Mark had insisted on showing Tim the property, despite Tim’s hesitations on Mark spending “all that time outside,” but he had finally agreed to being shown the short trail again, this time in daylight. Mark’s sneezing had increased while they hiked, and Tim was concerned by his increasing congestion and watering eyes as well. Finally, they were back indoors, much to Tim’s relief. He’d enjoyed the brief walk through Mark’s wooded property, but he’d have enjoyed it more without Mark’s growing allergic reaction.
Mark disappeared to the bathroom to splash some water on his face, to try to stop the itching. Tim sighed as he heard the familiar “hhh’kkhtt” of Mark’s stifle, 6, 7, 8 times as Mark appeared, tissue pressed to his nose. “Hihhkkshht.”
“Stop fighting them.” Tim nagged. “You’re making it worse for yourself.”
Mark grabbed a paper towel, slumping against the kitchen counter. “Hh’kushh, kushh, kushhoo.” Head buried in the paper towel, he continued sneezing as Tim ducked out to grab the tissues from the living room. Pressing a handful into his brother’s hand, he grimaced as his brother sneezed uncovered down at the floor as he switched out the paper towel for the tissues.
Worry on his face etching deeper as the number of sneezes he counted grew higher, he began to relax as Mark began to slow down. Tim counted 23 more sneezes, give or take, and he sighed with relief as Mark looked up, watery eyed, to begin reaching for fresh tissues to address his dripping nose.
“God bless you!”
“Thagks.” Mark’s voice was thick and congested. 5 crumpled, soaked tissues later, it was clearer when he looked up at Tim. “I’m ok, really.” He addressed Tim’s concerned look.
“Damn man, I didn’t think you were going to stop.”
“In the middle of it, neither do I.” Mark admitted. “Used to wonder the same thing about you.”
Tim laughed; “feathers’ll still do that.”
“First time it happened, I was mowing the lawn. Had to stop…didn’t trust myself on the rider. Mari watched me decimate a box of tissues. Now the teenager next door mows.”
“Do you want some Benadryl? I should have insisted on not going outside.”
Mark shook his head. “I insisted. I love showing off th-thehKushoo…showing it off.”
“At least we got those air purifiers.” Tim dragged his brother into the living room, making him sit next to the machine.
Lunch:
They picked up Ethan and drove to a nearby restaurant Tim remembered vaguely from college. Tim miraculously found nearby street parking, and they made their way to the restaurant.
“Want to sit outside?” Tim asked, noting the empty tables on the sidewalk.
“S-s-UhKushhuhh, kushh, ehh–Chushh, HuhChushhoo.” Mark bent forward into his shirt sleeve.
“And inside it is.” Tim declared as Mark fumbled for a tissue. Tim pulled a tissue from his pocket and handed it to his brother.
“Thanks. I’m out, I guess.” Mark sighed. “Can’t get the hang of how many I need.”
Ethan laughed. “You never will.” He led them inside the restaurant. The were seated and drink orders taken. “Can we get some extra napkins?” Ethan asked, giving the waitress a charming smile, as Mark tried to discreetly wipe his nose with his tissue.
She returned with their drinks and the requested napkins, giving Mark a sympathetic smile. “Are you ready to order?” She took their soup and sandwich orders, then disappeared until they were ready.
There was an awkward silence for a few minutes until Ethan sneezed. “Ahshoo!”
“Bless you.”
“You ok?” Mark asked. “I tried to avoid the dogs, but I did have to let them out twice. Did try to avoid contact though.”
“I’m ok. I doubt it’s the dogs.” He reassured Mark.
“He sneezes all the time.” Tim interjected.
“And my allergies have been bothering me all morning.”
Tim frowned. “Really, Sweety? I’d hoped with you never having been here, you wouldn’t have problems.”
Ethan laughed. “Ragweed’s everywhere, hon.” He rubbed a finger just below his right eye. “No escaping that this time of year.”
“That used to set you off pretty good.” Mark remembered.
“Then it’s probably what’s getting to you.” He cleared his throat. “Haven’t you been tested yet?”
Mark shook his head. “Doc said as long as the over the counter meds we’re working, I didn’t need to, unless I wanted to. I don’t have days like this too often.” He’d been sneezing throughout his day with Tim, causing Tim to frown with concern any time he had any sort of fit.
