Mbrapsht në afërsi 1999, Unë kam qenë shpenzimet e një shumë prej javësh në Santa Barbara, CA, duke punuar për një klient, leaving my poor wife back here in New Jersey alone. I dearly love my wife. I love her just as much today as I did when she foolishly married me 1,000 years or so ago. Somewhere along the line, Unë shpikur një frazë, "special fear", as in "Samantha has special fears." She as a special fear of "bugs", të cilat të saj nuk janë mizat apo ladybugs, but rather microbes. She’s afraid of this or that virus or unusual bacteria afflicting our son, ose mua, but never really herself. (Ajo është gjithashtu posaçërisht frikë nga Vampires, kukulla miniaturë liga (sidomos clowns) dhe aksidentet nëndetëse; ajo është rritur jashtë frikën e saj të veçantë të njerëzve të veshur me veshjet Santa Claus).

Një ditë, my co-worker and I decided to drive up into the nearby mountains near Ohai. At one point, we got out of the car to take in the scene. When we got back into the car, I noticed that a tick was on my shoulder. I flicked out the window and that was it.

Atë natë, I told her about our drive and mentioned the tick. The conversation went something like this:

S: "Oooo! Those are bad. They carry diseases."

P: "Well, Unë flicked atë jashtë dritares."

S: "They are really bad though. They can get under your skin and suck blood and transfer bugs. You better check your hair and make sure there aren’t any in your head!"

P: Me zë të lartë: "My God! CAN THEY TAKE OVER YOUR MIND???"

S: Fjalë për fjalë qetësuese mua: "No, ata nuk janë aq keq."

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