When AJ got recovided!
Day 1
It all starts rather innocuously.
Saturday morning. A working morning since DU adheres to antediluvian notions of workdays.
The daughter wakes up with a cough which soon escalates into a full-blown fever by lunchtime. Could it be the dreaded ‘O’? The Rapid Antigen has the answer. A positive one at that. By that time, we all have horsed around enough to make the mandatory ‘isolation’ seem nutty.
All our breathless weekend plans sadly go bust as weary we work the phones to inform the immediate to take remedial measures.
Day 2
‘Phir Se?’ ‘Are you sure?’ ‘How did you manage? ‘Didn’t you get the shots?’ ‘Kahaan Gayi Thi!’
The barrage of questions that come flying at us would put a Chinese inquisition to shame. Well, since we, as a family, were loyal to the Delta Variant, surely we couldn’t ignore its infectious cousin, Omicron! Bura maan jaati zaroor! So we went shopping for it. We had shots too, more like the Tequila variety.
The day is spent attending to commiserating calls which are anything but that. Food starts arriving from well-wishers after the initial aghast.
Day 3
The penny finally drops. We are quarantined for a week and we have covid. But as delta veterans, we are battle-ready. Right from the oximeter to the concentrator.
The only entertainment in this depressing scenario is the lobby boy ringing the bell and then scooting away to ten feet safety and peeking scarily from there, the moment we open the door. What does he think? Will I lob a pandemic bomb at him or will I explode into millions of Covid germs? Let him come back with his annual feedback form! I’ll show him!
Unlike the usual, we will emerge fatter from our covid isolation, looking at the variety of food being sent.
Day 4
Dripping noses is the order of the day. I’m sounding so masculine that the intercom guy addresses me as Sir. Whenever I sing, merely to alleviate the ennui, I sound like a clogged Usha Uthup on a bad trip day or a congested Tina turner perhaps. My ode to Metal grunge or a Mick jagger mashup definitely!
The amount I’ve sneezed, coughed and gagged, ideally, I should have shed 5 kilos at least. But the Zalim weighing machine remains as unfaithful as ever. I spray sanitiser maniacally everywhere hoping like hell nobody lights a match.
Note to self - I shall rise from these piles of tissues.
Day 5
The sofa has enough dust to write addresses on. The dust magnet I, armed with mops galore, and with ‘Tere Ore, Tere Ore Hai Rabba’, followed by ‘TumMile Toh Milgayi Yeh Jahaan’ blaring in my ringing ears (metaphorical much!) sweep and swab till I flop. Cursing my prehistoric Spotify mix, I shuffle only to play ‘Winds of Change’
In my online classes, the students plead with me to switch my video off as my voice is cracking. Me thinks they are frightened to see the witchy me. That’s the Bhayanak truth!
Day 6
Darr ke aage Jeet Hain!
It is back to business already.
The commiserations calls have long stopped. Husband is busily preparing for an exam on IPL. Son is ignoring my ’pickup-it’s urgent’ calls. Dad is back to assigning long google-search-filter works while mother wants to know about screen sharing while presenting. The chaos originator, the daughter, is only google-meeting.
Day 7
The help starts tomorrow. We have to get the house ready for her. Lest she say, ‘Ghar kitna ganda kiya mere peeche! Kitna time lagega safai mein!’ So I wash the pile of utensils sparkling clean, Daughter and husband do the rest.
Phew, easy as that!
Managing the seven day quarantine period.
Read something good. Rest while you can. Recuperate with a vengeance and Recreate some old memories. Because eventually this too shall pass!
AJ wants to know if the future variants will forgive her if she says 'no more, please!'
The ’Stay Positive’ bit is overdone much!
Anupama Jain is the author of ‘Kings Saviours & Scoundrels -Timeless Tales from Katha Sarita Sagara’. These are Eternal Tales of India, Retold for the world,
‘When Padma Bani Paula', a breezy novel about acing the second chances of life by staying true to one’s roots, 'Masala Mix: Potpourri Of Shorts', a short story collection on the myriad manifestations of love
A community builder, a multi-awarded blogger, closet Master Chef, green thumb and an educator, Anupama is based out of Gurugram.
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