Chapter 89

I had been feeling feverish and achy for the better part of a week before I decided I was sick. Until then, I had convinced myself that I was merely tired, that I was feeling the accumulated stress of what had been a bad year. Not only was summer the most demanding season of my sales job, but I had also gone through a divorce. I thought I had taken the season and my wife's absence well; my body suggested otherwise and was now sticking me with a bug to prove it.

A co-worker suggested that I stop by the local discount pharmacy and pick up a remedy that her sister's husband swore by. I wasn't interested in experiencing the jitters or lethargy over-the-counter remedies usually gave me, without affecting my ailment. Instead, I decided to stop at a health food store I often frequented on the weekends. I remember seeing several natural remedies in their health and beauty aids sections. Words like honey and citrus, garlic and zinc rang from my memory.

I parked my BMW a few doo