Liam's Journal, Chapter 5
July 3rd, 2020:
Being married is great! I think Tony has finally internalized that we really are family and I'm not going to go away. I love looking at my new ring and realizing what it means. I love looking into my husband's eyes, knowing we are one.
In practical terms, it's not like our world had changed a lot. We're still doing the things we did before. Only, now, we do it as a legally-recognized couple.
We'll be going to the store late on Tuesday night and working into the wee hours to be ready for the surge of customers when they get their weekly ads in Wednesday's paper.
No, we're not in trouble for having taken last week off. We reserved the time before we took the jobs. There was no way we were going to mess up our wedding and honeymoon plans for a few bucks.
July 4th:
The Independence Day celebration was really low-key this year. Most local communities canceled their usual festivities. Tony says we'll have to make our own fireworks. That's a definite possibility, or I should say, a definite probability. We did buy some sparklers to share with the kids who live next door to his grandmother tonight. We'll all stay socially distanced on our own side of the chain-link fence. That way, the little ones can enjoy the sight without risking getting Covid or getting burned.
July 5th:
We spent part of yesterday having a picnic with our closest buds and their families. It was at Sawyer's house, so we got to use the pool. All the family members were invited, so Collin was there and so was Gio's sister, her boyfriend, and his mother. Even though they've tested negative, Gio's parents are still absenting themselves from gatherings for fear they might have come in contact with an infected person through the restaurant.
I read on the `net that there have been 2,832,492 confirmed cases in the US with 129,646 deaths, while 883,561 have recovered. I wonder how they count Ed in those statistics. Theoretically, he had recovered from the virus, but his lungs were too weakened for him to live.
On a brighter note, we're heroes to the little ones next door. They want to adopt us as uncles. We're thinking we might want a family someday after we've grown up ourselves.
We did watch some fireworks on TV, but somehow it wasn't the same. I hope the country will be safe enough for a real party next year.
The President spoke at Mt. Rushmore yesterday without having any social distancing or mask protocols in place. He didn't mention the pandemic at all. He did say that monuments, like the one there, to four former Presidents would never be desecrated. That's in response to people who want to remove or tear down statues of Civil War generals and of others who were slave-owners. As Black Lives Matter activists have pointed out, half of the ones represented on the South Dakota monument fall into that category, namely, Washington and Jefferson.
I haven't mentioned the racial unrest resulting from the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police, and I'm remiss in not doing so. I've been so caught up in the pandemic and how it's affected Tony and me personally. It really shows that I'm part of white privilege, I guess.
The same day that Tony and I were making plans for our wedding, there was a protest in Iowa City over Mr. Floyd's death. It was fairly peaceful, unlike those in other cities which have resulted in deaths and destruction of property.
On the day we got married, there were arrests during a protest in Des Moines. It seems surreal. Here we were starting our lives together, and a couple of hours away, people were marching.
I feel sad that our brothers and sisters are being hurt by the very institutions which are supposed to protect all of us, all because of the color of their skin! I'm just not sure what I can do about it! I feel helpless.
July 10th:
Wow, this pandemic is growing! Now there are 34,043,147 confirmed cases in the US. That's an increase of over 31,000,000 in less than a week. With 613,029 deaths, that's 483,383 more deaths in the same period of time. Fortunately, in Iowa, we've lost only 6,158 people to date. That's still a lot. This ain't Kansas, Dorothy, and this ain't the flu!
July 12th:
I'm not going to look at the statistics for a while. This is driving me crazy. Tony and I get tested if there are any reports of customers coming down with the virus. That's enough stress. We do want to protect our families, but it's difficult waiting for results. Fortunately, the newer tests can be read quickly.
In the meantime, we are doing little projects to keep our spirits up. We installed a new kitchen faucet for Grandma Adelade this week. You would have thought we were geniuses from the way she raved over it. It was a piece of cake. Ed had the necessary tools in his cupboard in the garage. Of course, she would have paid a service call from a plumber, and those aren't cheap. She was going to pay us, but we reminded her that she provides us lodging part of the time and we need to try to earn our keep.
Mom has an antique rocking chair which needs reglueing and refinishing. That will take a while. Again, Ed had the clamps we'll need to hold the seat in place while the glue is setting, and the workshop to do it in. That man was a do-it-yourselfer for sure. Tony and I are learning by watching tutorials online.
July 15th:
It's income tax deadline today. That doesn't mean anything to our household because my parents filed at the traditional April time. Tony and I will get to file next year as a married couple! We should get everything back since we're earning below the poverty-line.
