Navrasa: Disgust

1:26 PM

As I sit there, staring at my laptop screen at what the professor is teaching us in the online class, the only thing I can think about is food. Maybe missing breakfast was not a great idea. 34 minutes more and I could finally go and eat something, but I would have to cook it. My stomach grumbles, and I thank God that the online class is on mute. 

Should I even cook? The food didn’t turn out well when I did the last time. Maybe I could order something in? But I highly doubt my parents would order anything right now. Both of them are busy with their meetings so I can’t ask them to cook something as well. And then, as if a light bulb appeared on top of my head, I knew exactly what I can eat—the pizza we ordered 2 days back. The thin crust, various toppings and the extra cheese make me drool and makes my stomach grumble again.

There’s still half an hour left for this class, but I think to myself, ‘Am I really learning anything here? After all, the only thing I can think about is the pizza, sitting in the fridge.’ Still, I can’t find it in me to exit the class. All of a sudden, the professor starts a new unit, and the class group starts flooding with messages. “She’s not going to finish by 2 PM, I’m certain of it,” the text messages read. 

After sending a crying emoji, I sit there, trying to focus as much as possible on the topic being taught. But how can I concentrate when all I can hear is my stomach grumbling?

2:27 PM

As soon as the professor ends the class, I run to the kitchen. As the cold air of the fridge hits my face, I reach straight for the pizza box. One bite, two bites— I’m adamant on devouring this pizza. Three bites, four bites — my mouth feels weird, almost as if I ate something wrong.

The pizza went bad!

Curse this cold I’m stuck with. If I could’ve smelt it, I would’ve had something else.

I want to puke it out, but it’s almost as if it’s determined on staying in. I run to the washroom, pick up my toothbrush and start brushing. The mint taste of the toothbrush makes the feeling go away, but as soon as I wash my mouth, the horrible taste is right there. And just like that, I want to vomit again.

Should I eat some food and vomit it out, or drink some water and hope I can subdue the feelings? Now that I think about it, I couldn’t eat anything even if it was cooked recently. I drink a glass of water, and then another. 

I check the time— 2:58 PM. Although I went through an absolute disaster, I have another one coming up— a class.

3:48 PM

I listen to my professor as he explains an equation when there’s a pang in my stomach, and I know I have to vomit immediately. I end the call and make a run for the washroom. As I vomit for what feels like an hour, I can’t stop thinking of the pizza, making the horrible taste return—which makes me want to puke even more. 

3:56 PM

I get out of the washroom and sit on my bed. With my stomach aching more and more as every second goes by, I clutch it and take a tablet for the pain. With the pain receding, I think of lying down for a nap. The day has been an absolute rollercoaster I was not prepared for, just like the food poisoning that I learnt about when I woke up from the nap.

Written by Kaavya Azad for MTTN

Edited by Anushka Shrivastava for MTTN

Featured Image by Shambhavi Sanjay for MTTN