Love Can't Fix Everything
A Migraineur's Tale
Don’t puke, I tell myself. Don’t you dare—
“Are you ok?” Rafael calls from the living room.
“Fine,” I croak. He won’t understand. He’s never had a migraine.
The acidic taste of vomit gathers in my mouth. Swirling shadows cloud my sight, puffs and tentacles obscuring the light and blurring my vision. And the pounding—
“You sure?”
Shut up for one minute—
I collapse to my knees in the hallway. A brown mush of pizza chunks and chocolate spews from my mouth. My eyes shut tightly. I beg the darkness behind my lids to take the pain away.
My trembling limbs drag me into the bathroom and across the icy linoleum. The sanctuary of the snug corner between the tub and the toilet welcomes me home.
Silence strokes my aching ears. Dimness cools my burning eyes when tears failed to do so. In the desperate hope of relieving the throbbing, my palms press into my eye sockets. Still the pounding but if I get just one minute—
“You don’t look good.”
Rafael steps over me and squats on the edge of the tub, his bony knees digging into my shoulder blades.
I lunge for the toilet; he throws the lid open with an echoing clang. Green bile hurtles from my stomach.
He holds my hair and strokes my back.
“Shh, I’m here. I’ll take care of you.” He’ll never understand.
Go away. I cover my ears and force back the vomit. You can’t fix this.
* * *
Author's Note: This was actually one of my first attempts at microfiction, back when I was still in grad school; I decided to dig it back up and post it here. It was based on how I felt before I got my migraines under control. I hope you enjoyed this look at my writing style way back when!
About the Creator
Stephanie Hoogstad
With a BA in English and MSc in Creative Writing, writing is my life. I have edited and ghost written for years with some published stories and poems of my own.
Learn more about me: thewritersscrapbin.com
Support my writing: Patreon
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Comments (5)
This was very vivid, Stephanie. I’m glad you got them under control and am also glad Rafael was around to help even though the recipient was reluctant to accept it.
You definitely get a gold star for your first attempt⭐. Especially since it was a was from a while ago. It was really good! Sorry to hear about the migraines. I used to get them but quickly found out it was caffein of all things that were causing them. I miss coffee but don't miss the head pain.
Ugh I’m sorry. I thank my lucky stars migraines are something I don’t have to deal with
To say this was a first attempt shows what a great writer you already were. This was very visceral and even though I've never had migraines, I still felt it all. I still get horrible headaches just not migraines. Wife does sometimes. You packed a lot into your micro. Glad you shared it!
I would have never thought this was bad. It's very realistic. My mom suffers from migraines and this is her. She can't really get hers under control. But she has a lot more than just that fighting against her. You made me envision her through this.