“It’s bad today.” Ethan chipped in, pulling out his phone, unlocking it and offering it to Tim. Tim opened the allergy tracker app Ethan followed, and nodded, seeing the line red, indicating that ragweed was predominant and high.
“What are you looking at?” Mark asked, sniffling.
“Let me show you.” Ethan took his phone back from Tim and switched chairs so he was sitting next to Mark. He unlocked the phone and brought up the app again when Mark held up a hand, indicating he should wait.
There was a pause as Mark ducked down towards his lap, then “huhhhKuhhh, Kushhh…HuhKushoo–sheshh. Excuse me. Ok, I’m ready.” He grabbed a napkin off the table and blew his nose as softly as possible.
“Bless you.” Ethan slid closer to show him the allergy tracker, asking if he was familiar with the standardized allergy tracking system for low, medium and high.
“Easy to figure out.” Mark nodded. “Explains today.” He commented, looking at it.
“Now, here, in this app, shows the pollen or pollens that’s the main one out there. I checked here this morning, so, as you can see, it’s ragweed that the likely culprit for you. It is for me.” He tapped another button. “These are other plants that could be giving you trouble, but as you see, ragweed is on there a couple times, so…” He paused, nose crinkling. “Hahshoo.” He sneezed to his vacant side. “Ugh…just talking about it.” He wrinkled his nose. “It’s probably giving you the most trouble.”
Mark nodded as Ethan flipped back to Los Angeles. “It will list multiple allergens if there’s high numbers of more than one. If we were home, it’d be the ragweed and the elm setting me off.”
“Not sagebrush?” Mark asked, looking confused.
“Nope. Not allergic. Just because a pollen is out there, doesn’t mean you’re allergic to it. I’ve had testing, though. However, if there’s only one, and you’re sneezing like you are, it’s the likely suspect.”
He switched back to Madison, hitting a button on the bottom. “5 day outlook. As you can see, this is gonna continue for a few days, then start to drop into a milder range.”
Relief was evident on Mark’s face. “I don’t remember this from when Tim was young.”
“We didn’t have apps then, dummy.” Tim chipped in. “Just went by how I felt.”
“It’s not showing up for you, but Tim uses this part.” Flipping back to LA, he showed Mark the air quality measure. “Bad air quality affects his asthma, so he keeps track of it with this.”
Mark smiled. “Good for you. Too bad I can’t get that reading for Abie.”
“They probably don’t track it as closely here. Of course, the air’s probably not as bad.” Tim pointed out as Mark sneezed loudly, ducking his head in embarrassment.
“I also use it when Ethan’s allergies are bad. See what the week holds for him. Plan around that.”
“You do?” Ethan was touched and surprised.
“Well, I need to know. If it’s a solid red week, I’m not planning a date to the farmer’s market.”
Ethan laughed. “And here I just thought you were that good.”
Mark smiled at the two. “How do I get this app? Name?”
Ethan leaned over, giving him the name of the app, making sure he downloaded the right one. “It’ll help. You’ll at least know what you’re in for.”
“Half the battle,” Mark sighed, taking the check as the waitress handed it over. “I’m guessing they’re rushing us out of here.”
“Must be your sneezing.”
Mark glared at Tim. “Pretty sure it’s the line at the door.”
Daniel’s:
Tim followed Mark’s directions until he found Daniel’s house, near the university. Daniel greeted Mark warmly with a hug, then turned to Tim, awkwardly standing there. For as long as Mark and Daniel had been friends, Tim had never met him.
“You must be Tim!” Daniel enthused. “Daniel. I’ve been waiting to meet you. Heard a lot about you.” A hearty handshake followed.
He, then turned to Ethan. “Ethan. It great to meet you, too.” Another strong handshake.
“Sit down, sit down.” He gestured to the kitchen table. “There’s snacks in the oven and the crock pots…not quite done yet. Got stuck in a meeting at the university. I can grab some fruit or meat and cheese if anyone wants something now.”
“I’m ok.” Mark assured him.
“Good here.” Tim chipped in.
“Hatchoo!” Ethan pitched forward with a strong sneeze and sniffled. “I’m alright.”
“Bless you.” Daniel’s eyes filled with concern. “You’re not allergic to cats? I can put her in a bedroom.”
