head and shoulders

On Thursday, I laughed for the first time in months. Like really, really laughed. The kind of laughter that builds upon itself. That escapes from your stomach in a vibrating gust so sudden you startle yourself. Usually, it's because someone has said something funny to me that I begin this abdominal adventure. The one mildly amusing statement snowballs and every subsequent sentence is more gas on the fire. In this particular instance, a good friend of mine decided to confess something that bothered him about his ex-girlfriend of years and years ago. Something he never told her. A secret gripe that plagues his mind to this day with questions of his superficiality.

Plain and simple: She had dandruff.

Did it make him a horrible person that he was annoyed by this? No, I didn't think so. I personally thought it was hilarious. My friend went on to say that he discovered bottles of anti-dandruff shampoo in her cabinets. Not just standard issue over-the-counter Selsun Blue shampoo, industrial grade shampoo. This fact only increased the severity of my delight. Perhaps it was the triviality of his confession or his amazement that she thought she could hide her problem from him or the fact that I too get a few flakes now and then. I was in hysterics and it felt so good. Reunited with joy for a brief moment on a Thursday evening, a faraway friend on the telephone.