Welcome! This week our word prompt is "jar". We have another episode of my pandemic romance called "Unforgettable." This one is milder than the last, I promise! Scroll down to return to Tuesday Tales and the excellent stories there. Thank you for stopping by.
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Sue knocked. “Cary? I’m sorry, dear.
I apologize. I’ll stay home from now on.”
“Do you promise?” He didn’t open the
door.
“I promise. You can come out now.”
“No, I can’t. You have to move away.
Back into the living room.”
“What?”
“We have to do social distancing
here. I can’t come near you. We have to stay separate.”
“But I’m fine.”
“Today. But what about tomorrow? I’ll
bring home a test so we can see if you’re all right. But until we have those
results, I have to stay away from you. It’s not personal. It’s about the people
at the hospital.”
“But you’re exposed to them.”
“I wear protective gear. Scrubs,
mask, gloves.”
Silence.
“Sue?”
“I heard you. Okay. Whatever you say.
You’re the doctor. You know best.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m going to my room. Will I see you
for breakfast?”
“No. I’ll be leaving at six fifteen.”
“Oh. Okay then. Have a good day
tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, Aunt Sue. Thanks for
understanding.”
“You know I don’t really understand.
But I’ll do as you say.”
“Trust me. It’s the only way to stay
safe. Aunt Sue?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry I yelled at you.”
“It’s all right, dear. I’m sure
you’re under a lot of pressure.”
“You have no idea. Goodnight.”
“Okay. Goodnight, dear. Sleep tight.”
He smiled. No one had said those
words to him since he was twelve. After her footfalls grew faint, he opened the
door. Into the bathroom he went and scrubbed down with soap. Then added a few
squirts from his jar of Purell.
He undressed and got into bed and
pulled up the suspense book he’d been reading on his phone. He reread the same
sentence four times before putting it down. He set the alarm and put it on the
nightstand. Since arriving in New York, he hadn’t been able to focus on
anything except the pandemic. And the people who’d died.
Cary
flicked off the light and rolled onto his stomach, tucking the pillow beneath
him. He closed his eyes but the faces of the people he’d lost appeared. Finally,
exhaustion took over and he drifted off into dreamless sleep.
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Well done. Hoping things really do improve in the next few weeks, not just for Cary, but for the rest of the world.
ReplyDeletePoor man. It IS hard to focus. I'm glad he got the fleeting comfort of the "sleep tight" and that he didn't dream.
ReplyDeleteNicely done! It is incredibly hard to focus during all of this.
ReplyDeleteI agree with him. It's hard to focus. I'm in heartache all the time over all this.
ReplyDeleteThat was one of the things I had a hard time with - the ability not to focus. And it has to be five times harder working on the front line. Great job!
ReplyDelete