I was in line behind one of the old guys from the landing at the barbecue food truck. The owner thought the guy had ordered two of the same meal and had plated double. The woman who was second in line had a large McDonald’s cup in her hand. I thought we were wearing the same boots but they were actually different. She ordered a plate and a thing of banana pudding then said to me, “I’m going full fat tonight and getting dessert.”

When it was my turn to order, the owner gave me a free bowl of Brunswick stew that he had plated for the first guy. He told me he was sure I was going to love it. I also asked for a small cup or bowl to put some ketchup in; I am out and keep forgetting to buy some. He gave me a few of those little mouthwash cups and told me to also take some of a certain other sauce, that it was great on fries and hush puppies. The sauce tasted so familiar, but I couldn’t place it. I ate all of the food I ordered and put the stew in the refrigerator for the next day. Maybe I’d take it to lunch in case the chicken fried rice I was also planning to bring wasn’t enough.

Later that night, I told my friends I couldn’t come to trivia as planned because I was too full and had also been fighting a cold all week. I decided to take a shower and go to bed early. In the shower I started coughing, which triggered my gag reflex and I threw up all the food. I tried to stop but it was so gross that it made me sick and I threw up even more. I was worried it would clog my drain, but it didn’t. I felt better afterwards and was able to go to sleep without feeling sick.