November 2

Published by Victor Barr on

He wandered down the hallway, passing the rooms on either side. There was no pausing at the doors; he knew exactly which room to go in. The other beds were empty, the rooms waiting for the anticipated rush; a rush of patients yet to come. Would the expected rise in cases result in hospitalizations? He didn’t know. All he knew was he was going to see the man in the bed at the end of the hall.

The man in the white coat opened the door, he looked inside. A voice shattered the silence.

I awoke with a start.

Daylight was breaking through the windows above. Disoriented and confused I turned my head to get my bearings. Dim red lights came into focus, the digits formed and 6:15 came into my sight. What a strange dream I was having. I rolled over and shook off the feeling of dread and anxiety that floated in the distance of my recent sleep.

I quietly crawled out of the bed and stretched my arms forward. It was time to move, time to figure out my day. My test results from the other day I hadn’t received, but I felt healthy and strong again so I was pretty sure it wasn’t covid. I did my best to let my wife continue in her slumber and headed down the stairs.

My phone lay on the counter, a blue light flashing, calling me. A text message must have come, I lifted the old Samsung S7 up and peered at the screen. Sure enough, the text was there waiting for me. “Your Covid 19 test results are negative…” I sighed in relief and turned for the coffee machine. Strange days we are in that we now have to get tested when we have a common cold.

I was doing a job at KGH, part of working at the hospital was the requirement to fill out the daily Covid19 questionnaire. It was the main reason I decided to get tested in the first place. I needed to have a negative test or they wouldn’t let me in if I was sick in the previous fourteen days. Today when I arrived and did the paperwork, I checked yes in the box that asked that question. Then I handed the manager my text that told me I was negative.

My friend and helper showed up a little while later and together we were able to take the swing stage off the building in short order. It felt good to be on the roof, the sun beamed down on us and we worked in our T-shirts. We lowered one thousand pounds of counterweights from the top roof to the lower roof and finished our job by four o’clock. I felt better than I have for a while.

I dodged another storm in the coronaverse. I knew in my heart I was fine, but in today’s weird world a cold meant I needed to have a long cue-tip stuck way up my nostril.

Another Monday in a year of Mondays has come to an end. I look forward to tomorrow, another day closer to the end of all the chaos of 2020.

Categories: Daily Journal

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