As You Wish

At the Beginning

When lockdown first started, it was hard being stuck at home for days at a time, everything being closed and everyone too afraid to go out for fear of catching rona. The day's were quickly blurring and yet time felt like it was moving slower than molasses. I binged watched all my shows I had never finished from before Covid because I didn't have the time. That took maybe a month at most.

Next was books. I was never much of a reader but I think I started and finished maybe all thirty books that I already owned. Which is a personal best for me, before anyone starts to come at me and say thirty's nothing to them.

The next thing I could think of to occupy my time was learning something new, anything crafty. I watched Youtube videos and ordered crafting supplies online for various hobbies I was determined to pick up. I tried my hand at crochet, I now have a giant, heavy blanket that I started but put on hold. It's bigger than my queen size bed. I forgot to count my stitches. I have ten friendship bracelets completed and just as many started but lost the pictures for so I don't remember where I was at on them. And lastly I started a cross stitch pattern of a fairytale scene with a tall fairy woman with huge wings petting her red dragon. The picture looked so pretty online but when the kit actually came in, I realized how much work it was going to take and gave up after a few days.

I was losing my mind, people!

I think everyone was struggling. Maybe that's an understatement.

Thankfully my office job finally allowed all of us to continue working from home so I could get back to work. The boredom drought was over! But I quickly realized something, after my shift was done everyday at four and I could immediately clock out, then what was I supposed to do? I still couldn't go outside, couldn't see my friends, what few friends I have and see them in person. We tried using Zoom like everyone else but the whole world seemed to be hogging the servers and we could never get a decent connection. Video chat quickly became a hinderance. I still text my friends, but it wasn't the same. My family are not entirely anti-covid believers, but didn't want to take the chance of exposure would still call me a few times a week. That was nice. But we were all missing out on holidays, birthdays, and I have a few new nieces and one nephew that I only get to see pictures of on social media. I miss my parents, my dad's corny dad jokes. Seeing the news, the number of death tolls rising everyday makes me realize more and more how precious life is.

I was getting cabin fever so bad by the third month of quarantine.

This shit sucks.

It's Friday night. Just another day here in lockdown. I put down my headset and log out of my work computer, but before shutting it down, I send an instant message to my supervisor and let her know I was done for today. She must be busy with a call, her computer sending me an automatic response but at least I've done my part. I finally shut down. Sitting at my desk, the screen gone black and just looking at my eerie reflection in the screen, wondering how I was going to spend the rest of the day and my weekend ahead....

My phone vibrated on the desk next to my hand, startling me, bringing my focus back to reality.

I looked at the screen, my best friend Liz was calling. I couldn't suppress my smile.

I pick up the call immediately.

Liz beats me to being the first one to talk.

"Hey hoe!" She shouts into my ear. I laugh.

"Yo, you bitch! What's up?" I ask, even knowing what she's probably going to say.

"Just started drinking for the weekend! Wish you were here to join me." Then I could hear her blender in the background as she turned it on, no doubt making herself a pitcher of margaritas to drink tonight.