My Pay-It-Forward Mocha

During my Italian years I didn't drink much coffee. I kept my caffeine intake mostly to a minimum. Don't get me wrong, I could be seen sipping capuccini as a mid-morning pick me up a few times a week as well as indulging in the occasional after dinner espresso. The thing is the coffee in Italy is strong and would often keep me up at night if I had drank it too late in the morning. 

Back stateside, I opt for the Starbucks Hibiscus tea. It's light, refreshing and reminds of something my Guyanese parents call sorrel. To my grave dismay, hibiscus tea is almost impossible to come by during a pandemic. Enjoying a Starbucks beverage with friends and colleagues has become an American pastime. It's become a crucial element to the work-life balance construct. 

With the shortage of hibiscus tea, I opted for the ubiquitous mocha Frappuccino with a Fox Cake Pop as my go to Starbucks order. I don't crave either of these as much as they have become something I do. That all changed last week.

I live in a booming area of the Southeast. In the four years that I have lived in Savannah, we have seen new projects such as a hospital, a major supermarket, two gas stations and two exclusive apartment complexes, one with a salt water pool, arrive. Rumors were rampant about Starbucks' arrival. That day came approximately one month ago.

I established a routine a few months ago that included a workout at the YMCA followed by a mocha Frappuccino at a local cafe. Feeling proud to support a local business, I went back every week after my workout. I decided to shake it up a bit last week by stopping at the newly opened Starbucks. I ordered my standard mocha Frappuccino and Fox Pop. With my credit card at the ready, I approached the window to pay. That's when having a Starbucks beverage transitioned from a having a routine caffeinated beverage to a deeply satisfying experience that lit up my prefrontal cortex. 

When I approached the window to pay, the Starbucks associate let me know that the customer before me PAID FOR MY ORDER. She was giddy. I thought I misheard her, but I hadn't. The car before me paid for my order. Bewildered, I asked if this was a "thing". I had heard about pay-it-forward scenarios, but had never been intimately involved. She confirmed that for the last few minutes customers were paying for the cars behind them. I became giddy as well, and paid for the car behind me, which by the way, was less than my order.

That was the best mocha Frappuccino I ever had. It has become almost impossible to drive by that Starbucks without stopping. Clever marketing ploy or delightful happenstance? I may never know. What I do know is it felt euphoric paying it forward!

 

That time I got the COVID-19 vaccine was the worst...

I woke up sexy AF again. Last time on TCWSTC I was recovering from the second dose of the most expensive vaccine in history. Remember that? Well, I can't forget it. I have a great reason for keeping it fresh in my memory. I said I was on the mend but, I was sick for another TWO WEEKS. I had most if not all of the side effects for two weeks. I couldn't eat. I had no appetite. The sight of food made me nauseous. Inside my mouth everything tasted like ash or like I had been chewing it forever and still couldn't swallow. I had brain fog. I couldn't remember basics like how to talk. My thoughts came slowly. Searching my brain for words and concepts was a strangeness I disliked. I was also emotional because I didn't want folks to worry. I put on a brave face at work but, thought I was dying slowly every day for two whole weeks. I'm not altogether sure how I survived it. I had neighbors help one afternoon when I was too sick to drive to pick Hunter up from the YMCA. Then I forgot I asked her to help and wondered out to the driveway in my pajamas. 

sick but alive

I did the best I could for two weeks, which fortunately was good enough to take care of me and Hunter. According to some anecdotal research, my response is typical if you had COVID previously. Insert eyeball emoji here. There was the trip to Amelia Island in early February last year before things got crazy that I got sick. Not much of a cough, but most of the other symptoms. It was still too early to think it was seriously COVID, but it does make sense of how hard the side effects hit me. 

Thankfully, I had a full and robust recovery. Things are back to normal here. Traffic is everywhere. Most people have stopped wearing masks and those floor stickers warning us to stay six feet apart are finally gone. Sometimes there are specific food shortages at the supermarket. Apparently, cat food is a low priority for manufacturers, and gas prices are steadily creeping up. Things are certainly in recovery. We are in a much better place than we were this time last year. The delta variant may be cause for the return to hypervigilance, but as always taking it one day at a time. 

This Whole Time I Just Needed Tylenol

The Covid-19 virus has presented opportunities for growth everywhere. Some call them challenges. Others refer to them as "fucked up shit". I have weathered the storms with best of them, but I spent last night in a place I call the dark night of the soul.

As is customary on this blog my course of vaccinations were not without a healthy dose of drama. In this case perhaps too much drama. My first dose of the Moderna vaccine was approximately one month ago. My allergist contacted to me to say my asthma qualified me to get my first shot. Up until that moment I was unsure if I wanted the vaccine. High falutin' ideas such as "heard immunity" and  "I'll wait and see how it goes" made me feel safe-ish. But when I got that call images of me frolicking in the west village, and parading down Eastern Parkway as I made my way to the Brooklyn Museum flooded my consciousness and I said yes please.

Yet, when the day arrived my needle phobia crept in. How bad is going to hurt? My inside voice replied, "Bad, really bad. It will be worse that vaginal childbirth that one time in north Italy just outside of Venice. This time without the epidural." I shuddered at the thought. I held fast to my visions of frolic and parades. I kept my arm loose as I caught sight of the syringe. The reality that I was about to receive the most expensive vaccine in history, and had the privilege to ponder if I should take it washed over me. It was over before I had time to think much more about it.

A month later I headed back to receive my second dose. I was not feeling well. We have had a spate of dry weather here and my allergy symptoms were severe. When I arrived I asked if I should postpone since I was already not feeling well. The nurse assured me that once I did not have a fever I was fine to proceed with my second dose. Disappointed I shuffled into the room where I waited. So much has been said about the second dose producing a "robust" reaction. I was concerned, and thought about leaving, but I stayed.

This needle I felt. I also felt liquid dripping down my arm. The nurse asked if I was on blood thinners. I'm not, but I have been taking Tylenol for my allergy induced headache. She explained that Tylenol can act as a blood thinner. As blood sprayed and streamed out of my arm I thought of all the times I needed to give blood and it never came. This whole time I just needed Tylenol.

She applied two band-aids and cleaned my arm up and the rest of the room that resembled a small crime scene. I waited the allotted 15 minutes then headed home. I awoke the next morning feeling a bit foggy. By the time I made it to the office the next day I had body aches. At home I had teeth chattering chills, and deep bone aches. My chest burned and then got heavy. My eyes were dry and gritty. My stomach was wracked with pains I don't have words for. I contemplated calling 911 when my chest got heavy, but I waited it out as I tried to manifest an oxygen mask. I drifted between wake and sleep and at 3:40 am I exploded into a cold sweat. I woke up, dried off, and slowly began to join the ranks of the living. I worked a full day. Not much of an appetite, but certainly on the mend.