Somehow, with all the hand-washing and not touching his face, Gary has still caught a cold.
“I have a cold!” Gary pouted. “And I have no Dr. Pepper.”
“Poor sweet baby,” I said, obediently.
“I’m sick.”
“Poor sweet baby?” I said, confused.
“You have to go out to the grocery store and get me Dr. Pepper.”
“You have to wait until Wednesday for them to deliver Dr. Pepper, you mean.”
Feeble, sickly Gary disappeared and was replaced by healthy, full volume Gary.
“FINE FINE I’LL GO GET IT MYSELF.”
“No, Gary, I’ll go. You’ve risked your life going out to the grocery for your parents for months.” (He wants them to get exactly what they asked for.) Plus, I thought, you’ll see what it’s like to worry just because someone has gone to the grocery store and you picture them touching all the dairy department door handles then rubbing their mouth.
I wore shoes, jeans, and a bulky sweatshirt. (I think we all know this is code for “no bra.”) I also wore a mask, as you do. Well, as I do. Well, as only half of the people in the grocery did. Only half wore masks, or bothered to keep six feet away. I held my breath when the No-Maskers passed and I clutched my little alcohol wipe like my life depended on it.
Ironically, the classic Dr. Pepper that Gary wanted is entirely unavailable in our region. Gary is having to make do with some new Cream Soda / Dr. Pepper mutation.
In thanks for my sacrifice, Gary has taken to wearing a mask and staying six feet from me in our house. I am okay with this.
4 responses to “Covid Cold: In Which I Leave the House for the First Time in 40 Days”
The thing about wearing a mask, is you don’t have to worry about your hair–it will be messed up anyway, but no one will recognize you.
Arlene
Arlene – I don’t even condition my hair anymore, or straighten it, or curl it, and I don’t wear a bra. But you are right, no one knows who I am, because I am masked. I suppose I should dress up and wear a veil over the mask.
If you do wear a veil over the mask, wear the fancy floppy pants! (provided the veil coordinates color-wise)
Either that, or take Opera Clothes on the road – buying toilet paper in an outfit themed for the Opera Performance That Was To Be But Is Not? Gold.
KC – I had the floppy pants – in fact I had a full-on outfit for my nephew’s wedding that we never attended. I gave it to the mother of the groom.