My Lippah. My Lippah. Obey Kabey.

I woke up this morning to find my upper lip numb. It felt like there was a marble resting in the frontal portion -- I squeezed for a while thinking that it was a zit or cold sore but there was no evidence to support that claim.

I asked Chelsea if my face looked weird and she said "Yeah! Your lip is swollen!"

The center of the lip bulged out like I received collagen injections in my sleep. It laid over my bottom lip a good half inch or so.

I took a shower and flicked it repeatedly with my pointer finger, thinking that this would get the blood going. But to no avail, my lip remained numb. When I drank my orange juice this morning, my entire mouth felt the coldness of the liquid, yet the 1/4 inch bulge of my front lip remained unconcerned -- it barely registered the wetness much less the temperature.

I came to work. Set up my laptop. Began prepping for administering two final exams for the day while biting my lip every so often to see if I felt anything. And all morning it remained perfectly unaware of any outside stimulus regardless of how hard I bit it.

Outside of my classroom, Madame Wells is taking her students out one at a time to administer her verbal portion of her final. Ms. Williams is, as usual, screaming about something. The scent of the stink bomb in the freshman hallway strolls casually up through the AC vent and tickles my nose. Mr. Eickhoff's snorts can be heard through the wall. And every so often, the sound of tramping feet can be heard four floors down when the Gym class laps the school in their final mile run of the school year.

And through this all, my lip stays numb.

Up until lunch. Today is the last day of school and lunchtime on the last day of school is when every student that you promised some food product to all year, suddenly calls you out. "Mr. P! You owe me Skittles!" "Mr. P, you said you would buy me french fries last semester and you never did." "Parizo! Where my nachos be at!?!?" My wallet empties on promises that I had forgotten.

While standing in line with money in my hand to buy food for other people, I did another bite test: pain. Excruciating pain. I bit too hard. I had gotten used to biting my lip harder and harder that when the feeling eventually came back, it lit my head up like fireworks.

Feelings returned in the cafeteria while I was standing in line buying food for students who I had to keep my promises to.