“When are we going on this date?” I ask.
“Actually, I am taking you out for dinner right now before I head home. I have to be at work at midnight.” He smiles and grabs my hand.
I don’t get the chance to change out of my work clothes before I am placed gently in his car, and we take off, leaving my brother and Andre standing there with their mouths hanging open.
One month later…
I can’t tell you that Jamal and I have had the best first month of dating. We got interrupted on our first date when his phone went off with an emergency. I had to call my brother to come and pick me up so that Jamal could go to the hospital.
The following week, we found out that Jamal tested positive for the virus and had to be quarantined for fourteen days. When he was feeling up to it, we talked on the phone. Most of the time I went to work and waited to see how he was feeling.
Life has been difficult since the virus hit, but it has taught me so much about myself.
Be happy with what you have. Life throws curveballs at you that you aren’t ready for.
To Be Continued...
About JA Lafrance
JA resides in Northern Ontario Canada but is originally from Toronto, the capital of Ontario. She and her loving husband have three beautiful children. When she is not locked in her writing cave, she works with the board of education as a supply Educational Assistant.
She loves watching hockey and soccer and enjoys talking to the many people she has made friends with through her craft.
JA enjoys a good joke and sharing them. It is why she is seen more with a smile on her face than a frown.
http://jalafrance.wixsite.com/website
COVID’s Arrow
V.J. Allison, Edits donated by Cameron Allie
When two grocery store cashiers are in love, social distancing cannot prevent them from being together — COVID’s Arrow
COVID’s Arrow
Hilt’s Grocery Store, Bridgewter, Nova Scotia…
Vicki Demone stood behind her assigned register and wiped down her side of the recently installed plexiglass barrier and uttered a long sigh. It had been another busy morning, filled with the usual kind customers, but the amount of rude people had been slowly increasing since the social distancing rules began.
She flipped a lock of hair out of her eyes as she recalled the last customer who had gone through Mason’s checkout, barely five minutes ago. The man had been extremely rude, from saying a number of offensive terms about other people, the distancing itself, and how it was inconveniencing his lifestyle.
The customer had caused such an uproar, Vicki could hear it well above the din of her own register beeping and the quiet chatting between people at a distance. Mason being screamed at was only part of the abuse they took on a daily basis with the virus restrictions in place. Social distancing was the norm now, even with things slowly opening up.
Like Mason, hearing a customer complain was not unusual for her, after working as a customer service representative for the last five years. She had started at Hiltz’s Grocery eight months ago, and although she loved the work, it was exhausting. She would go home from a shift, dragging her feet, and barely able to take a shower before crawling into bed and falling asleep. Working six shifts a week instead of her usual four had taken its toll.
She glanced at him across the two-register gap between them, and let out a soft sigh as he leaned over to wipe down the conveyor belt, as he always did between customers nowadays. His black polo shirt stretched taut against his back, showcasing the sky-blue store logo tight against his lean musculature. The back of his brown hair brushed the top of the collar, showcasing how long it had been since he’d had his hair cut. Vicki’s fingers tingled as she wondered what it would be like to feel its softness against her palms.
A sharp stab of longing ran through her. She missed their talks in the lunchroom during their breaks, or before and after a shift, as well as their movie nights. He had become her best friend before social distancing and the stay-at-home order came from the Premier.
Mason glanced over his shoulder and his brown eyes met her gaze. He gave her a sad smile, one that conveyed his frustration over the last customer. Vicki returned it and sighed inwardly, wishing they could stand next to each other, so they could talk privately. It wasn’t easy to share their innermost secrets with the required two metres between them. She had been to his place a few times, in the public areas of his apartment building’s lawn, and he had done the same with hers, but it wasn’t the same. It was not like they were in a theatre, or hanging out, watching hockey at either of their places, like they had just started doing when the virus hit Nova Scotia, and the State of Emergency edict had been declared.
Vicki glanced to the left and saw her supervisor, Carrie, approaching. She was one of Vicki’s favorite people, and the reason why Vicki loved working at Hiltz’s Grocery.
“Vicki, go on your break. I’ll take care of this.” Carrie gestured to the register and smiled. She stood a ways from the register, to keep social distancing protocols in place.
Vicki nodded and smiled as she exited her area behind the plexiglass. “Gotcha. See you in half an hour, boss.”
“Tell Mason it’s time for his break too, he’s been on since eight this morning,” Carrie replied and typed her code into the register.
Vicki’s heart raced, and a surge of joy went up her spine. She and Mason hadn’t had a break together in three weeks, and although they called and texted each other, and chatted via social media, it wasn’t the same. It would be nice to have five minutes with him. He had said a similar thing during his last text to her that morning, long before their shifts had started. It was almost as if he felt the same.
With a shake of her head, she firmly reminded herself that the wistfulness she felt in his words could have been wishful thinking. Her crush on him started not long after they became friends by talking and hanging out in the lunch room together, as well as her time under him as a trainee. They had immediately clicked, and were fast friends.
She rolled her shoulders and grinned when her gaze met his. “Carrie said to put your sign up and take your break,” she said, with a nod toward the end of the conveyor belt. Thankfully, no one was at his register.
Mason’s eyes lit up when he glanced over at Carrie standing behind Vicki’s assigned register. “Are you on break too?” he asked as he slapped the Please Use Next Register sign on the belt.
Vicki nodded with a smile she hoped wouldn’t give away her true feelings, exhilaration making her feel lighter than a cloud.
He fell in step with her—at the required distance—and grinned.
She felt like the sun had come out right after a hurricane—the air was light, fresh, and smelled amazing. Being near Mason always did that to her. No matter how bad she was feeling, he could always bring up her mood.
“What time are you off?” he asked as they reached the stairs to the upper level.
Vicki started going up first, and she could hear his treads as he followed a few steps behind her. He wouldn’t let a woman go after him. He was chivalrous to the core. Hopefully he was checking her out, she was wearing her favorite jeans that showcased her butt. “I’m off at six,” she replied, and glanced over her shoulder.