Ethan shook his head. “I sneeze all the time to begin with. I’ve got hay fever. And we spent the afternoon at Mark’s; I’m allergic to his dogs, and I’m just waiting for that to work it’s way out of my system.”
Daniel nodded. With a wicked dust allergy, he understood the waiting it out period.
A mew caught Tim’s attention, and he looked down to see Mimi looking up at him expectantly. He shook his head at the cat. “Go away. I’m not going to pet you.” Looking at Daniel and Mark, “shouldn’t she be in a bedroom or something?”
Mark shrugged. “I like to see her.”
“She gets taken away once he starts reacting.” Daniel informed him, “but he’ll go visit her if I put her away.”
“I miss her.” Mark stated simply about the cat who was now exploring Ethan’s legs.
Tim gave a deep sigh. “So, you said something about cards?”
“Remember how to play euchre?”
“I think so. Ethan? Any idea?”
Ethan shook his head.
“Time to learn.”
“HehhKussht.”
“Bless you.” Daniel pulled out a deck of cards and began sorting through them while Tim explained the game to Ethan with Mark chiming in.
“Got it?”
“I th-hh-Hashoo! Think so.”
Splitting into partners, Mark and Ethan, Tim and Daniel, they opened the round. Ethan was slow to catch on, repeatedly asking questions about determining trump and what were the bowers, and always passed on the bid – they’d opted not to play screw the dealer to cut Ethan a break.
Ethan’s sneezing tapered off as the evening got started. By the time they broke for appetizers, Tim could tell his allergies had calmed down; he’d still be sneezing, but at a much slower rate.
Mark’s were picking up. Tim shot him a concerned look with every sneeze, noticing the pile of tissues on the table next to him grow larger.
“Kuschoo!” Came Mark’s loudest sneeze of the evening. “HehKushoo, kushh-kushh.”
Tim looked over and saw Mimi, sitting on Mark’s lap. He reached over and shooed the cat down as Mark worked at twisting away from him for another sneeze.
When they were both upright, Tim looked at Mark and sighed. Mark pitched forward with another sneeze, then rested his face in his arms on the table, continuing to sneeze while Tim watched helplessly.
Daniel grabbed the cat, taking him upstairs, while Ethan tried to engage Tim.
“I’m sorry,” Daniel apologized, returning to the kitchen. “I had no idea he’d snuck him on his lap again.” He sighed. “He really misses her.” A pause. “Think you can help him to the porch. I’ve got a dessert coming out of the oven in a few.”
Tim nodded. “Ethan, you coming?”
Ethan shook his head. “I’d rather stay inside.”
“K.” Tim ducked down by Mark’s ear and explained what they were going to do. He helped his still sneezing, albeit slightly less frequently brother to the porch where they sat on the the swing.
“Bless you.” Tim chimed in after a particularly wet sounding sneeze.
“Thanks.” Mark wiped his nose with a soggy tissue. “Did you grab the tissues?”
Tim shook his head, reaching into his pocket. “I forgot those, but I’ve got some.” He pulled out a handful of tissues and handed one over to Mark who immediately sneezed into it.
“HuCchussshh!”
“Bless you.”
“Don’t have to keep saying that. Gonna be a bit.”
“Well, yeah. She was on your lap, Mark.”
Mark shrugged.
“What would you say to me if I put a parrot in my shoulder?”
“Different. Kkshoo.”
“Nope.”
“She was mine.”
And then it hit home for Tim. Mimi was the second cat Mark had had. Gus had been more Mari’s cat; she had barely tolerated Mark, but Mimi had adored him. To develop an allergy now, to have to give her up, must be devastating to his brother. Putting Missy down had been the hardest thing he’d ever done. That cat had helped him so much with his mental health, with his sobriety. And now, to lose Cashew, would break his heart.
Mark sneezed three more times in quick succession.
“I get it. I…if it was my cat, yeah.” He handed Mark another tissue as Ethan stuck his head out on the porch with the tissue box.
“Thought you’d need these.”
“Thanks, babe.” Tim grabbed the box, handing Mark a couple of tissues.
Mark leaned against the back of the swing and sighed, reaching up to rub his eyes.
Tim grabbed his arm. “Not until you wash your hands. You’ll make it worse.”
“They itch.”
“Then go wash your hands.”
“EhhKushh-Ushh!” Mark tented his hands over his nose. “I will.” Taking a new tissue, he blotted at his eyes, roughly wiping them.
