Got The Covid?

David calls. “I have the covid,” he says.

“What?” I say.

“Possibly,” he says. “I have been exposed.”

“Didn’t we used to do that in our 20s?”

“Ha ha,” he says.

He went to a party on Saturday night and now five people from that party have tested positive with it.

He had a party at his place Sunday night and four people from Saturday night attended and a girl has since tested positive to covid from his party.

His piano teacher called to tell him she has come down with it too. And David saw her on Monday.

“So, if I get through this it will be a fucking miracle,” he says.

“What the hell is going on in country NSW?” I ask.

“I was going to Sydney today,” he says. “I had tickets to two shows, Hamilton and Jagged Little Pill and I’ve had to cancel it all.”

“I always thought Alanis Morissette was a bit of a screamer,” I say.

$700 down the drain,” he says.

“Have you had a test?”

“I did one at the pharmacy and it came back negative,” he says. “And I have had my PCR test and I have to wait for that to come back.”

“Is that the up the nose test?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, tell me it is as uncomfortable as it looks?”

“No,” he says. (He didn’t get my humour) “I’ve had it before.”

“Well, you have to stay home until you get that back?”

“Do I?” (She’s such a space cadet sometimes)

“Yes,” I say. “You have to isolate.”

“Do I?” (Takes no notice of world events unless it is, actually, about him)

“Have you painted a red cross on your door?” I ask.

“I’m wearing a red triangle, does that count?” he replies drolly.

“You have to ring a bell wherever you go calling out unclean, unclean?”

“Didn’t we have to do that in our 30s?”

“And we lived through that one.”

We both laugh.

“Hey, if you test positive,” I say. “I’ll finally be able to tell people I know someone who has had it.”

“I’m thrilled for you,” he says.

Some time later...

David calls me to say another person from his party tested positive