Hot Babe

An expert is a man who tells you a simple thing in a confused way in such a fashion as to make you think the confusion is your own fault. ~Willaim Castle

Angel was running a fever again.

Her fever had been fluctuating since Wednesday night. It reached its peak at 38.9 degrees Celsius on Wednesday night. After popping two Panadol pills, she was still whining and sobbing throughout her sleep. I asked her with extreme concerned if she was feeling uncomfortable anywhere. And her answer baffled me even further.

“The things I see seem to be very far away.”

“Har?”

“When I look at everything, it seems small and far away.”

“Oh… In what sense?”

“It is like you are scolding me fiercely.”

“Har?”

“When I listen to you, it sounds as if you are very angry and fierce.”

“Oh… But mummy is not scolding you right? Mummy is not angry. Mummy only wants you to get well soon. I won’t scold you.”

“I don’t know… In my head you are scolding me…”

Goodness. I really didn’t know how to contemplate this kind of situation. Although it’s not the first time she had experienced this when she was ill, however, I still have no solution to these weird symptoms.

Besides consoling her with my utmost patience, I had no other alternatives.

I held her hand tightly in mine and tried to comfort her with the most soothing voice I could muster, “Don’t be afraid, Darling, mummy is here close to you. Mummy is not angry and not scolding you ok? Close your eyes and sleep well. Then you’ll feel better when you wake up.”

Angel huddled close to me, stifled her sobs and finally drifted to sleep. But I couldn’t settle into a peaceful slumber. Heat continued emitting from her body and I was like bunking beside a furnace.

After drifting in and out of consciousness for a couple of hours, I tested her temperature again. It hadn’t really gone down much. I deserted my bed and retrieved the doctor’s previous prescription for fever from the fridge. Unwillingly, I roused Angel out of her peaceful slumber and administered her medication.

Angel awoke fresh on Thursday morning with her fever subsided.

When my sister-in-law came to help me to help me pick up my kids for school, I made the mistake of telling her Angel’s weird experience during the night through a slip of tongue.

I bit my own tongue and waited for the expected reaction.

True enough, she became uptight almost immediately and said, “How come like that? Did you let her wear a Buddha? I think you’d better!”

I tried to put it off as lightly as I could and prayed she wouldn’t resort to tell my mother-in-law or there’d be greater trouble. I figured I’d have to burn talisman for her to drink for the next few days if she got wind of the matter.

Angel still went to school on her strong persistence but came back slightly feverish again. Thankfully, the temperature didn’t fluctuate much this time. However, she requested for a day’s rest at home for the day after.

“Of course you can rest at home. But can you tell me why you wanted to go to school so badly today despite of your fever?”

“Because I wanted to see Mdm Roselinda!” came the eager reply.

“How come you don’t want to see her tomorrow?” I asked knowingly.

“Erm… Erm…” she began to stutter.

“Is it because there will be Chinese spelling tomorrow?” I mocked.

She grinned embarrassedly.

I still allowed her to stay at home on Friday. Nonetheless, I tested her on her Chinese spelling and she scored full marks on the first attempt within five minutes!

“Do you regret not going to school now?” I taunted her.

There was no reply.

I doubt so. She spent the whole afternoon playing The Sims on the computer.

The last time I checked on her, her fever was gone.

“Maybe by letting her do what she likes, it helps her to recover faster,” my friend explained.

Oh great! That means she was in poor health as she couldn’t do whatever she likes?

Darn.