Days Go By

“Argh! That’s the fourth time today I’ve had to stop and find something with the date on it! What the hell is going on?” Terry was extremely frustrated, as she had been for the last two months. Days had been blurring together ever since the virus lock-down had started, and everyone in her group of friends was starting to feel it. The band had been practicing over Zoom and Skype calls; Selene had to resort to phone and email consultations for her clients; Julia was decked out in PPE gear almost 24/7; Adam and Benny were at each other’s throats almost daily; Tom and Margot had switched the coffeeshop to a mobile pick-up-and-go system, along with fortified clear walls to protect their baristas.

All of it was pushing sanity to a breaking point but Terry did have a few saving graces. Roger was doing everything he could to keep her spirits up, and they could still go to the shops for food but even that small chore was turning monumental. Certain items were becoming more and more scarce as people had turned to panic-buying everything they could get their greedy hands on then turning around to flip their purchases on Amazon and eBay. It was quite disturbing when someone could get away with listing a twelve-pack of toilet paper for over triple the cost, and more so when someone else would pay the price!

And, to top it all off, Terry still had her university work to contend with. “There we are! Okay! Still in the clear.” She put her mobile back on its charger (the battery had been worn down to its last ten percent every day over the last month with FaceTime calls, text messages, and anything else it could handle in ways of communication), then went back to her books. Her current paper wasn’t due for another week but time seemed to be getting away from her too much lately.

‘As long as I have some way of checking the date, I’m good.’ A few bass chords drew her attention to the hallway leading to the bedroom, and she shook her head. ‘Roger must still be on that rehearsal call.’ Intricate notes confirmed her thought. ‘Anything to keep him from going stir-crazy. Hecate knows I’m almost there.’ More music filtered through the closed bedroom door. ‘Better put my headphones on or I’ll never get any work done.’ Plugged in with some lo-fi beats playing, she opened her History of the Egyptian Religion book and started reading.

“Terry? Terry. Terry!”

“Whoa! What the…” She looked up from her laptop to see Roger on the other side, looking as if he was trying to hide a smirk. “Roger? How long have you been there? What time is it? What day is it?”

“Slow down, Speedy. One question at a time.” She frowned and he couldn’t hold back the laughter anymore. “You know how cute you look when you get mad.”

“So you often tell me.” She pulled her headphones off and cracked her neck. “Seriously though, what time is it?”

“Eight in the evening. I got done with practice about twenty minutes ago and wanted to see what you were doing. Figured you’d want something for supper.”

Her stomach growled at the idea of food. “Guess that answers that question. You have anything in mind?”

He glanced into the kitchen then back at his girlfriend. “We’ve been cooking a lot lately, so I was thinking of getting some take-out, depending on whose offering it right now.”

“Ain’t that the truth? This lock-down is bull-honky but I know whining about it isn’t going to help.” She sighed and stood up. “So, once again, you got anything in mind?”

“I’m in the mood for either Italian or Japanese.”

“Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum. Let’s see who’s open.” They browsed the Net for about ten minutes before landing on an Italian place known as Tortellini Cup. “This looks good. Might get an antipasto and some tortellini.”

“I’m looking at the ‘Create Your Own Dish’ menu. Think I’ll do two of those.”

Terry put the order in and Roger paid for it. “Looks like it’ll be here in thirty to forty minutes. There’s a note that says we should listen for a knock then wait a few seconds before opening the door.” She shook her head and scoffed. “This whole ‘social distancing’ thing is nuts.”

“You don’t have to tell me, love. I’m right in the mix with you.”

“You’ve been great about putting up with me going nearly-bonkers every day. It’s kinda funny too. When I was younger, I didn’t like to go out much. Preferred to dive into my books but since I’ve met you, I’ve gotten used to the idea. Now, we can’t go out anymore except for groceries, gas, and emergencies.”

“Ever the American.”

“Huh?”

“You said ‘gas’ instead of petrol.”

“Old habits die hard. I’m just glad I learned to drive over here instead of the states. Don’t think I would’ve done well with the transition.”

“One of the good things about renting a tour bus when we go to America. Someone else drives.”

She laughed and took out plates and silverware. “I can only imagine Nate trying to drive on American roads. Think he’d have a conniption.”

“He hates driving over here as it is. Either Ryan or myself usually transports us to gigs. Well, we used to. Now, we have car services.”

“Betcha never thought that would happen.”

He shook his head. “Nope. Always thought I’d have to go back to university and get a career in something I hated. Thankfully, that never happened.”

“We’ll see how long the fame and popularity last. I just hope you guys stay together long enough to have a decent run before calling it quits.”

“So do I. I know Grandfather’s band didn’t even make it to twenty years, but he was pretty much done with it by the time The Wall came out anyway.”

“You guys’ll make it past that.”

“We at least know how to communicate with each other when we’re working on music.” A buzzing interrupted his train of thought. “Yeah?”

“Tortellini Cup here.”

“Come on up.” About five minutes later, there was a knock. “5,4,3,2,1” Roger opened the door to see someone standing about five feet away with a mask over their face. ‘I’ll never get used to those.’ “Cheers, mate.” He picked up the bags.

“Evening, folks,” and the delivery person disappeared down the stairs.

The bassist locked the door and put the food on the counter. “Let’s eat.”

“Smells fantastic. Maybe we’ll order from them more in the future.”

“We’ll see what the future brings, Terry.” He flipped on the telly to see what was on, and the BBC was broadcasting the latest update on the virus. Most of it they’d already heard before, so they partially tuned it out but something caught Roger’s attention about thirty minutes in. He turned in his seat so he could pick up what was being said.

“… and the Prime Minister has declared an extension to the lock-down. The stay at home order is now in effect until the end of May. Please remember to…” Roger flicked the set off.

“Well, that bites.” Terry set her fork down. “Now I’m certain to go bonkers.”

“Make sure to take me with you when you go.”

“But of course. Be pretty lonely without you.”