The White House keeps downplaying the Covid numbers as they continue to climb. There's a big push for the major pharmas to come up with a vaccine. They need something to redeem themselves after the way they pushed opioids, claiming they were safe when they knew there were addiction problems. It's a shame to see the young athletes who suffered injuries and took them for pain, only to end up dying from an overdose when they got hooked. Many parents worried about marijuana being a gateway drug, and here it's been legal pain pills which ruined the lives of their children.
July 30th:
Mom posted the "before and after" pictures of the rocker and we have two jobs lined up from people on her Facebook account. They are offering good money to do them, so it looks like we'll have some extra income! Adelade is happy for us to do the work in Ed's shop. It makes her feel closer to him.
August 4th:
Well, there's already a controversy over our fall semester at the university. It looks like there will be a hybrid of some sort with online classes and in-person ones.
The Johnson County supervisors are concerned about the spread of Covid in the area with some 30,000 students predicted to come here in the fall. They feel that the virus will grow exponentially with kids in close contact in dorms as well as parties and pub crawls. Given the totally irresponsible behavior of many on spring break earlier this year, it's a definite possibility.
Tony and I won't be living on campus. We will be masked, and we'll remain socially distanced as much as possible. We're taking this seriously!
I read an article online which says over 300 faculty and staff have petitioned to go entirely virtual this fall. However, plans are for the dorms to open August 14th, 10 days before classes are to begin. I hope this isn't going to be a hotspot for Covid cases!
August 8th:
Today Bernie Sanders dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination for President. He's throwing his support to Biden even though his leanings are closer to those of Elizabeth Warren. He doesn't think a woman can win the office at this point in history. He might be right. Biden is more centrist and could stand a chance, I guess. But he's older than Trump and I was hoping to vote of Mayor Pete. And yes, part of my choice has to do with his orientation. He's one of us! So, sue me.
August 9th:
Wow! Our wedding announcement was in the "Milestones" section of the Gazette today. Now, anyone who happens to read it will know we're husbands. We submitted a full-color picture of us standing on the grand staircase at Stone Manor with this caption:
Mr. Liam Egger and Mr. Anthony Weston were united in holy matrimony on July 1st, 2020, by Father Jerry Martin. The grooms' parents are William and Carol Egger of Iowa City and Lloyd and Patrice Weston of Chicago. Their attendants were Benjamin Lewis, Jr, Giovani Thompson, Sawyer Smith, and Travis Britton. The couple will attend the University of Iowa this fall.
We tried to keep it short.
August 10th:
Boy did we dodge the bullet in Iowa City this morning! Our neighbors to the north in Cedar Rapids got hit by a derecho which wiped out about 70 percent of their tree-canopy.
It all happened in about 45 minutes of straight-line winds which reached hurricane strength with gusts estimated at 150 miles per hour. Imagine getting caught in that! Utility lines are down everywhere, and thousands of residents are without power. Luckily, cell phone service is still up.
They don't need this on top of the pandemic! What idiot said that God gives you only what you can stand? Who says what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger? I'd like to see some of them in that situation and watch how their glib statements hold up.
August 12th:
Our store manager is sending Tony and me to Cedar Rapids with a truckload of bottled water to hand out in shelters where residents are hunkering down after their apartment buildings were hit by the derecho. Some places were totally destroyed and will have to be torn down. Many of the people who lived in them are immigrants who have fled from war-torn countries and didn't have much to begin with. I'm glad our store managers have big hearts.
August 14th:
The influx of students has begun. I'm happy we're not fighting for a parking place and unloading our crap in a dorm. Downtown traffic is picking up already.
August 24th:
Well, it's the first day of classes. Tony and I signed up for a hybrid schedule. We're used to it, having done a lot of online learning last year. Our main in-person class is biology, and the teacher is planning to do a lot of the lab-type projects early in case we get shut down. I think she's smart to do so.
Mom is doing something similar in her classes. She's experienced and can switch quickly if she has to. We're all holding our collective breath.
September 2nd:
There have already been some Covid cases on campus. There is a designated "sick" area in certain dorms to isolate people who have tested positive to prevent them from spreading the virus to others. Some aren't taking it seriously. Officials are trying a tracking system for those who have had positive test results so that their contacts can be warned. Tony and I have signed up to be tracers. It's mostly done by phone and it's a little extra money! Hey, married couples have to at least look like they're being responsible for their upkeep.
