Martine and the Moose

If there was no blog post yesterday, it was because Martine was ill, and I thought I would have to take her to the hospital. Fortunately, after two weeks of illness, she suddenly got better.

It all started two-three weeks ago, when she started complaining of muscular back pain. It was her decision to go to a clinic and get some sort of pain killer. And that’s what almost did her in. The physician on duty prescribed hydrocodone acetominophen. Literally minutes within taking it, Martine developed a nasty reaction which, while not alleviating the pain in her back, made her feel week and took away her appetite for food.

Martine’s bad reactions to prescription drugs are hardly new. She has been suffering for over a year from the anti-malarial chloroquine she took on our Argentina vacation. Then, when she had the flu, she developed a bad reaction to cipro.

All week, I was haunted by this feeling that I might lose Martine. Although we are two very different people, I love her such that it would be difficult to imagine my leading a happy life without her soft voice and gentle smile.

People who know us sometimes have a hard time imagining the depth of my feelings for Martine, but that’s because they do not necessarily know about how our relationship functions.

Nothing in this life is guaranteed: I know that, at some point, I will either lose her or she will lose me. Fortunately, it has not come to that yet.