Sound the alert! Covid has struck Casa de Munson; our time has come. Not me, it should be said, but Bryan; he has tested positive and we are in the midst of self-isolation.
It’s perhaps a little … bum about face (I’m phrasing that expression carefully; this column doesn’t hold truck with that sort of thing, and Bryan would only tell me off anyway), but I have actually had a cough at the moment due to the residue of a cold that ignited my asthma. I’ve tested negative every day so far, and yet Bryan – who I only tested this week because a kid in his class had just come down with it and I thought it best to be safe – doesn’t have any symptoms and is the positive one.
He’s missed a couple of days of school but should be clear to go back after the half-term (let’s hope); I’m waiting to see if I come down with it, but so far – nothing. Ironically, it’ll affect my life less so than Bryan’s; his social life is far busier than mine. He’s had to miss a couple of dance classes and a visit to London this weekend (with me), but I work mostly from home – so the most I would miss out on if I tested positive is taking Bryan to and from school after the break. I’m much more of an introvert than Bryan, so I’d probably just see it as another day.
It’s funny, however; we’ve found things to do very easily. Perhaps it’s because of the lock-downs we’ve endured, both Bryan and I have just fallen back into old habits – art, reading together, some maths and English work online, screen time (which has increased a little since we’ve been locked in), and decorating the flat with Halloween stuff; Bryan gets very excited about this holiday and Christmas. Even if we don’t get to do anything else, I’m still hopeful that he gets to go to his Halloween party and trick or treating.
Both of us miss going out very much; during lockdowns, we regularly visited the nearby park and loved it. We can’t for these ten days, of course, and that’s hard – even popping to the shops sounds like the lap of luxury right now, and neither of us are very keen on shopping at the best of times. I’m a great Amazon buyer though, and I’d begun Christmas shopping already – at this rate, I’ll have been in for every single delivery that comes to the door – that bit has been absolutely brilliant, as I’ve not then had to wait for re-delivery or gone to the local depot to collect the parcel. I was about to write, “Hallelujah”, but no; the virus does not deserve that cheer.
But the main thing about this self-isolation business has been the kindness I’ve experienced; people have checked in on us and made sure we were okay. My parents have dropped a few bits and pieces off to us we needed and read with Bryan over video calls, my neighbours have cheered us both up, and we’ve had some messages of support and genuine concern. It reminds me once more of how fortunate we are to have the kindness of good people around us. Finally, something to say “Hallelujah” to!