Tim heard a deep sniffle and looked over as his brother blew his nose. Mark placed the tissue on his pile, sighing. “Don’t think I would have minded giving her up so much if it had been one if the girls, you know…”
“Yeah…I was ready to move and get a dog before Cashew came along. I was ready to move and get a dog with Cashew. I was looking for a new place, a dog. Then I met Ethan…”
“And you’re suddenly ok not having one.” Mark sneezed roughly into his fist, paused and sneezed again. “I know. I’d give anything up for Mari or the kids. But I…I’m just frustrated with the whole thing. I took their cat away. I don’t feel like myself. It’s embarrassing when I lecture…”
“Why do you think I turned to comedy? It was easier to have them laughing because I’d done something stupid than to be annoyed because I’d interrupted class yet again with my sneezing.”
Mark grinned, then laughed. “I remember you doing the same thing at home. Especially around the rest of the family.”
“You weren’t so easily amused.” Tim pointed out, knowing what his brother had thought of his childhood antics.
“I thought…well, now I understand why you did it.”
Tim placed his hand on Mark’s shoulder. “Yeah.”
A few minutes longer and another handful of sneezes from Mark, and he insisted they were ready to go back inside.
Dinner, last night there
Tim watched as Mark speared meat and vegetable chunks on skewers. “You’re grilling?”
“Shish-kebabs, yeah.”
Tim raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
“You sure you want to be outside grilling?”
“And why-“ Mark abruptly dropped the skewer he was holding onto the plate, spun towards Tim and aimed two sneezes freely down at the kitchen floor. “KuUshhh, UhhKushhh.”
“Bless you. And cover, jeez, would you?”
Mark shrugged. “Hands are covered in marinade. You really think I want a nose full of Italian dressing and spices?”
Tim picked up a roll of paper towels off the counter and set them next to his brother. “Try this next time.”
Mark glared, washed his hands and went back to his skewers.
45 minutes later, dinner was on the grill, and the three men were standing outside on the patio, Mark Manning the grill, keeping close watch on his beef and chicken cubes.
“HahShoo!” Ethan rubbed his nose with a fresh tissue from his pocket.
“AhhKhushhh–Shhuhhh.” Mark appeared to be on cue.
“Bless. You guys gonna do this back to back thing now?”
Mark glared. Ethan shot him a Look.
“Ok, ok, you guys aren’t that bad.” He looked at Ethan. “I’ve seen you a lot worse.” Looking at Mark, he sighed.
“Trust me, I’ve been worse. Besides, this is probably the last time I’ll grill for the year, so let me. I’ll send you in to mom, Mary and Mari if you don’t. Keeping Ethan though.”
“Thanks,” Ethan grinned. “I’m probably sneezing less out here than I do inside.”
“Noticed that.” Mark blew his nose on his crumpled tissue “you are going to have to go back inside eventually though.”
Ethan mock groaned. “At least the food looks good.” He commented as Mark began pulling it off the grill.
Everyone sat down at the table including Tim and Mark’s sister, Mary. After another grilling of Ethan, the topic changed to Tim.
“He was a scrawny, sneezy, wheezy thing.” Mark recalled.
“Then he hit high school, and wasn’t anymore.” Mary chimed in.
“I swear he grew a foot overnight.” His mom added. “Outgrew all the boys.”
“That’s when I really started playing basketball. We all used to just play for fun growing up, but once I got taller, I started really playing.”
“His asthma kept him from playing hockey like the rest of the boys.”
“Except me.” Mark chipped in. “I didn’t play either. We both ran in the spring and fall, then he played basketball in the winter.”
“He and Mark shared a room and lived together through college. He could probably tell you the better stories, Ethan.” This came from Mary as Tim’s mom just laughed.
“I’m sure you know about his snoring.” Mark laughed. “It was worse, believe it or not.” And Mark launched into a litany of stories that had the table laughing and Tim turning red.
Tim joined his brother in the kitchen after dinner to help clean up while Ethan joined everyone else in the living room. They were almost finished cleaning the kitchen when Ethan announced his presence with a loud sneeze.
“HatChoo!”
“Bless you.” Tim closed the fridge and looked over at his boyfriend. “How are you holding up?”
