"The Ghostly Particles in the Air"

"The Ghostly Particles in the Air"

by:
Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

    I have recently been moved to a new cubicle at work that my team and I share with another team. We usually don't interact because we are on the opposite ends of the shifts. We are night shift and they are day shift and except for 2 hours each day we never would even see each others faces. I have no problem with them and they have no problem with me except that one of them has been coughing a whole lot in the last week that I have been in this cubicle. Its not even your normal cough that you can just excuse away from like "Nasamid ako" or "malamig lang kasi" , this is the kind of cough that is constant and comes deep from the lungs.Its a barking cough that you cannot help but notice.

   I dont know this person so I dont approach him/her about this cough but it has been a constant concern for me. Infectious particles have been known to be spread in a 4 feet radius from the infecting person...I am obviously in that radius , just a few feet from the offending person in fact. I could just imagine the ghostly particles of bacteria and viruses landing on my skin , my key board , my clothing , an endless assault as this person continues to cough and cough. As I'm writing this the coughing rhythm that has been established has been in the back ground , some of this persons team mates have even joked about it  , a slight nudge to have himself/herself checked. This person just shrugs these jokes aside and continues to go on overtime though he/she really needs the downtime to heal. I pity my team mate who has to use this persons PC station during the night. All those infectious particles just waiting to catch another victim. I surely hope its not me. I see more Vitamin C in my immediate future.