Ruth was the practical sort. She had no patience for those who insisted on being miserable. “Self-appointed martyrs” she called them. So when neighbour Brent developed an allergy to peanut butter, Ruth had no qualms at dismissing “such nonsense” immediately.
“Don’t fool me into thinking you went for fifty years and then suddenly out of the blue you can’t eat peanut butter. It’s all in the head,” she said.
To prove her point she made a tin of delectable chocolate and coconut balls with a surreptitious spoon or two of peanut butter in the ingredients. “Once he’s eaten it and survives,” said Ruth, “I shall tell him in no uncertain terms that this peanut butter nonsense is all in his head.”
Brent’s funeral is next Friday.
Weave a Web 
It WAS all in his head…and closed throat, and hives…don’t forget the hives. Damn, Brent would do anything to be right.
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Ha! It is modelled on what happened to me at Christmas. Someone gave some chocolate balls thingies and I ate one unaware it had peanut butter in it and spent Xmas Eve and Day heaving my guts out (and writing the story!)
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Oh, BA, I’m glad you’re still with us.
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It’s a funny allergy – it only started last year, and gets worse every time I accidentally eat peanuts – whether I know it or not. Now I don’t even like to go down the peanut/peanut butter aisle in the supermarket!
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Bummer.
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Maybe you should be carrying an EpiPen???
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Eric is allergic to bee stings…
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Well, stick close to Eric!
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Well…good songs and stories are born out of bad times…
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I could’ve sung “Deck the Halls”!
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and will Ruth be at the funeral, or at jail?
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Who goes to jail these days?
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good point… so I guess she’ll get away with murder…
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That Ruth! She’s such a card, isn’t she?
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She plays the hand she was dealt.
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That was a very practical manslaughter. While I was in full readiness of the prognosis, I loved the brevity and sangfroid with which you announced the outcome of the experiment.
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The brevity and sangfroid of the outcome has been something I have striven (unsuccessfully) to better since the story was first penned!
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What’s for lunch at the funeral? PB&J?
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Although we don’t have PB&J over here I grew to love it when in the States and always made once back here. So it would be pure vegemite at the funeral instead.
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I’ve never had vegemite. I’ll have to give it a try sometime.
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Vegemite and lettuce sandwich is my favorite.
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I had lettuce on a sandwich once!
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No, no, no! Do not ever try Vegemite. Bruce has clearly been taken over by an alien species.
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When I was studying in Boston I eventually found a shop that stocked vegemite. That was nearly 40 years ago. I dare say Americans have become more enlightened since.
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I blame a gradual loss of sense of taste.
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To be fair, Bruce was an alien to begin with.
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Gotta believe those peanut allergies. I’ve encouraged both my kids to make sure their children eat nut butter at an early age so their immune systems will get used to it. Strange you developed an allergy later in life, but frightening. I cannot handle yoghurt.
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Apparently developing a peanut allergy later in life is not uncommon. I would imagine I would also be allergic to devouring bugs, Professor!
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Oy, Bruce. Be careful. If it’s worse each time, the next one could be full blown anaphylaxis. I had a colleague whose daughter just needed to be NEAR nuts to break out. I of course had given her a box of Christmas cookies full of tree nuts…and the ones without were contaminated.
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Thanks for the warning, Lisa. I had to look up anaphylaxis. The horrid part is I used to like peanut butter. Now I can’t have that or grapefruit marmalade (which counteracts the heart medication!) I am reduced to having the gorgeous antipodean Vegemite!
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What the story doesn’t explain is that Brent was hit by a bus and he really doesn’t have any problem with peanut butter.
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It’s a small world. I can’t believe you knew him.
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I’m sorry about your allergy! (And, the late Brent’s.) Have you tried sunflower butter?
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Would that go with jelly like peanut butter?
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Yes! My nephew who is allergic to nuts uses it.
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I shall try it.
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Sorry to hear this is based on real life Bruce, you best be careful.
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It appeared from no where! – the peanut allergy.
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