Day 42: BREAKING NEWS

This morning I was leaving my room and saw a cockroach on the wall. Umbrella in hand, I reacted without thinking and smashed it on the end of the umbrella. It was almost an inch long.

Tonight I heard screams and crashes coming from Liz and Erika in the kitchen. I opened my bedroom door to see Erika on all fours on top of the kitchen table, still fighting off one of the cockroaches that had been discovered in the cupboard and which had scurried into Liz's box of Ziploc bags. Liz ran into her room and curled into a ball on her bed. She wants to move out immediately.

Having lived in Hawaii for a summer, I thought I would have more of a stomach for this kind of thing. I remained very calm outwardly but inside I could feel my stomach churning and got nauseous. I HATE BUGS OF ALL KINDS. Luckily (I guess?) the other two that were found were only about a half inch long each. I am shuddering even now to think of it.

We raided our pantries and threw away all cardboard boxes, putting everything in Ziploc bags. We hunted for more of the sickening pests. We fought a good fight. Then we agreed that the Exterminator would be phoned no later than 6a.m. and that it was time to give it a rest. I still have the heeby jeebies. I was poised with Erika's sandal in hand as she dumped out items from the cupboard onto the floor. We were all sufficiently unsettled by this business.

In an attempt to calm Liz I said, "The thing is... cockroaches don't eat humans."

She laughed nervously. This is war.