Love & Sex in Times of Corona

The Dream Again

Sunday, June 7th, 2020

Honey, you haven't lost your touch with these sandwiches. And Kaily, I just know this is your potato salad, mmmmhhhh God, that's good!

"I made it yesterday mommy and I made extra hoping you'll be here. And there's more for you to take to grandma. By the way, Michelle's mother called me this morning and she's out of the hospital. They have no idea how she got it cause like she's been home religiously all this time. But she has asthma like me."

"She was strong baby, and like you, she was an athlete. I'm so glad she's out."

Again, the thought of the mutated virus comes to Robert's mind, but he says nothing. It's a beautiful day and he wants them to enjoy it.

"Kaily, you look so beautiful in that dress, like an angel, doesn't she Robert?"

"Yeah, she looks wonderful," if an Amazonian warrior could be called an angel, he thought to himself. "but she doesn't believe me when I tell her, so I think it's good that she hears it from you."

"I believe you daddy. Watch, say it. Go ahead" she says smiling like a little girl.

Both Celia and Robert laugh. "Baby, you haven't changed one bit. When you were little, if me or your father didn't tell you we loved you or that you were the prettiest little girl in the world, four five times a day, you'd walk around pouting until we said so. And the funny thing is that nobody would've known you were so sensitive cause you were such a tomboy. There were times I didn't know what I was going to do with you. You broke your arm not once, but twice doing crazy things no little girl should be doing. I was at my wits end with you girl. And fighting with boys, what was that about? And the time I had to go to the principal's office because he was going to suspend you for two weeks if I didn't come in because you started a fight with Connie's boy, uhhmmm, what's his name..."

"Johnny. And I didn't start it, he pulled my hair in class."

"Baby, that was just his way of letting you know he liked you..."

"Yeah, well, there are better ways to let a girl know you like her," she says as she shot a quick glance at her father.

"Honey, men, boys, they dodn't know. That's why we have to lead them, show them the way. If I hadn't taken the initiative, your father would still be trying to figure out a way to ask me out."

"Ha, ha ,ha, and he told me he was a kiss em and leave em kinda guy when he was my age."

"Honey why are you telling our daughter tales. Kiss em and leave em, hah. Anyway, I'm going to the bathroom. Anybody want something from inside?"

"You go ahead mommy. I'm gonna get some more potato salad."

He saw her this morning from the kitchen window. She was waiting for her mother in the garden. They had a Sunday ritual; Celia came over at nine am, had breakfast, Zoom Robbie and they all would watch Joel Osteen at eleven, together as a family.

They were going to lay a blanket in the garden and have a picnic. It was a beautiful day for it, perfect actually, 76 degrees, with the sun already high in the sky. He continued looking at her through the large glass pane window and saw her walking around on the grass barefoot in a loose white summer dress. She was skipping and twirling around like she used to when she was little, the dress floating in the breeze. She's an angel. It's just too bad that she's his daughter?

He can't believe he just thought that.

She's in the kitchen, scooping out potato salad from the big container into a smaller one when she hears the porch door slide open. Then she feels him, standing behind her as he pulls her hair gently, but with enough force to jerk her head back slightly,