An Unwelcome Gift

The other day I was cruising down a city street in Phnom Penh when I was the recipient of an unwelcome gift. A guy riding in front of me decided he needed to blow his nose. His choice? The natural way. At 40km/h he turned his head over his right shoulder and blew. Although it seemed to happen in slow motion I was somehow paralysed to respond. I saw the brilliant spray backlit by the mid-morning sun. I felt the droplets splash over my cheek, nose and lips. I realised that a couple of globs of mucus had landed with the liquid spray. As I wiped my face on my sleeve I wanted to scream, “Ban the bushie’s blow!”