The Antidote

Gripe Water

an MJ POV Short Story

 

A couple of days ago I thought my mother was trying to poison me. I've been listening to my doctor, Dr. Asch, and he's said that people like me (babies) are not to drink water. So when my mother heard from a woman at work that she should give me Gripe Water, I thought she had enough of me announcing my displeasure for 4 hours at a time for three days in a row.

 

Boy, was I wrong!

 

I'll give you the play by play to paint clear picture. The soothing dribble of liquid goodness goes down my esophagus and into my belly. The tension of knots pulled tight in my tummy is slowly uncoiled, the foamy bubbles on my lips dissolve, and the evil, malicious, repulsive, and obscene Hiccup has been dissipated.

 

With just one single dose of the antidote, I turn into Popeye when he eats his spinach. I feel like water rushing through the hole of a broken dam. I feel like a butterfly breaking out of a cocoon. No, better yet, I feel relief, plain and simple.

 

The Gripe Water has put my nemesis Hiccup on the defensive. Now that I think about it, where are you now tough guy? Huh? I told you I would defeat you. Are you scared of a little water? I've got your number "big" guy. You once were a roadblock, a fly in the room when I try to go to bed, an itch that moves up my back that I can't seem to reach. Now you're nothing more than what my dad would call "water under a bridge," whatever that means. I've never seen a bridge but I can imagine the bridge beats down the water like the water has beaten you down Hiccup. You see what I did there?

 

If the rest of my life will be like the past eighth of my life (one week) has been, it'll be smooth sailing. I can picture it now. Lying on the floor, looking up at the flashing lights of my Forest Kiddie Mat. I kick furiously at the furry creature everyone calls Tank. Those are just a few things I could get used to doing. I might even take up screaming at the top of my lungs, just because. After all, the barbarian who pokes at my eyes and head butts me likes to yell  whatever comes to his mind. So I'll just take a page from his book and scream whenever I feel like it.

 

You know, I should think about living a more active lifestyle, too. Like picking my head up from time to time. I could get real crazy and decide to become a gymnast. Maybe attempt to roll over from my back to my belly or vice a versa. All this speculation is wearing me out. But before I get too far ahead of myself, I've got to enjoy this moment. I need to live in the present. It's time to sit back and smell the roses. They smell like...

 

Gripe Water.

 

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Gripe water is a liquid given to infants with colic, gastrointestinal discomfort, teething pain, reflux ad other stomach ailments. Its ingredients vary, and may include alcohol, a bicarbonate, ginger, dill, fennel and chamomile. It is typically given to an infant with a dropper in liquid form. Adults may also take gripe water for soothing intestinal pains, gas or other stomach ailments. There is no clinical evidence for the effectiveness of gripe water.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gripe_water