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Drama

Enrico moved to Leicester a few years ago from Italy, Florence. He planned to study and to find a job here. Unfortunately, England universities were too demanding for him and he didn't get in any of them. That was a really bad time for Enrico. After a third university didn’t approved him, Enrico fell in apathy and closed in his home for one month

Anyway, for Enrico a job was always more important than anything, so he get a job as an Assistant in a builder company. That was always weird and cute when 7 years old Enrico asked his mother if she needed help with something.

It was already the end of the working day and he did some additional work, like helping a janitor with moping. Previous two weeks he lay down in bed and wasn't able to stand up, so that was his first working day after sickness. Besides despair from losing two weeks of his life, Enrico also gained a dairy allergy. He still didn't accept the loss of dairy products in his life. His love for dairy products was more likely to word 'addiction" and today's morning he survived only through big struggles to not eat it. –

Enrico went home very late. Sun was gone a long time ago and his way was lit only by lamp posts and passersby's cars. Everything about what Enrico thought right now was an evening glass of milk. Before moving to England he didn't have a habit of drinking milk every evening. But new circumstances and new colleagues can change everyone.

He had already eaten his meal, but he was still sitting in the kitchen and he was still thinking about a glass of milk. First time when he found out about his allergy was on Saturday, two days ago. In the hospital's canteen he ate a cheap mac & cheese, it ended well only because it happened in the hospital where he gained medical help. Now drinking a clear glass of milk was much more risky, nonetheless even more desirable. He decided that this will be his last glass of milk, so he will be able to take all pleasure from the forbidden drink.

Nothing happened when he ended up drinking, even after a few minutes. So a moment later Enrico went outside for some supplies on tomorrow, and at this moment symptoms appeared. His skin began to itch badly, it became hard to breath and impossible to concentrate. Now he was going to the supermarket only to ask someone for a glass of water. Through great pain he managed to reach a supermarket and buy a flash of water, but it didn't become much better after he drink it, so he went home.

On the exit from the supermarket he saw an old lady who accidentally dropped her phone and couldn’t pick it up. Even with his condition Enrico tried to help.

When he approached an old lady she scaredly asked:

“Yes?” - expecting that he wants something from her

She was scared, because he looked like some drunk with his tomato-red skin and shaky hands

Almost fell off Enrico picked up a phone and gave it to the lady. She didn’t utter a word.

With embarrassment he went home and went to sleep.

Next day wasn’t easier. He couldn’t refuse the desire to eat sandwiches for breakfast. This time symptoms showed immediately. Whatever the sickness was Enrico couldn't miss his working day

Work was painful. His work now was concentrated on rechecking same papers for the thirsd time. Managers of the company often concentrate all assistants on paperwork when it’s a lot of it. And there was a lot, in one month from christmas is always a lot of work, physical and bureaucratic as well. Enrico couldn’t understand anything that was written on the papers, his concentration was lost. He asked the manager to move on some physical work to not waste time. 

Enrico was transferred to decorate the main street. His task was to hang a Christmas picture between two lamp posts. The first problem was that he should climb up on a ladder and not fall, the second problem was that his knees were shaking as well as hands and all of his body was itching. When he climbed up on the ladder these effects became two times harder. He managed to hang 2 hooks from 4 and on a third one he didn’t hold and fell off the ladder.

He didn’t break any bones, only got some bruises. When other workers ran up to him and began to ask him what happened and didn't he get hurt Enrico began to feel embarrassment. He standed up and start to climb up the ladder to finish the work but one of his colleagues stopped him and said that he should go home for a rest.

While he was going home he thought how miserable he is because he can’t just stop eating dairy products. He reached home and the rest of the day just watching TV and trying to not think about food at all. But he did think about work and other workers who saw him falling.

On the next day the loop continued to harm Enrico’s life. He ate his breakfast, without any cheese, milk, sour cream, whatever, this time he ate a small piece of milk chocolate. Realisation with symptoms came instantly, but anyway he couldn’t miss work.

When he was 20 metres from the office he began to understand that he wasn't going to work today. It became so hard for him to breathe that he fell off on the ground and with all his strength he was trying to catch some air. Fortunately, at this moment the receptionist ran out of building and began to make a first aid.

Enrico through his last powers said “9..9..9”, so the receptionist began to call ambulance.

Soon an ambulance came and took Enrico to the hospital where he spent the rest of the day. Next day he didn’t eat any dairy, it was really hard for him to do that, but he did.

December 15, 2023 21:12

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1 comment

David Sweet
20:46 Dec 17, 2023

That would be a horrible allergy to have, although many people suffer from it. Welcome to Reedsy. Good luck in all of your writing endeavors.

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