Ethan shook his head, giving a weak smile. “Getting a migraine.” He admitted, apologetically. “And all this sneezing isn’t helping it, I’m afraid.”
Tim gave him a sympathetic look. “Do you want to leave? I can say my goodbyes now.”
“I don’t want to cut your evening short. Mary said she’s leaving soon, and she’d take me back to the hotel.”
“You gonna be ok alone? Did you bring meds?”
“Yes, I brought meds. And I’ll be fine. Not my first migraine. Just need meds and rest.”
Tim nodded. He wanted to make sure Ethan was ok, but at the same time, he saw his family once a year. If Mary was willing to take Ethan back…
“Ok. But you’ll call after you take your meds…”
“Of course.” Ethan leaned up to kiss Tim, then remembering Mark was in the room, stopped.
“Go ahead.” Mark laughed. “‘Bout time I saw my brother kiss someone.”
Tim blushed, but bent down for a quick kiss.
Ethan had left, and Tim had helped put his nieces to bed. Marisol had gone to look at her case notes for
Monday while his mom had gone downstairs to watch TV. Ethan had called and reported he had taken his meds and was going to sleep. Mark and Tim were the last two standing, so to speak.
“Headed out or you want to hang for a bit?”
“I can stay, if you don’t mind. Ethan’s going to be sleeping…” A little more time one on one with his brother would be nice.
“Sit and talk?”
“Sure.” Tim reached for a kitchen stool.
“I usually sit outside for awhile after the kids go to bed.” At the look on Tim’s face, “don’t. It’s my decision. It’s peaceful out there. I relax.”
Tim gave him a skeptical look. “Sneezing is relaxing.”
“Well, maybe not your explosions.” Mark teased, heading for the fridge. He hesitated. “Mind if I have a beer?”
“Go ahead.”
“Diet Coke?”
“Got a water? I think I’m caffeinated enough.”
Mark tossed him a water which Tim caught easily with one hand. “Still got your basketball skills.”
“Still play. Still run, for that matter.”
Mark grinned. “Making up for all the years you couldn’t?”
“Something like that, I guess.” Tim shrugged, following Mark onto the deck, opposite side of where they’d been the other morning, and taking a seat.
Mark sat down, kicking his legs out in front of him. “This is my Sunday night. I sit out here with a beer, and watch the sunset.”
“And sneeze,” Tim chipped in.
Mark glared but admitted Tim was right. “Out here til the sneezing drives me back in;” he twisted the cap off his beer.
Tim took a sip of his water. “Nice to be back.” He commented.
“Nice to have you back. It’s always good to see you. You know Abie adores you.”
“I think she likes Ethan better.”
“He’s new. He’s got allergies. She doesn’t know a lot of people with allergies; he’s making her feel less isolated. We just started letting her do full days at daycare. Her going to school next year terrifies me.”
“She’ll be ok. She’s a lot better than she was as a toddler.”
“Yeah.” Mark took a sip of his beer. “I know she’ll be ok, rationally, but, the dad part of me…”
Tim smiled. “You’ll get there.”
“Just overprotective, I guess.” He sniffled.
“You always were.” Mark had taught part time since Abie was born, primarily staying home with the kids, his mom filling in the gaps until they started day care.
“So, Ethan seems pretty great.” Mark changed the subject.
“I think so.” Tim said softly, waiting for Mark’s next comment.
“Uhhkuhhshh.” Mark cleared his throat. “You’ve been together a year.”
“Just over.” Tim confirmed.
“Damn. I have no idea how you hid it that long.”
“I’d drive back to my place for the zoom calls when I was staying with him. I’d go in the bedroom if he was at my place.”
“I just wish you would have said something before yelling it out in that call. I mean, mom knew. Mary knew. Why didn’t I know? We’ve always been so close.”
“It’s you. I mean, you never miss mass. You still say your rosary on Wednesday. You do all this stuff for the church. I figured, if anyone wouldn’t…” he trailed off.
“It’d be me.”
“Why’d you take two months to call?”
Mark shrugged, took another slow sip of beer. “At first, I was in shock. I mean, to find out like that. Just have it thrown at me. Then, I didn’t know what to think. So I guess I needed time to think. I talked to mom, Mary, Mari, Father Paul, Daniel, Samuel – that was Daniel’s boyfriend, they broke up a few months ago. They helped me figure out what I was feeling. That I was surprised. Hurt you couldn’t tell me. But that I loved you anyway, that it didn’t matter. I just needed time.” He turned away, and Tim wasn’t sure what to think until Mark brought his fist to his nose, inhaled sharply, hesitated a second, then, “hhh’kushh, kushhh, Hhuhhkushhehh! Ugh. I hate holding them back when I’m trying to get a speech out.”
