Too Cool For Allergies, Never Too Hot For Love

“No onions please,” I requested, before adding, “I’m allergic.”

“Oh, ok no problem,” smiled the girl taking my order, seeming to understand the importance of hitting the minus key once I made that claim.

I was not allergic to onions. I simply didn’t like them. Or rather, I didn’t like the crunching sensation when I bit into one. If they were grated up into a mash of onion paste, sure! Season away! After years of incorrect orders, and a serious aversion to sending food back even when it was wrong, I had resorted to deceptive ordering practices. I was much more likely to receive my food cooked the way I liked it if there was some health-related reason to back me up. Besides, I was not unfamiliar with severe allergies, having suffered with them for my entire life. Luckily for me, I had never experienced a major reaction to anything in culinary form. My allergies were limited to what felt like every botanical species, anything airborne, and all things furry. It made going outdoors very challenging at times, especially on windy days. Even days with barely a hint of breeze were often difficult. Staying with friends or family who had indoor pets made me feel like a burden, knowing the effort they put into cleaning a space for me.

I finished my food quickly before heading back to work. I moved my desk twice already since starting less than a month ago, all due to air-conditioning woes. I appreciated the cool air, but most a/c systems were also excellent dust re-distributers, no matter how efficient the filtration was. I hated being a problem, but when I started a sneezing fit I could practically feel the thoughts of my coworkers:

“I hope she doesn’t get me sick.”

“I’m sure my customers can hear that in the background.”

“I wonder if she takes allergy medicine.”

When I would catch a glance of someone looking in my direction I would smile and explain, “Allergies!” I usually got a sympathetic half-smile back as they went on about their business. In any case, I was always ready with tissues, just in case.

I unlocked my computer and sat down to clear out my inbox. I was surprised by how spammy this company seemed to be, even with their internal communication. Delete… delete… del… wait. This one was announcing the annual company barbeque in two weeks. Without even giving it much thought, I replied that I would have to decline. Knowing they would likely want more of an explanation I added, “I’m allergic to the heat.” Since summer days often reached an excess of 110 degrees I figured it was a perfectly reasonable explanation. I was not trying to test my luck with some heat-induced delirium among my new coworkers. Saying it was an allergy was a bit of a stretch, but I did struggle with extreme heat. My friends laughed at me for carrying ice packs around and joked that it was no wonder more than a couple of my ex-boyfriends had been HVAC technicians.

I realized rather quickly that I had perhaps been a bit too hasty in my response. The HR manager was walking up to my desk a few minutes later, asking if I had a moment to chat with her. The annual barbeque, she explained, was quite the company to do, and basically everyone was expected to attend. I felt my face growing red as I could infer what she was going to ask me next.

“Is there anything we can do to accommodate your health concerns that will allow you to attend?” she inquired, with her pen and paper poised to write down anything meaningful I might reply.

“Ummm… I can do some research… it’s not something I really, I mean, I suppose there may be…” I stammered, fumbling my words as I reached for some way to explain myself.

“Ok, please let me know as soon as possible because we really encourage everyone to come and have a good time. It will be a great chance for you to meet some of your coworkers that you might otherwise never interact with.” She smiled kindly as she headed back towards her office, stopping to chat with a few people along the way.

Great, I thought, how was I going to explain my way out of this one? First step: research heat allergies. I suppose I should have considered this before I used it as an excuse. In my defense, I was not aware of the importance of the barbeque, and I should have inquired among my peers about the company culture before hastily replying.

I learned that a heat allergy presents itself as itchy hives surrounded by large patches of red skin. It even had a clinical name, Cholinergic Urticaria, or CU. I felt myself getting a bit calmer as I realized that perhaps I was allergic to heat since I often became extremely flushed with large circles of redness across my entire body when exposed to high temperatures, and also when I was anxious or upset. I had never experienced itchiness, but that was something my coworkers would not be able to verify in any circumstance.

