Locked Down In Love

           Gary and Lisa met online through one of the social media sites over a year ago. They spent several of those months getting more anxious to meet. Gary lived in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, while Lisa lived in Los Angeles, California in the United States of America so casually meeting up wasn’t an easy task to undertake.

           Lisa worked as a model and actress, so her career kept her traveling regularly from one State to another for photo shoots or filming. Gary worked for a large oil company as an oil field technician clearing obstructions from pipelines and wells to allow for better oil flow.

           The two had first gained interest in one another after comments were left on photos that were posted on each other’s profiles. Soon, they began to chat online through Instant Messenger, and eventually, they exchanged phone numbers and called each other regularly. Both had been through disastrous relationships in the past, so even though they were a little nervous, they both felt as if they had finally met their soulmates.

           Plans were put in place for Lisa to fly up to Calgary after she finished filming a television pilot that she had a small role in. Her modeling agency had also allowed her a 2-week vacation in June, so the date had been set. She was due to arrive in Calgary on June 5^th. From there, Gary would pick her up and they would drive to British Columbia, stopping at a few touristy spots along the way to their final destination on Vancouver Island. Hotels had been booked and Gary had arranged for a luxurious Mercedes Benz S-Class sedan as their rental car for the trip.

           That is when things went awry. News reports started popping up on TV, radio, and online speaking about this new strain of a virus that had already spread throughout China and other parts of Asia. Before long, it had made its way in through the Mediterranean and into Europe as well. Soon, cases started showing up in Canada and the U.S. too. Flights from overseas were being canceled in the beginning, and then flights between the United States and Canada were banned as the virus became a worldwide pandemic. Borders had been closed to all but essential or emergency traffic and Gary and Lisa’s dreams of finally being together were shattered.

           Gary was forced to cancel all of his bookings and lost money on one of the hotels that he had booked. The number of cases in the U.S. began to climb to staggering statistics which showed no sign of decreasing. Some States recorded more than 10,000 new cases every day. Meanwhile, in Canada, the cases seemed more controlled. The numbers for the whole Country were less than that of the State of Florida, and California wasn’t very far behind.

           Gary shared his concern for Lisa’s well-being every time they spoke. Not only was she in a state with an abundance of cases, but she was no longer able to fly out to another state with lower numbers. Lisa tried protecting herself as best as she could by wearing a mask when she left her home and by using hand sanitizer often, but it was beginning to affect her mentally. She was terrified to leave the house with fear of catching the virus. Her acting career was in hiatus, and her modeling career only allowed her minimal contact with her photographer, but that also came to an end when the photographer had contracted the virus.

           Staying closed up inside her home seemed peaceful in the beginning, but after the first couple of months, she began to go stir crazy and desired, even more, to be with Gary. If it wasn’t for his daily encouragement throughout her isolation, Lisa would have either become very depressed, or else she would have gone insane.

           Gary continued to work throughout the pandemic because his job did not require him to be around many people and it was considered an essential service. Therefore, his mental state of being wasn’t nearly as affected. He was already wearing protective equipment on the job, so there was no real change to his way of life other than the fact that he couldn’t be with Lisa for an unknown amount of time.

           Gary spent his spare time playing around with poetry that he would write for Lisa. These poems gave her hope for a future with him; one filled with love and imagination. Gary looked forward to having a woman in his life that he could trust completely and who was willing to return the love and respect that he offered to her.

           Gary’s friends began to tease him saying that he was crazy to think that a long-distance relationship like this could ever work, especially now that they can’t even fly out of the country. Gary ignored their comments for the most part, but deep down, he still questioned if he was making the right decision. His friends continued to try and set him up with local girls, but he refused every time because his heart belonged to another.

           Lisa went through similar ridicule with her family and friends. Even though her friends thought that Gary was cute and made good money, they felt that she could do better. Lisa would “accidentally” meet men when her girlfriends had them tag along to various events. Lisa made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with any other man but Gary. They were truly committed to one another.

           Canadian poet, Margaret Atwood once said, “I exist in two places, here and where you are.”

This is how Gary and Lisa felt for each other. As far as they were concerned, they now shared one heart, and no matter what distance there was between them, or how long they needed to wait to be together, it was worth the wait. They even started to read each other’s thoughts. They started asking the same questions at the same time, coincidentally ate the same meals as the other, and even woke during the night if the other had also awakened. They were linked together in every way but physically.

           They both knew that it was only a matter of time before things would be back to normal in the world. It was unfortunate that so many had to suffer during this time, but many positive things had also arisen. For example, families had been able to spend quality time together and couples who were once estranged had now been rekindled in a stronger relationship. Wars around the world had been put on hold and the fast pace of daily life had been temporarily slowed down.

           For Lisa and Gary, this pandemic was just one more stepping stone for them to get across. They felt deep down in their hearts that the day would come when they could put all of these difficult times behind them and start over in a new life together. The only obstacle they still faced was staying safe from the virus for a little while longer. Once they were able to meet for the first time face-to-face, then whatever followed would be easy. When that day will come is something that only God knows.

The End…or just the beginning.