Almost Isolated

Chapter 1 - The Deserter

March 15...

'... History repeats itself. It was nothing new...'

Neri recalled the phrase from the documentary, she was watching a while ago before she saw the old woman outside her window. She thought the elderly in her sixties was lost; she went out to greet her. As it turned out, the old woman was 'lost' in the sense that she couldn't go inside the grocery. Same as the other countries, the Philippines was also suffering from the current pandemic crisis caused by the corona virus. Rules and protocols, created for everyone's protection.

'... The pandemic started after World War I in 1918 and lasted until 1919...'

Moments later, Neri found herself outside a grocery, in a long line along with other people wearing facemasks. She told the old woman, she'll be happy to shop for the latter, since people, sixty and above were not allowed to go out. She needed toiletries anyway!

"ID, Miss?" The lady guard by the entrance seemed exhausted and tensed. She was wearing a face shield over her surgical blue mask same like the others. Neri only had her N95 on.

"ID?"

"APOR ID?"

"A por? No wait, I'm not poor! I have money –"

"Authorized. Person. Outside. Residence." The lady guard stared at Neri, from her messy hair tied into a bun on top of her head, to her oversized T-shirt, her denim shorts down to her slippers then to her hair again. "Weird color."

Neri made a face under her facemask. The security personnel was talking about her hair. "I know, it was supposed to be auburn... there must have some problem about the dye product. Expired maybe. The shade turned out carrot color -"

"You are not from around here," the lady guard interrupted.

"No, Ma'am. But I think I'm going to live here from now on. I'm from Seattle, actually –"

There were terrified gasps. Neri felt hot as she turned to the line behind her. "I have no virus, promise. I am actually under a fourteen-day quarantine, but I don't have the Covid-19."

"I'm sorry, Miss," the lady guard said, "no APOR ID, no entry."

The people behind her were not as nice.

"Go home," a petite woman in her stern glasses, told her. "You shouldn't be outside."

"I'm doing this for an old lady -"

"Elderly are not allowed outside," a stout man put in. "People under eighteen and people like you who are not authorized to get out are also banned!"

"But the old lady said she's the only person who can buy food for her grandchildren and they are already starving. This is not fair -"

"Go home," the stout man said, "talk to the barangay!"

How can she talk to the barangay if she was going home? She thought of challenging him but fought against the idea. Neri was keeping the line and other people were looking at her in an annoyed way.

'... It was estimated that about 500 million people of the world's population became infected with this virus -'

Again, she remembered the documentary as she walked for her grand parents' house. The street was empty and lonely.

Neri thought of her father and felt chill inside her heart. He is going to be okay, she told herself and managed to concentrate on the sad news she was about to relay with the elderly whom she left inside her grandparent's place.

The old woman was already gone, along with some of her food supply!

'... History repeats itself...'