September 11th:
There was a low-key observance of the attack which brought down the World Trade Towers 19 years ago. It's kinda strange to realize this tragedy happened before most of my friends were born. Right now, we're too focused on the pandemic to think of much else. That, in itself, is sad. There's so much violence and hatred in our world. I wish we could have peace. Maybe that's only achievable in the next life....
September 15th:
Not much to write about. Our classes are off to a rapid start. Tony and I are both doing well. We don't find expectations to be greater than we're used to because we took a lot of AP classes in high school, and City High teachers don't let you loaf!
September 18th:
News isn't great at the university. According to the Cedar Rapids Gazette, our total cases of Covid reached 1,912 today. That up 44 since Wednesday and we're among the highest across the country for institutions of higher learning. How's that for bragging rights? Only 33 of the cases are employees, meaning that students account for most of it.
Alabama and North Carolina are ahead of us. I guess we need more sickies to stay in competition.
The article shows picture of students gathered without masks or social distancing in off-campus parties and the like. Those officials who thought we weren't responsible enough have proven to be correct. Shame on us!
Many members of our academic community have called on officials to go entire online, but they won't do it. They say that a lot of students want face-to-face learning, and that 78 percent of classes already have online options.
Tony and I are now going online with everything but our biology lab. Even that class has a hybrid option so that the usual classroom lecture part can be done remotely. We're into that!
The university plans to go full-steam and end the semester by Thanksgiving. That should help cut down on the infection rate. They're also cancelling spring break for next term! That's unheard of.
September 30th:
Not much to write about. It's the same old grind from day to day. In a way, that's good. We can live without a lot of drama.
In a rare night off from our studies and our jobs, we got together with our best buds for some karate practice. That was a great break! Not only did we enjoy the exercise, but we needed the social part. With so much of our learning online, it's like a continuation of our last term in high school. Will this pandemic ever end?
October 2nd:
Again, there's not much to write about. We keep busy by working parttime and being in school fulltime. Um, we did celebrate our first month anniversary last night, even though there was class the next day. We're kinda glad to be doing almost everything online. No one could tell we hadn't showered this morning! It's a good thing technology hasn't advanced to the point of sharing odors....
On the virus scene, the news isn't good. As of today, we've had 90,754 confirmed cases. Of those, 1,142 were recorded from yesterday. There have been 1,367 deaths, nine new ones yesterday. Over half of those have been in long-term care facilities. Currently, there are 393 patients in the hospital. We need a vaccine, and soon!
October 12th:
Well, it's Columbus Day! To me, it's not as big of a deal as it was when I was six years old. I thought he was the greatest person in the world for discovering this land. In fact, he WAS one of the best dead-reckoning sailors of all time. However, today, I think of how many native peoples in this hemisphere died because Europeans came to steal their gold and brought diseases which decimated them. The indigenous people already knew about this world. It makes me wonder if some alien "Columbus" will arrive from another planet and do to us what we did to the natives here.
I heard that South Dakota, to our northwest, is one of the states which celebrates Native American Day instead. I guess that's a step in the right direction. Still, there's a lot of discrimination against people who aren't white. Some of the observances have been canceled due to Covid anyway.
I seem to be rambling because not much is going on. Maybe I'll lay off for a couple of weeks.
October 22nd:
Twenty days ago, I recorded the Iowa Covid cases. Today, another 1,401 new cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours. That brings the total to 110,974. That's a lot of people for a state with a small population.
The good news is that 58,599 have recovered. That's 976 more than what were reported Wednesday. Sadly, 15 more died.
October 31st:
Halloween is kind of a bust for everyone but us. Little kids aren't trick or treating like in normal years. Festivities for tweens and teens have mostly been canceled. I'm sure there were some off-campus parties. In fact, we were even invited to one. However, it wasn't with our close buds, and we aren't taking chances on getting sick. Gio originally was going to host one, but his mother wasn't feeling well. It turned out to be a cold, which is a good thing. She's not taking any chances either.
Tony and I had our own private party. We thought it might be fun to role-play. He was a pirate who rescued me for a desert island, and I had to be his slave to pay him back. How's that for celebrating Halloween?
Earlier in the day, we did observe All Saints' Day even though it falls on a Monday this year. A virtual church commemoration is better than nothing.
November 2nd:
Well, tomorrow is election day. Wow! If you go online or watch local TV, everything is about how wonderful one party's candidate is and how terrible his or her opponent is. Things are getting pretty nasty.
