The Earring

Book1 Part 4

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It was during the early years of marriage, though, that we gradually learned that wit is a hallmark of healthy relationships. When tension mounts, a dose of hilarity can deescalate annoyance. David knew that if he could coax a smile or a giggle from me, I would have a hard time holding onto my antagonism.

Humor is God's antidote to stress. Proverbs 17:22 says, "A merry heart does good like a medicine." David made sure we got our daily dose of merriment.

Two weeks after our vows were said, I got a crick in my side while walking home from campus. I could have bummed a ride, but it was a pretty day and the mile to our apartment was not particularly daunting. By the time I got home, though, I was sweating, nauseous, and my side hurt. I thought my time of the month had arrived. When the pain and discomfort worsened as the evening progressed, I decided to call for help. Since we were poor and needed the money David earned, I didn't call him away from his job. I called a friend and got her to take me to the hospital.

I allowed her to call David towards the end of his shift and tell him where to meet us. By the time he got there, the doctor had diagnosed appendicitis. Since we didn't have insurance or a family physician, the doctor at the private hospital where my friend took me suggested that David transfer me to Charity Hospital, so we wouldn't be saddled with a huge debt.

All the way to Charity, David told jokes. At first laughing hurt and I begged him to stop, but then, strangely, the pain began to ebb. When we arrived and I told the emergency room doctor the pain was gone, he asked where it had hurt. I evidently pointed at the exact location where an appendix should be. Suspicious that we were smarty-pants college kids who knew the location of the organ in question and were faking, he asked, "Did the doctors at the other hospital tell you anything?"

"Of course," David said. "They said she had appendicitis and needed an operation. That's why they sent us here. We can't afford an operation at their prices."

The doctor left the room to call in a colleague for a consult.

"If he only knew," I said rolling my eyes. "Science is my worst subject. When we dissected frogs in biology, my partner refused to let me near a scalpel."

When the medic – it turns out he was a resident – returned with the doctor on call, our smiling countenances did nothing to convince them this was a true emergency. To his credit, the doc did not dismiss us outright but decided to run a blood test to add to the records that came with us from the other hospital.

Unfortunately my veins roll, and David has a blood weakness. After they stabbed me several times looking for a vein, they exiled my husband from the room and instructed him to put his head between his legs. Eventually, they got my blood. While the tests were inconclusive, some factors pointing to the appendix and others contraindicating the diagnosis, the doctor decided to operate. It was fortunate he followed his hunch. My appendix was so inflamed and enlarged, it would have burst had it not been removed.

During my two days of recovery, David took Proverbs 17:22 to heart. He kept everyone in the six-bed surgical ward in stitches. I feared I would rupture my incision if he didn't stop making me laugh.

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That's one thing that attracted me to Aaron, Faith thought. He has a great sense of humor, sort of like Daddy.

Aaron invented an amusing "thinking of you" game they still played. They had been dating on and off for a month when she first got the 'toy' message. When she answered her phone, the text message read, "toy pix/ my heart skipped a beat/ but not you" She checked for a picture and found a pair of shapely legs.