Don't look directly at it

Christopher had to leave really early for work the other morning.  When he does that, he’s on his own.  If I absolutely don’t have to get up, I will not.  So he got himself ready like the big boy he is, and before he left he came to give me a kiss and tell me he was leaving.  This is all normal.  So he tells me he’s going now and kind of nudges me to turn so he can kiss me.  When I do, he hesitates for a minute and then just kind of gives me a little peck.  Not normal.  But I was too tired to care.  So several hours later when I finally get up, I go in the bathroom to brush my teeth only to find a huge pimple on my chin right below my lip.  Well, hello gorgeous!  I haven’t had a big monstrous thing like that in a long time.  And then it started to come back to me…the early morning goodbye…the hesitation…the wimpy peck.  That little brat.  I had to call him on it.  Couldn’t help it.  So I make the call and I can tell by the background noise that he’s driving, so I keep it short.

He answers.  “Hey, what’s up?”

“Oh, nothing.  Just…seeing how you’re doing.”

“I’m good.  Just headed back into town to take care of some things real quick.”

“Oh, okay.”

“…Did you need something or – “

“I just woke up a minute ago...and I see now why you didn’t want to kiss me this morning.  Yeah...I remember.”

Immediate laughter from him followed by, “I was afraid that thing might pop all over me.”

I hang up.  Even from miles and miles away, I swear I can hear him laughing.

We kid, we kid.  But lovely nonetheless.  So I go lay back down in bed to read until Mia wakes up.  When she does, she comes and crawls into bed with me and she wants me to “go to sleep with me” which means put the book down and pay attention to me.  We’re lying there looking at each other and talking.  She starts poking at me and labeling my face:  “…hair, eyebrows, eyes, nose, lips – “ then she stops.  “What’s that?”  Pointing to my new friend and almost touching it.

“Don’t touch it, Mia!”

"Is it a miple?"

"Yes, it's a miple."

“Will it bite me?”

I laugh and do a mental face palm.  “Really Mia?  Bite you?!”

She starts laughing hysterically.

I could tell it was going to be one of those days.  I felt like burrowing in my bed until the rather large growth on my face disappeared…or sprang forth an alien being.  Either way.