she asks,
as i try to cough up a dry
sliver
of an almond
caught in my throat.
my eyes are red
and tearing up,
my chest hurts
from the heaving
forward and backward.
she hands me some
water
which i gargle with.
it doesn't seem to help.
the bus driver
sees me in the mirror
and pulls the bus over.
he comes back
and asks what the problem
is.
almond, i tell him.
it's stuck.
a woman comes over
and gives me a stick
of gum, chew this she says.
it works for me.
then an old man
behind me
speaks up and says it
happened to him once
during the war, it almost
got the whole platoon
killed when his coughing
gave away their
position.
finally a little kid comes
over and kicks me in the
shin.
i yell out, which frees
the almonds.
thanks kid, i tell him.
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