Michele Lomax
Editor
The
Bargain
By
Heather
Reid
ust as the
fog of COVID
seemed to be
lifting, the headache
descended on me
like a thunder clap.
It began as a sharp ache at the back of my neck
and spread its tendrils up into my head until it was
a web of throbbing red light at the center of my skull.
The computer screen blurred as I stared at my work and I couldn’t concentrate. I gave up and retreated to my bed for a nap. Even with my eye mask on, there was no escape. I washed down another Advil with a tepid cup of water and lay back down to fitfully toss and turn for another half hour before it was time to pick up my kids from school.
I’d had headaches before, and for the past few months, they had been coming on more frequently and with more intensity, but I’d never had one like this.
J