Globophobia

I thought he was having the time of his life. It was his birthday. His desk was decorated with balloons. He was being showered with kisses from a lot of females. And when you are working in a bank a lot of females mean a lot.
I nearly fell off my chair when someone whispered to me "This is absolute torture for him".
I was confused. I thought someone was trying to be funny.
"He is dead scared of balloons" they added when they saw the look of absolute confusion on my face.
To be honest I still thought they were making fun of me. Till I got home and googled it. Of course it is a genuine phobia. There is even a name for it: globophobia.
And then I felt really sorry for him. Because for him being next to a few bunches of balloons next to his desk would be as terrifying as it would have been for me to sit next to a few cockroaches on my desk.
Yes I am dead scared of cockroaches. And it is no laughing matter. Just like you should not be laughing at someone being afraid of balloons.