2 Days

Before You Read, you should know this: To be clear, this is a thing I wrote on scratch, transferred to wattpad. On scratch, it's animated with music, and as the writing progresses, the project turns from morning to night.

If I had two days... two days where nothing mattered, Covid was gone, Just two beautiful

glowing days in the sun, what would I do? Fantasizing about it has been a small pleasure inthese long days. I stand on the driveway, the concrete burning my bare feet as I press hardon the chalk, letting it grind down into powder as I go. Bit by bit, a message scrawls acrossthe driveway. I'm not really thinking about the chalk though, I'm off in my own world.A perfect covid-free one. In my world, I sit at a picnic table with friends at a cookoutunder a tree in the evening. No one is wearing a mask, everyone is safe. We're all so carefree,as if a pandemic didn't just come and steal away our lives.

Earlier that morning in my carefree world, I got to hug my grandparents. I spent the morning at their house, talking, playing games, showing them the things I've done during quarantine that they haven't gotten to see. I hug my friends and marvel at the fact that it's all safe. All safe now. As I stand on the burning hot driveway, a tear slides down my cheek. In my world, I get to live like I want to. Covid doesn't crush me. I'm not defeated. My friends laugh and smile as they joke about memories and good times from years before. We play our musicloud on the speakers and dance and goof off 'till we're tired. When we retire to bed, each of us has had such a fulfilling day, we practically forgot what living in pandemic was like.

But of course, I can't forget covid, for fear of being incautious in the real world. As I admire the large colorful letters on the driveway, I turn to see my neighbors sitting out on their porches, kids running through sprinklers, people mowing their lawns. I don't want to hurt them. I want covid to be over. Pandemic life wasn't what my life was supposed to be. I'm defeated by covid. Crushed. But covid will never end if I ignore it's existence. If I forget all the rules and precautions, it makes it worse. I want to. I want to with all my heart. But I know I can't. Self restraint is a difficult thing. I enter back into my mental world on day two. I walk with my family to the farmers market. I can hear my dad's band playing at the other end of the market. I see all thefamiliar faces who've sold veggies and breads and all manner of treats to me in years past. It wouldn't be a special day had I not been in a pandemic-ridden world. It's just a normal daywith people I know in a familiar place. 

The normalcy is what I treasure. Later, we sit with friends and eat popsicles at a local cafe. We play petanque in the sand-like gravel. We even teach some strangers how to play too. When it comes time for dinner, friends, neighbors, and family alike gather around the patio and driveway. They take in the smells of summer air and barbecue grilling. The kids gather sticks to start up a fire pit and roast marshmallows. As the fire starts up, we all grab our share of grilled chicken and vegetables. When it begins to grow dark, we watch fireflies, many of the kids try to catch them.

By the time everyone heads home to bed, I'm tired and in a blissful state of happiness. I lay in bed with a feeling of summer contentment that can only be reached by being with friends inthe sun, and sitting around a fire. My hair and clothes smell smokey from the fire and it pleasesme to remember the good time we had.

But at some point I have to wake up.

I've finished my chalk drawing on the driveway. It reads "There are better days ahead". I sure hope that's true. It feels like a never-ending loop of being stuck at home with the same people doing the same things. As I walk inside, a thought occurs to me. 

It's a simple message, and one I've said and heard a million times at least, but it holds some truth and at least it gives me a small light of hope while I'm in the dark:

It's going to be okay.