Toward the end of the day, my manager stopped by my desk briefly and commented, “If there’s any way you could attend the barbeque it will be a great time.” I smiled meekly and said I was working with HR to see if they could accommodate me. He leaned in and whispered, “The CEO gives out some nice prizes every year,” before giving me a wink and going on his way. I was definitely now intrigued and found myself actually wanting to go to the event, in contrast to my normal hermit-like attitude.

The next morning, I had my response ready for HR. An excuse to my excuse, if you will. I explained that if there was some type of shade available along with some cold beverages, I would try to find a personal fan that I could use to manage my heat response. I also suggested that perhaps ice packs could be prepared for me to grab if temperatures rose too quickly.

Almost instantly I received a reply. “That is excellent news, and we will be more than happy to provide shade, fans, hydrating drinks, and ice for you and others to ensure everyone has a great time!”

I let out a sigh, relieved that it had not been more of an issue. I chastised myself for not learning more about the barbeque before I replied and reminded myself I still had a lot to discover about this new company. I was beyond thankful for the accommodating and encouraging attitude of HR and my manager and found myself a bit surprised at how different things were from my previous jobs. Perhaps this was what made a job into a career, I thought. I found the original invite and happily clicked ‘accept.’

As I stood up to head to the break room for a cup of coffee I felt a sneeze coming on. I grabbed for a tissue, pulled out three, and nearly missed the bunch as a loud ‘achoo’ erupted from inside my head. I was brainstorming ways to brand myself as anything other than “the allergy girl” when I heard my cubemate let out a sneeze of their own.

“Don’t blame me, allergies are NOT contagious!” I exclaimed rather loudly. I heard a few people laugh and realized maybe ‘allergy girl’ wasn’t such a bad thing after all, especially if I could leverage it to my comedic advantage. I was excited about my future with this company, a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a long time. I smiled a genuine smile, surprised to be happy about work. This, I thought, was how every job should be.

On the day of the barbeque, I arrived early, having offered to set up the “Too Cool Tent” as HR had dubbed it. It consisted of an Easy-up, cool water misters, bowls of ice water with cold packs floating for the taking, company-branded hats and damp towels, and fans rotating on high in every corner. The company had rented a generator just to power the equipment. I was amazed at the trouble they had gone to and asked what still needed to be done. “Just have a good time and keep yourself cool!” the HR manager replied, a huge smile on her face. I took a seat close to one of the fans and was surprised when a handsome man approached and asked if he could sit next to me.

I had never seen him around the office so I was unsure who he was. I smiled and joked, “I might be in the Too Cool Tent, but I am never too cool for company.” He smiled back, and replied, “I hear we have you to thank for this welcome addition to the barbeque.” Unsure what to say I responded, “I was just thinking to myself the other day that I am going to become known as the allergy girl, and I am not sure how to feel about that.” He laughed and said, “There’s certainly worse things. Perhaps we can arrange a meeting next week to discuss your plans with the company?” Wondering who he was, but not wanting to display my ignorance, I said, “Yes, of course, that would be great.” He put his hand on my shoulder in a reassuring way and smiled as he stood up. “Well, I have to make my rounds, but I look forward to talking with you more.” I smiled as he walked away, grateful to have such nice coworkers.

I found myself thinking about him, daydreaming about a steamy office romance as I caught sight of him throughout the event. He clearly knew who I was, and I was looking forward to a meeting invite from him. As everyone was being corralled for the award presentations I saw him walk up and grab the mic. My heart almost stopped as I realized he was the CEO. I suddenly felt myself getting nervous, replaying our previous interaction in my head. He looked in my direction, we locked eyes, and he gave me the biggest smile. I smiled back, wondering if he was single and admonishing myself for thinking that since I was his employee.

I told myself that I would quit my job in a heartbeat if it meant a chance to get to know him better. It was right then I realized that I might be a good employee, but I was even better at being an endless romantic. I practically rolled my eyes at myself. Love, it seemed, was more important to me than any job could ever be, and perhaps that’s how it should be.