A series of essays....
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| "THE LONGER I STAY HOME, THE MORE HOMELESS I LOOK!" |
Courtesy @leskgomemes
....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E Hughes
And so this story goes...
“Awe, for goodness sake! The Senate is at it again. For, at least, the eleventh time, they're investigating Hillary Clinton and the 2012 Benghazi attack, all at the taxpayer’s expense. Don’t fact-check me on that number, but it has to be close. It’s like continually kicking a rock and hoping it will produce blood from a crack you pound into it...before you break your toes!”
“Sorry,” he said, while walking into the room from the kitchen. “I had the faucet running but caught the last part...how did you break a toe?? Only kidding. It’s just indicative of the way Benghazi has become such an obsession among the conservative rank-and-file. I hear they still sell Benghazi paraphernalia like mugs and t-shirts.”
“ Well, they have nothing else to chastise the Democrats with, so they’re grasping at straws. I am muting this puppy for a little while,” she said. “I need a nice, long break from our ridiculous reality. Let’s go bake something yummy for dessert tonight!”
“Between the two of us, I figure it will take us approximately 250 days in quarantine to complete this puzzle. At the rate of two pieces per day, per person, with one thousand pieces all in various shades of brown, beige, and green...yep, that’s about right. We should have scrapped it from the beginning and gone with more color,” he said, while scrutinizing the tiny piece of irregular shaped cardboard in his hand. “What do you think?”
Turning towards him with a smile on her face, “Sorry. It’s like my rule of thumb with books, you begin one and you finish it to the end. Half read books are not allowed. Someone spent a large chunk of time out of their life writing it. Look, we’re making some progress with the right tower! Think how accomplished we’ll feel when....”
“I know, when we look at the completed puzzle...in about 226 days from now! Are you hungry for lunch yet?”
“Here’s your mask and disposable gloves,” she says, while handing the precious merchandise to him at the front doorway. “I hope they have most of the items on our list so you don’t have to go back to the grocery store for a very long time.”
“The list is short. Besides, you can whip up a grand meal from just about anything, no matter what. We won’t starve even if we don’t have ham this Easter.” Mumbling, “Ham for two, please,” and deeply missing family and friends. He slips the clean, white dust mask over his nose and mouth and says, “I’ll be back in a flash.”
“And I’ll be ready to wipe everything down with disinfectant when you get back...including you, mister. Remember to not touch your face! I love you...!”
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| FRENCH APPLE CAKE... "THIS HAS GOT TO STOP!" |
“You really don’t want to look outside the window this morning. It’s like April Fool’s Day but in mid-April!” she warned. “It’s like somebody has a really whacked sense of humor.”
“I know. It snowed..overnight, didn’t it? It..won’t last. Ground..is..too..warm,” his voice continues to wane and he slowly covers his face with the warm blanket.
“Oh, winter, just go away.”
“Let’s zoom the kids!” she says, with a warm smile spreading across her face. “It’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon and I’m sure they’re outside in their yard loving the fresh air.”
Chiming in with equal enthusiasm, “Sounds like a plan,” he agrees.
“Oh, there they are, there they are! Hi. How are you? What’s up...I’d really like to give you a big hug and a kiss right now.. But, I promise to be patient.”
“Okay, they didn’t have any yeast, All-Purpose flour, toilet paper, or hand sanitizer, but....I found our favorite ice cream!!! Love you, Babe.”
“Love you, too, Honey. But, will you still love me when you have to roll me out of this house in a few weeks?”
Watching her wipe the box of Wheat Thins down with disinfectant, “I really don’t think we have to worry about that. I was anxious to check if our local store offered more protective measures between employees and customers this time. We were all fairly lenient a few weeks ago. Everyone seems to have improved with masks, gloves, and plastic dividers between cashiers and customers. We’ve got to take this seriously!”
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| "OH, WINTER, JUST GO AWAY." |
“I swear, the longer I stay home in lockdown the more homeless I look,” she says, staring into the bathroom mirror. “Thank goodness I never got rid of my hair bands after sporting my very short cut. They’ve come in handy as I go for a petite pigtail in between showers.”
“Hey, our granddaughter called me ‘Spiky’ the other day on FaceTime. She said I looked like I’d just stuck my finger in an outlet. I guess Papa needs a bit of a trim, too.”
“Well, desperation dictates, my dear. You’ll know how much our wedding vows meant if I have to ask you to please trim my hair. It’s either that or we take down all of the mirrors.”
“Ugh, commercials. I don’t like it when we watch shows that aren’t recorded to watch later!” she says, while moving a little closer to her husband on the couch. “Fast forwarding through the commercials is almost cathartic for me.”
Taking her hand in his, he suggests, “We’ll just mute them and talk instead.”
“We can’t complain during all of this, you know? Technology has kept us in touch with those we love, we have plenty of food and the means to cook it, it would take us a long time to read all of the books we currently own, including the new Stephen King novel, we talk and play cards and put difficult puzzles together all while trying to figure out who we are as individuals and as a couple moving into an unclear future.”
“I couldn’t imagine not having a warm bed to slide into at night knowing that when I wake-up, there’s plenty of clean water and fresh coffee to brew,” he says, smiling. "But, seriously, I can’t believe that some people are afraid to answer their doors because ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is still on the prowl during this pandemic. Inconceivable! Others have lost their jobs only to wake-up not being able to pay their rent or bills, and wondering where their next meal is coming from. Children going to bed hungry, again, night after night.
All of our lives have been changed forever, you know. We're looking at a completely different world from here on out where the word 'normal' has no meaning anymore."
Looking up at him, “I’d say we are extremely blessed. Having said that, being blessed is our motivation to help those who have far less than we do. Don’t you think? What you and I have to decide is what our plan is after this. Then, we can help others survive and move on. There are plenty of options out there. Besides, being retired now makes us flexible and open for just about anything."
“I like how you think.” Planting a kiss on the top of her head, he looks back towards the television and is surprised to see the closing credits of the show they had been watching gliding up the flat screen in tiny, black print.
“Well, maybe the next time we decide to carry on a serious conversation we should apply the ‘pause’ instead of the ‘mute button,” she says, snuggling into the warmth of his body.
“Thank goodness for On Demand, I suppose,” he replies, as she elbows his ribs in a playful gesture.
Stay Home. Stay Safe. Stay Healthy. Reflect.
Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes
All rights reserved
