Kristine sat at the dining room table, looking at the MacBook laptop in front of her. Her mind elsewhere, it’d only been a few weeks, three maybe four at the most, but it felt longer. Light steps could be heard coming down the stairs as all three dogs ran toward the person to greet them. Her daughter entered the kitchen, curly hair sticking up every which way, but a smile of delight at the dogs’ presence.
“Morning, Mom,” her youngest daughter said while filling a mug with coffee. Kristine looked up from her laptop, the edges of her lips twitching upward in greeting. A few weeks ago, her daughter was up at college working for the University, and now she was home working out of the house late into the night. She could remember the day things started to get worse, and schools were closing left and right. The school she worked at as an Ed Tech shut down and people around her were filled with doubt and anxiety. She hated to admit that she too felt the fear, even as she tried to remain levelheaded while walking through the grocery store that day as everyone was sprinting and yelling like the world was ending. Kristine wanted her entire family under her roof because then, that meant she could protect them, but her eldest was in Portland, her youngest two hours away in Orono. Deciding to labor away in the kitchen, she felt that she would keep her mind off of her children and the danger everyone faced. As the sky began to darken, her fear grew more, would they be safe? Would her children be okay for the night? She knew she was acting silly, they both had apartments and homes away from home, but it didn’t matter, they weren’t in her home. Making sure not to hurt herself while cutting vegetables, she heard the front door open. It was probably just Jim, coming in from the garage.
“Hey Kris,” said a feminine voice, and Kristine stopped and looked over at the person in shock. Her eldest stood in the doorway, petting the black lab in front of her.
“Blaine, you’re here. I didn’t know you were coming!” Kristine exclaimed, her heart feeling less heavy.
“Yeah, I just wanted to come visit and see Jacky, of course!” she smiled while kissing the black lab’s head and scratching his ears lovingly. One was home, and the other would be coming in a few days when the weekend started. She continued to cut the vegetables while Jim and Blaine talked about her car both soon went outside to look the car over, and the house still felt unfilled. It was getting near dusk when a car engine stopped in the driveway, and a new body entered the house. With both relief and fear in her eyes, Kristine saw her youngest walk through the door, suitcases in hand for an extended stay. Their eyes met, and the youngest looked confused and worried.
“Mom? Are you okay? Is everything alright?” stated the daughter, and for the first time in a few days, everything was alright. She nodded tears in her eyes as her daughter gently placed the bags and suitcase on the floor while walking toward her. She embraced her youngest, more than happy to have her and her older sister home. Even though the world was suffering an epidemic, both her daughters and her husband were under the same roof. She could watch over them, and if any of them caught the virus, she would be able to take care of them.
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Wendy Devore stood over the stove as she boiled pasta in some water with salt and oil. It was relatively quiet, but that would change once the children came back inside. At first, they’d enjoyed this time off from school. But the pandemic was going beyond their willingness to be away from it. She’d felt the same. Usually, she’d be training to become a CNA, but again the pandemic got in the way, her classes were also canceled. This situation was going to be difficult for everyone in the family. Her husband was down to working three days a week, and he was the one who did the grocery shopping now, not her. She couldn’t leave her home; she was at high risk; she had severe asthma and kidney disease. Not only did she need to worry about herself, but she also needed to worry about her mother as well, who has suffered a stroke earlier that year.
Part of the left side of her lung didn’t work, that coupled with her older age, made her frail and unable to go far without gasping for air. If she came in contact with the coronavirus, it would be the end of her, and Wendy wasn’t sure how she would fare if she came in contact with it either. Her train of thought soon ended due to her two children running through the kitchen, slamming the door to outside behind them. They giggled and laughed as they tore through the house. Her children were excited because this was the time they’d get to be on the iPad and message their friends through an elementary-aged messaging app. For them, it was a way to connect with those they missed, those they could no longer run around with. Their social distancing was meant to keep her and her husband from getting sick, but she also worried about her children. What would happen if either of her children came in contact with the virus, yes it didn’t affect those who were healthy and didn’t have preexisting conditions as severely, but they were still children. If they became sick because of COVID-19, they would be separated from her, and they’d be treated in a hospital surrounded by people they didn’t know. They’d be afraid, and she and her husband wouldn’t be allowed to be there for them. A mother’s worst fear is being separated from her children. If she was separated from them, she couldn’t protect them. She couldn’t tell them that everything was going to be okay. It was true that the nurses and doctors would comfort a child that was afraid, but no one is better at comforting their child than their mother. Wendy looked over at her children on the couch as they messaged their friends; she prayed they wouldn’t suffer anymore because of this pandemic.
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