Love & Sex in Times of Corona

The Bench

The path, through the woods, that leads to Ms. Fergusson's property takes about eight minutes to walk and Robert wanted to use that time to ask Kaily about her brother, after all, she talks to him more than he does.

"Well dad, I don't know why he would need more money. I mean you're right, since I've been here, I haven't seen you spend a dime. I mean we dodn't go anywhere and he tells me he doesn't either. He aint that dumb. But damm, fifteen thousand dollars, daddy that's a lot of money to be spending in just two and a half months. Heck, even when I was in school I...wait a minute!" She yells out suddenly. "I remember every time I talk to him; he's telling me about all these financial problems that stripper Misty has. Dad, you dodn't think...ohh shit dad, it can't be. Robbie's not a dummy!"

"Baby, times like this will make a dummy out of a Noble prize winner. Now what did he tell you?"

Kaily went on to tell her father how Robbie is really into this girl and how she's had a tough life and how the landlords gonna kick her and her grandmother out into the street.

"Ohh man, the classic tough life story," sighs Robert."

"Hey dad, don't you have access to his bank account? I remember you and mommy are the

co-signers on my account and you told me that you did the same with Robbie."

Suddenly, it came back to him. He opened the account for his son, as he did with Kaily, with both Robbie, himself and Celia as signees. But it's been so long, and he's never had a reason to sign into the account that he actually forgot that he can. Maybe it's time that he did. The problem is, he would have to find the username and password and he has no idea where he put that. He'll worry about that later. Right now they were at the outskirts of Claire's property. The path empties into her garden opposite the house. He could not see the house because of the trees. After walking a bit, they see the house and Claire in her kitchen waving at them through the window. They wave back.

She sends them a kiss by way of a greeting, and they send her one back. Kaily always liked Ms. Fergusson and her husband. She thought being the captain of a cruise ship was the most exciting job there was. And they always treated her like an adult. They moved in there when she was eight, but in her mind, they've lived there forever. They see her pointing to the far end of the garden and Robert sees the bench. It's beautiful, gorgeous actually. It has a red teak stain to the wood, against a backdrop of expensive looking forest green wrought iron, which curves from the top, forming the body of the bench. The arm rests are also wrought iron, but in a walnut hue with the same teak stained wood serving as the actual arm rest. From where he stands, Robert can see that it is an expensive piece. Not something one can get from Lowes or Home Depot. And she was right, it looks heavy. He made a mental note to ask her where James got such a piece as he could see a bench like that in his yard.

He and Kaily walk over to the bench and proceed to pick it up, but they are only able to move it a few feet at a time, for it is indeed heavy. It takes them all of fifteen minutes to transfer it from where it was to the Oak tree. Once there, he looks up at her. From the safe haven of her kitchen, she motioned to him to put it a little further in. Suddenly, he knew where she wanted it, under a low hanging branch with lots of leaves. Yeah, he thought, that is the perfect place, for it afforded the best shade.

"Daddy, I see what she wants. She wants it under this branch so she can sit here and have the shade. Man this is the perfect spot."

Something catches the sun from the back of the bench and causes the reflection to go to Kaily's eyes. She looks where the lights reflection is and is surprised to see a bronze plaque, about ten by six inches, attached to the top slat of the bench. She bends over and reads the engraving on the plaque, smiles and gently runs her hand over it. She points it out to her father and he too looks at the plaque and then up at Claire, 100 yards away in the sanctuary of her kitchen, and smiles. She smiles back and gives them thumbs up. They smile and wave goodbye. She sends them another kiss which transcends glass, space and time. They send their kiss back.

On the way back, they talk about the sadness of Claire's situation and the even bigger sadness of her husband dying all alone, with no family by his side. This disease is really taking its toll in a way nobody could have ever imagined.

"Dad, I feel so bad for her," she says wiping away a tear. "Ohh my God, I can't imagine something like that happening to us. I'd just die."

Robert thinks back to the conversation with Dr. Weintraub and can only respond, "baby, that's not going to happen to us, ok, so please, dodn't even think about it."

"yeah, but dad..."

He stops and grabs her shoulders, turning her around to face him, "Kaily, baby, that is not going to happen to us, you hear me?"

"Daaad, you're hurting me."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I just want you to know that that will never happen to us. You hear me?"

"Yes daddy, I hear you, but you're hurting my shoulders."

Robert Ryan let go of his daughter, not realizing he was squeezing her so hard. All he could think of at that moment was Dr. Weintraub's voice, 'Mr Ryan, it has come to our attention that there is a version of this virus, most likely a mutation, that can be in a host and not show symptoms for weeks, probably months...'

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