“You could just sneeze mid sentence like a normal person.”
“You still try to talk through yours?”
Tim laughed. “Yeah. Ethan thinks it’s cute.”
“That’s cute. Anyway, I love you. For who you are. I think Ethan’s great.” He rubbed his nose. “I think I see why you were happier last Christmas. And now.”
“I almost told you then.”
“You did? When? We were so busy.”
“When we caught up with everything. The day you came down with my cold.”
Mark smiled remembering that chat. “I had a feeling you we…ehhChuhhh…weren’t telling me everything.”
“Didn’t think you’d understand.”
Mark looked at him straight on. “Don’t ever be afraid to try me. I might need time. You know me. I have to process everything.”
Tim laughed. “You process. I calculate.”
“But seriously, since we were kids, we told each other everything.”
“Almost everything.” Tim corrected.
Mark picked up his beer for a long swallow. “Oh?”
“I never told you about my crush on Patrick on the soccer team back in high school…or any of my crushes.”
“You told me about girls!”
“I made them up.” Tim admitted.
“So you’ve known…” Another set of quick sneezes followed by a blow into a battered tissue.
“Since high school, yeah.”
“Damn.” Mark whistled. “You’ve been hiding this a long time.”
“And you see why.” Tim said, bitterly.
“Yeah.” Mark downed a third of his beer, swallowing hard. More sneezing followed a few seconds later. “HuhKushh, UhKushh, Kushh–kushhh, Kushhehh, HuhhKushoo!”
“Damn, Bless you.”
“Thanks.” He held up the bottle. “It’s the beer. Used to take three or four to get me to start sneezing. Allergy season, I start with the first one. Anything after the second, rest of the year now. That sixer in the fridge will last me a month.” He sniffled, patting his pockets. “I gotta run in for tissues. Forgot ‘em, and I think I killed this one on that fit.”
Tim laughed, pulling one from his pocket. “Beer always did that to me, too. Why do you think I stuck to vodka?”
Mark laughed, blowing his nose. “Really? Gets you, too?”
“Well, it did. Sure it still does. Not worth it to find out.”
Mark grinned. “Valid. Still…still doing your thing, meetings and all that? Alex and Bill still involved?.
Tim nodded. “What works, works. Why change it? Alex, Bill, my writers room, Ethan. Lots of support.”
Mark smiled. “Sorry I can’t…I…IhhchtChuhh…I can’t be there more for you.”
“‘S’alright. I know it’s hard from here.”
“Proud of you though. First one in a long line to admit you have a problem.”
“You don’t.”
“Beer makes me sneeze.” He paused, raising a hand, then lowering it, sighing. “False alarm. Anyway, wine gives me headaches.” He grinned, “and, as you used to mock me for, can’t handle liquor. Probably kept me out of that mess.”
“Good.” Tim looked like he was going to say further, but Mark’s nose interrupted.
“HehhtKuhh, Kuhhsheshh.”
“Bless you.”
“Sick of saying that yet?” Came Mark’s teasing tone.
“Say it to Ethan constantly. He literally sneezes all the time.”
“So he wasn’t just making that up to make me feel better about the dogs.”
“Nope. Sneeziest guy I’ve ever met, currently excluding present company.”
Mark laughed. “Combined with a guy who sneezes, what, once a week?”
“Basically.” Came Tim’s chuckle.
“You two fit together pretty well.”
“Seems that way so far.”
Mark smiled. “Feel good to be out?” He smothered a sneeze into his tissue.
“It does, and it doesn’t.”
Mark sighed. “Our brothers are assholes, Tim. Narrow-minded, bigoted assholes. They still make comments on Mari when they think I’m not around. Comments about me when they think I’m not around.”
“You? Because you married Mari?”
“Because Mari makes the money while I went back to school. Because I invited mom to live with us. Because my wife’s Hispanic, yeah. They’re assholes.”
And Tim bit back a laugh at hearing his mild mannered brother swear three times in two minutes. Then fished a tissue out of his pocket as Mark pitched forward into the one he held.
