Leo was a rational man. He designed buildings that stood against earthquakes. He calculated load-bearing walls and wind sheer. Itching was a histamine response. Dryness was a lack of cerumen. Olive oil was for frying eggs and dressing arugula. The two had no business meeting inside his Eustachian tubes.
Mariana watched from the doorway. And for the first time in a long time, she laughed—not at him, but with the quiet joy of a seed finally seeing the shape of the tree it planted. olive oil for itchy ears
He woke to birdsong and the absence of an old companion. The itch was gone. Not masked. Gone. Leo was a rational man