Bumalik malapit sa 1999, Ako ay gumagasta ng maraming linggo out sa Santa Barbara, CA, nagtatrabaho para sa isang client, leaving my poor wife back here in New Jersey alone. I dearly love my wife. I love her just as much today as I did when she foolishly married me 1,000 years or so ago. Sa isang lugar sa kahabaan ng linya, Ako likha ng parirala, "special fear", as in "Samantha has special fears." She as a special fear of "bugs", na sa kanyang mga hindi lilipad o ladybugs, but rather microbes. She’s afraid of this or that virus or unusual bacteria afflicting our son, o sa akin, but never really herself. (Siya ay isa ring espesyal na takot sa vampires, maliit na larawan masasamang mga manika (lalo na clowns) sa ilalim ng tubig at aksidente; siya ay out-lumaki ang kanyang espesyal na takot ng mga tao bihis sa Santa Claus outfits).

Minsan, my co-worker and I decided to drive up into the nearby mountains near Ohai. At one point, we got out of the car to take in the scene. When we got back into the car, I noticed that a tick was on my shoulder. I flicked out the window and that was it.

Iyon gabi, I told her about our drive and mentioned the tick. The conversation went something like this:

S: "Oooo! Those are bad. They carry diseases."

P: "Well, Ako flicked ito out ang window."

S: "They are really bad though. They can get under your skin and suck blood and transfer bugs. You better check your hair and make sure there aren’t any in your head!"

P: Sa malakas na boses: "My God! CAN THEY TAKE OVER YOUR MIND???"

S: Literal na reassuring sa akin: "No, ang mga ito ay hindi NA masama."

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