Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"No overprotective doctor boyfriend today?" Latoya asked when she opened her door to my smiling face. Her eyes had dark circles under them and there was no light in the flat behind her even though it was midday.
"Nope." I answered brightly, trying to hide my worry. "Just me and all my stuff."
"What is all that stuff?" she queried with a curious eye taking in the three bags of groceries and toiletries I'd gotten her before making the drive to her place.
"Just some groceries and other essentials to last you a month or two." I strained. "And they're quite heavy. Can I come in?"
Latoya brought her apprehensive eyes back to my face and sighed heavily as she opened the burglar bars between us. "Cheyenne, I appreciate this, but you didn't have to."
"I know I didn't. Ndikungofuna kukuthandiza. This is the only way I know how." I said as I hoisted the bags onto her kitchen counter while she locked the door.
"Chocolate, muesli, wine?" Latoya said with a lifted eyebrow. "These aren't necessities."
"I may have gotten carried away." I said shyly, emptying the bag of frozen meats onto the counter. "Plus, everyone needs these once in a while."
Latoya shrugged and said no more, her mood dark and brooding as she moved the meats to the freezer.
"Hey, are you okay? You seem...off today."
"I am off. You caught me on a bad day."
"DJ related stress?"
"Always." she said roughly. "I wish I could just sleep until this whole thing reaches a conclusion. I've actually tried, but my body keeps forcing me out of bed."
I looked around at the small space, noting that it didn't look as tidy as the first time I'd come over. Latoya was drowning in darkness and it reflected in her space. I didn't have to wonder how she was feeling, I was pretty sure I'd lived through some of the feelings that were very plainly written on her face. "When was the last time you left the house, Toya?"
She shrugged and made space in a cupboard to put away the six pack of milk and the boxes of cereal she'd just pulled out of one of the shopping bags.
"When is the last time someone visited?" I asked as gently as I could, hoping my questions wouldn't lead her to shutting me out.
"When you came here," she revealed.
"That was two weeks ago."
"Yeah, well. I'm not exactly swimming in a sea of friends, Chey. I would like to keep the number of people who know that I'm about to be a jail bird to a minimum, thanks."
I nodded, puzzled by just how similar we were. In the lowest moments of my life, my default setting was always self-isolation. I knew from tons of experience that this would only leave Latoya feeling much worse.
