Love in the time of Corona -- 8

With apologies to Isabel Allende

Day 6 

Waking up next to the man I love with the dog tunneled under the covers there's a sensation of contentment that doesn't match the Corona Crisis.

We sleep under the mink. The first mink I ever saw was a gift from a cousin of my then roommate. He had brought it back from Korea. The second was in my Syrian friend's Paris Apartment. Rick ordered one. It took months to get it.

The mink is thick, warm and heavy. Our mornings are as they always have been. Rick walks Sherlock. He brings me tea and biscuit and comes back to bed. We read and chat. Simple. Enjoyable until it is time to take our showers. 

Whoever has gotten up first will have put on the towel warmers so when we get out of the shower we are dried with warm cloth. Our bathrobes are warmed too.

Sometimes we make breakfast for each other, sometimes we get what we each want. 

Sherlock expects to have lap time. The speed with which he occupies Rick's lap can be measured in nanoseconds. Rick uses the time to read or study his French.

All this is peaceful belying what is going on in the world. Things from the outside world have been reduced. Rick will not be going to the WATS conference in Orlando. He is not busy arranging speaker schedules and preparing for any contingencies. He still has writing, but this time is less fettered.

He must continue working on his French for an exam that will be held who knows when. He needs it for his Permis C in Switzerland. For the past three months he was in class daily. This stress is less.

When we turn on the television, we realize that our flat is a hidey hole. Whether it is Trump incoherence or Macron's clear cut directives it doesn't matter. Whether we read about Italy, Switzerland, the UK's reactions to the virus, it seems far away.

When I hear of a friend's death from the virus, that doesn't seem far away. She was in her mid 80s. She'd been a neighbor, introduced to me by my then housemate. Although a Brit, she'd lived in Cambridge while attending Harvard. I found her one of the most knowledgeable woman I have ever met but impractical in other things. There are memories of meals, Christmases and August 1 National Day Open Houses. I worry about her husband.

A young couple I know seem to have lighter cases of the virus. Put it on the worry list.

All this makes the virus personal.

I read about a young girl in Florida annoyed her holiday is being spoiled by the virus. I read about the greed of those trying to make money off the suffering of others such as the banks that hoped certain companies would profit. I read about the senators selling stocks with their insider knowledge. And yes it is sad graduating seniors may not have a prom but not as said at the 403 people who died in Italy today. 

The harmony of my home is penetrated by the virus.