Covid Diaries: Love in the time of Covid

Day 8 - Morning Jog

Kyle put on his headphones, tied his sneakers and locked his door. The warm air greeted him with a stuffy hello. He started in on his neighborhood jog.

He waved to Mr. Thompson who was mowing his lawn. Turning the corner, he could see the Williams couple in a heated argument in the front yard. Rina was in tears and Joe's face had turned a shade of reddish purple. Not wanting to intrude, Kyle kept going. He thought about how unhappy the two looked. They'd just moved into the area in January. He knew they were financially stressed as they had yet to sell their old home. Due to Covid-19, buyers no longer had the risk appetite to purchase homes and their house hadn't sold in two months.

"Hi Kyle!" Rick waved at Kyle as he approached. Kyle slowed to a slow jog on the spot at a safe distance from Rick.

"Hey Rick, how are you?"

"I'm doing alright, all things considered. The kids are driving us crazy. We're trying to be creative keeping them busy."

"That must be tough. I don't have kids but I can see how this situation can add a lot of stress. Do you want to come over and have a beer tonight?"

"Not sure, we haven't seen our family even. We've been keeping our distance from all of our social circles. I'll float the idea with the wife. She might be ok with it if we hang out outside. If she's fine with it, I'll bring the beer!"

"Sounds good Rick. Going to get on with my run. Have a good one!"

"Enjoy!"

Kyle continued his jog down the street and turned the corner. Passing Mrs. Riley, he slowed down his jog. She seemed busy checking the status of her rose garden. Mrs. Riley was very fond of Kyle, so much that she had invited Kyle to her 80th birthday party. Kyle was the only one present that wasn't her immediate family but she saw him as family. She'd watched Kyle grow up from a teenager to a young bright man.

As Kyle turned away from Mrs. Riley, he saw a little girl walking towards him. He didn't recognize her. "Where are your parents?" Kyle asked her. She giggled. He figured she was around 2 years old. Grabbing her hand, he started to walk her back in the direction she came.

"Oh Thank goodness you found her!"

Kyle turned around and saw a young woman appearing flustered and embarrassed.

"I stopped to say hello to a friend and my daughter wandered off. Thank you so much for keeping an eye on her!"

"Not a problem, are you new to the neighborhood?", Kyle asked trying to sound casual.

"Yes, I'm staying with my father during Covid-19, Jack Thompson. Do you know him?"

"Yes, I do. He lives next door to me. I'm Kyle", offering his hand.

"Hi Kyle, nice to meet you. I'm Tanya", she smiled and warmly shook his hand.

"Why don't the three of you come over for dinner? I'll be barbecuing tonight."

"I'm so sorry but we're trying to keep our socializing to a minimum at the moment, can we take a raincheck?"

"Absolutely. I'm hoping things improve soon. It was a pleasure Tanya, have a good day!"

"You too!"

Kyle took off on his run, he could hardly contain his grin. Tanya was gorgeous and he noticed she wasn't wearing a wedding ring. His neighborhood just got a little more interesting.