Friday night we went out to celebrate a friend’s birthday. The setting was the Bloomsbury Bistro in the Five Points area downtown. It is an oft-chosen site for birthday celebrations among this crowd. My first few times i had a hard time finding something on the menu that i liked. But when i learned you could order “off-menu” and get the bar steak, it quickly became a favorite location for me too. That steak is absolutely delicious.
So we’re having a big time with a fairly large group of ten people. It’s dessert time, and i order their Orange Muscat dessert wine. Someone makes a comment about how sweet that type of wine is, and I ask Lance to try it, figuring he won’t like it. I’m right; he doesn’t. He makes a yick face and everyone laughs.
I also offer it to the birthday girl. She’s a good friend, and she seems interested in trying it. Quick note about me: i am not a germaphobe. I don’t like to share with people who are sick, for the obvious reasons. Or small children, b/c too often backwashed food bits somehow end up floating in your soda. But other than that, if i know you just moderately well, you’re welcome to taste my wine or try food off my plate.
So anyway, the birthday girl, whom i know to be healthy and who is many many years away from her small child years, tries the wine. She makes the same face Lance did, and everyone laughs again. In the midst of this, another celebrant, we’ll call her Bronchia, takes the wine from birthday girl, glances at me and says “I love this stuff. Do you mind if i take a sip?”
I automatically say yes, but a few moments later (after i have already ingested more of the wine), i recall that Bronchia had been telling us earlier about her bronchitis. Which she saw the doctor for a mere two days ago and received medication. Now, she’s not coughing, or hoarse, or really displaying any obvious symptoms, but still. But she has freaking bronchitis.
What kind of person knowingly does this? Seriously, you have bronchitis, and you’re going to subject me to your germs in a way that is completely unnecessary? If i were sick and someone offered me a taste of something, i would say no thank you, i have been sick. And i certainly wouldn’t proactively try to get my germs on someone else’s glass.
I’m sure it wasn’t intentional, but it was certainly very thoughtless. I should probably let it drop, but it’s made me kind of angry. Possibly because Bronchia would be the type to be extremely appalled should someone else exhibit that same thoughtless behavior toward her.
If i get bronchitis, i will be seriously pissed.
