Summer heat

Summer. The worst season ever. And thanks to global warming, summer is getting longer and longer while winters get shorter and shorter. I wish I could move to Antarctica where it’s nice and cold all year long. Of course, in a few decades, we probably won’t have Antarctica, not at the rate it’s melting right now.

I was sitting by the window, with my ice cold drink, peering through the shutters at children, teenagers and adults alike strolling in the summer heat in their shorts and tank tops completely immune to the sun’s insufferable heat. 

Well nobody’s going to be immune once the temperature of the earth increases even further. They can’t feel it yet because they’re not sensitive to the heat like me. But I can feel it. I can feel every change in degree, the end is coming and it’s coming fast. 

I had the air conditioning on full blast. I had to ensure that the temperature around me was cool at all times, else I blow up like a pufferfish and my breathing becomes constricted, and if my body doesn’t cool down within 10 minutes, my skin begins to wrinkle and deflate, my mouth becomes dry, all the liquid in my body evaporates, and I basically die. A horrible painful death.

I only got close to that once, my family and I were at Disneyland, it was the beginning of spring so it wasn’t too hot. Unfortunately, the sun was bright and there was not a cloud in sight. So after waiting an hour to get on the Littlest Mouseketeers at Disneyland in the blazing sun without any cloud in sight to shield me, I felt the heat in my body rise and I began to sweat. My parents didn’t think too much of it and neither did I. But when my skin began to blow up, we all knew something wasn’t right. Thankfully, everybody cleared a path for us quickly and I was in an air conditioned room in no time.

I returned to normal within a few seconds. I was only three years old but I’ll never forget that day. My parents were scared out of their minds so they took me to a doctor the very next day. He said I had a rare condition. I was allergic to heat, if you could believe that. Needless to say, it isn’t easy, not with season fluctuations and global warming. 

Even though I lived in the north of Canada, I basically never went outdoors during the summer or whenever the sun was too strong. It wasn’t worth the risk. As a result I didn’t really have any friends because a) I was the weirdo that was allergic to heat and b)I avoided people because I was the weirdo that was allergic to heat.

My absolute favourite places to hang out in are cinemas and hospitals. They’re always super cold which made them my safe haven. Every Friday, I’d go and watch a movie in the cinema. My mom would drop me off at 7 PM, I’d buy my ticket and get myself a small popcorn and a huge cola with lots of ice and sit in the cool theatre. I watched all the trailers. 

Last Friday, I watched everything, everywhere, all at once. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. It was absolute chaos and madness, and I loved every single minute of it. Today, I was planning on watching Babylon.

Like clockwork, I made it to the cinema at 7 and bought my ticket. I waited in line to get my popcorn but as the concession clerk poured cola after cola to the customers ahead of me, I realised I had to pee badly, which I always avoided because the bathrooms were not air-conditioned. I went into the only bathroom available, it was a unisex bathroom that could fit one occupant at a time. It was quite warm but I really couldn’t hold it anymore. I told myself to be quick and that I could do this in under two minutes. And I did! I washed my hands with lukewarm water and quickly unlocked and pushed the door. The door didn’t budge. I tried again, thinking it maybe needed a bit more strength but it still wouldn’t move. I started to panic but tried to calm myself knowing that panicking can increase your body temperature. I put my ear to the door and heard two girls snickering, “that’s the weirdo that’s allergic to heat,” one girl said to the other. “Let’s see what happens if we leave her in there,” the other girl added, and they laughed. “Girls, please let me out,” I cried out. They just laughed harder. They sounded like they were eleven years old, here I was a sixteen year old getting bullied by eleven year olds. “Please,” I begged, the heat increasing with every second that passed. “I’ll die,” I cried out weakly. That just made them laugh even harder. They started singing Billie Eillish’s ‘overheated’ at the top of their lungs. 

I don't really wanna know why it went there 

I kinda don't care

You wanna kill me? 

You wanna hurt me? 

I had never even kissed a boy or had my hand held. And now I never would. Just when I had completely give up hope, I heard the sound of a boy say, “Hey, what are you doing out here! Get out of here!” and the door opened, the AC drifting in and engulfing me with coolness. I staggered out and opened my arms wide, letting the air conditioning move over every part of me. “Thank you,” I say with my eyes closed. When I opened them, the cutest boy I’d ever seen was standing there leaning by the open bathroom door, amused. “You alright?” he asks. I just stare at him, mute, unable to find the words. You’re cute, would you go out with me? You saved my life, I love you, is all that went through my head. I finally found the words, “Yes, thank you.. Again…” I turned to go to the theatre. “Hey wait,” he said, grabbing my wrist, his touch making it hot, I pulled back my hand quickly. He didn’t seem to mind. “Where are you going?” He asked. “I’m going to watch Babylon.” I responded, wondering why he was still talking to me. “Hey that’s what I’m doing too, let’s watch it together. We can share my popcorn.” He stood next to me holding out his popcorn. “Okay,” I replied. We headed to the theatre together. I smiled to myself. Maybe I’d get my kiss after all.