“Kusshtt, huhkhhtt, kshhtt, uhhCckktt, chuhhttt, huhhKuhhsshhtt, uhhKushhh–kushh–kuhhshhehh!”
“Bless you. See what holding them in does?”
Mark took the tissue Tim offered. “Beer’s not helping any. And you sound like mom.” Mark took another swallow.
“Sure, keep drinking it.”
“Now you sound like Mari.”
“She’s not wrong, either.”
Mark blew his nose again and shrugged, this time finishing the beer. “I’ll take Benadryl when we go in.”
“When? You haven’t had enough?”
“Nice night. Good company.”
Tim reached into his pocket. “Time’s limited. I’ve only got one more tissue.”
Mark laughed. “Talk about a role reversal. You carrying tissues for me.”
“You always made sure I had one.” Tim laughed.
“Took you long enough to start carrying them.”
“Says the guy who knew he’d be sneezing his ass off out here with a beer and walked out without any.”
“At least it’s 5 feet to the house. You’d end up who knows where without them.”
“You’re older and wiser.”
“Older, yes…wiser?”
“Ok, jury’s out on that feature.”
They lapsed into silence until Mark sneezed again.
“Bless you.” Tim cast a sidelong glance at Mark, noting his watery eyes. As if on cue, Mark swiped at them.
“I’ll go in soon,” he promised. “Worrywart.”
“Sorry. It’s just…so…I mean, I remember how you and Steve got with me. I guess I turn that around on to you.”
Mark held up a hand. “One.” He ticked a finger. “I’m an adult; you were a kid. And two, I don’t have the asthma complicating everything.”
“So because you’re a nonasthmatic adult, it’s ok for you to make yourself miserable?”
“Yehehhp. EhhKushh, kshht, kuhhshoo!” Mark gave his nose a few sound blows. “Ok, I’ll take that last tissue.”
“Bless you. Better make it last.” Tim laughed, handing it over.
Mark immediately bent into it. “Hhh’khshutt!”
“Bless you. And stop holding them in.”
“HahKgghtt.” Mark pinched his nose in the tissues.
Tim recognized the intensity of the sound, despite the squashed down nature of the sneeze. “I think we better go in.” He took charge.
“Kkshht. HuhhKusshtt. Not arguing.” Mark stood up and made his way back into the kitchen. He leaned against the counter, head bent in to the becoming increasingly useless tissue. Tim, as he had the other morning, ducked into the living room and swapped his brother a fresh handful, gingerly disposing of the old one.
“So much for making that tissue last,” he joked when Mark straightened up, wiped his eyes, blew his nose.
“Sorry.” Mark apologized. “Sometimes it just hits like that.” He cleared his throat, filling a glass with water. “I’ve got Benadryl in my office.”
“Better get it in you.” Tim nodded as Mark buried another sneeze in his tissues then walked down the hall.
“I should let you get back to Ethan.” He sniffled. “Make sure he’s doing alright.”
Tim nodded; “you gonna be alright?”
“It’ll die down in about half an hour; I’ll study for a few hours, then head to bed.”
Tim hesitated. “You ok for a hug?”
Mark laughed. “Give me ahh…ahhKushhoo…there it is.” He wrapped Ethan in one of his classic bear hugs. “Call me when you get back to the hotel.”
“I will. Still seeing you, mom and Abie there for breakfast tomorrow morning?”
“You know it.” Mark walked him to the door.
Back at the hotel:
Tim walked into the dark hotel room and immediately walked into the bed trying to get to it.
“Ow!” He grunted.
“Oof.” Came from Ethan
“Sorry, babe.”
“It’s alright.” Ethan sat up and switched on the light by the bed, illuminating the room in a bright wash of light.
Tim’s photic reflex kicked in instantly. “Rhhashehh, hehhrahhssheshh!”
“Bless you. Sorry.”
“‘S’ok.” Tim rubbed his nose and sat down on the edge of the bed to take his shoes off. “Feeling better?”
“Yeah. Just needed the meds and a little nap.”
“I’m sure stopping the sneezing helped.”
Ethan nodded. “Nice chat with your brother?”
“Yeah. It was. I was nervous coming here, but…”
“You want to stay, don’t you.” Ethan said, laughing at Tim’s nod.
Aggedy Ann 