automatic fail. 

Less than an hour after Dee Dee said that her stomach was full, she went into the bathroom and emptied it.  Her hair fell in front of her face while she was throwing up.  I tried to warn her to hold still while I tried to figure out how to clean her hair.  I was standing behind her and before I could finish saying what I was thinking, she threw her hair back from in front of her eyes, catapulting the vomit over her head and into my face.  I helped Dee Dee out of her clothing and into the shower.  I used a clean section of her shirt to wipe my face.  Soon we were both clean and Dee Dee was relaxing on the couch. 

When it was time to pick up Audio from school, I asked Dee Dee if she wanted to come with me or stay home, alone, on her own, for the first time, ever.  She wanted to stay home.  So, I walked over to the school without her.  When Audio came out of school, she quickly noticed that Dee Dee wasn’t exiting the school with her and wasn’t with me.  When I told her that Dee Dee was at home, by herself, waiting for us, her eyes got big and she agreed that we should hustle home to make sure that Dee Dee was OK.  Audio didn’t dawdle and didn’t ask to go to the playground (another “first time, ever” situation) and I heard from my wife that later in the evening, at her swimming lesson, she proudly told everyone that her sister had stayed home alone, earlier in the day, by herself!  My wife also brought home a document from the pool saying that said that Dee Dee had successfully demonstrated that she was ready to move on to Level 3 swimming lessons.