This mucus problem is slowly pushing people away from their loved ones.
You clear your throat constantly.
In public. On the phone. At the dinner table.
People stare. They think you're sick. Contagious.
But that's not even the worst part.
The worst part is when eveyone is embarrassed to be around you.
You're sitting at a restaurant with your family.
Everyone's laughing. Talking. Enjoying the meal.
Then you feel it.
That tickle in the back of your throat.
You try to ignore it. You take a sip of water. You swallow hard.
But it's still there. Refusing to move.
So you clear your throat.
Once. Twice. Three times.
People at the next table look over.
Your family shifts in their seat.
No one says anything. But you feel it.
You nod. Smile. Say you're fine.
But you're not fine.
You're sitting there thinking the same thing you always think:
"Everyone at this table is embarrassed to be near me."