November 3rd:
It looks like Biden won. Who woulda thunk it? Of course, there are some places where the votes will be recounted, but it looks like Biden's victory is the same percentage as Trump's win over Hillary four years ago. He called that a landslide-win then. However, he's not conceding now.
The change in administration could make a difference in the handling of the pandemic and racial relations. The outgoing President is digging in and claiming voter fraud. He didn't see this loss coming and won't accept the results. Hmm... Even Fox News is declaring that Biden won. How's that work?
November 6th:
I just learned the meaning of the word, "snafu.: It's, "systems normal, all fucked up!" I'll bet a lot of very proper people don't know what the "f" stands for or they wouldn't use it.
Anyway, snafu describes how things are going right now. There's often news of another mass shooting. It's so common that we don't really take much notice. How sad it that? Each time, there's a senseless loss of life.
November 8th:
Well, the other shoe dropped today in a big clamorous bang. Tony complained that his granola must have gone beyond its "best by" date because it was just like so much sawdust in his bowl and seemed to get bigger in his mouth. I took a taste and found it to be fine. Knowing that the loss of the senses of taste and smell are symptoms of Covid infection, I sprayed some lemon-scented air freshener in the kitchen where Adelade keeps it under the sink to tame the garbage sack. He couldn't smell a thing!
We got dressed and I drove us to a testing station. We were seen immediately and told to isolate until the results were in. We went home and quarantined.
Adalade says she's not worried about getting infected again because she's got antibodies built up in her system. We're still being careful, keeping our distance and sterilizing everything in sight. I've texted everyone we've been near during the past 72 hours, at least those for whom I had contact information. I turned us in on the tracking system that we've been helping with. It would be hypocritical for me not to!
November 9th:
The tests results were positive for both of us! I still have no symptoms, but Tony has developed a fever. We've been advised to treat him at home unless his temperature goes higher. I'm all for that because I'm sure they wouldn't let me be with him in the hospital even though I'm his husband. I don't want him to be alone. Hey, I vowed to be with him through sickness and health and all that other stuff. I'm gonna be there!
November 10th:
The past 24 hours have been the longest in my life! Tony's temperature finally began to drop about 4:30 this morning. Then he was cold, so I piled blankets on him and held him close. Yeah, it was really hot for me, but not in the sense we'd have liked it to be. I made him Cream of Wheat for breakfast, and he ate all of it despite not being able to taste it. He said the warm, creamy texture was soothing. That's great! He made some naughty remarks about other warm, creamy stuff he's been missing. I think he's getting better!
November 14th:
We're still in isolation, of course. Tony is feeling well enough to do his classwork online, but he tires easily. He keeps saying that he's blessed not to have had as bad a case as that Dimitri Kid from Tiffin. He also says he's blessed to have a caring husband. That made me tear-up. He's so sweet!
November 22nd:
Tony and I are officially out of quarantine today. His sense of taste is coming back! I shouldn't record what the first substance was that he could taste. I suspect anyone who knows us well could guess. I'm sure our buddy, Travis would know! It's so cool to be able to share our bodies completely again!
November 26th:
Thanksgiving today was a lot like Easter. We brought Adelade to my family's house. We did a zoom thing with my grandparents in California.
They get along with Tony's grandma like old friends. Of course, not having Ed as part of the group made us all a bit sad.
Anyway, the food was great! Mom taught us to make the fresh cranberry relish she's famous for. It's good to have another family recipe in our repertoire! I'm creating a file of family favorites plus copies of new things we try from the `net.
It's also great to have the first term of our freshman year over. Grades got posted quickly and we're pleased to have done very well, despite all the obstacles that have been thrown in our path.
November 30th:
Though she never said so, I got the feeling that Mom figured Tony and I got infected because we were careless. NOT SO! We just found out that the likely source was the biology lab assistant. He was lax about getting tested and even lied about it. When asked for proof, he admitted he'd been "too busy" to make it to some of his mandatory tests. I'm not sure who let him slip by, but I suspect it was one of the teachers who has the hots for him. Anyway, he's lost his assistantship and someone in the department has resigned. If anyone got sick and died from the virus, I think the lab dude should be charged with manslaughter at least. Fortunately for everyone, no deaths have occurred from being infected by him. I made sure to let Mom know who gave it to us!
December 12th:
Late Friday night, the USDA authorized the first Covid-19 vaccine for use in this country. The emergency authorization means that doses can be shipped at any time and people could get the shots as early as next week.
December 15th:
The first people to get vaccinated are the most vulnerable, that is, those in nursing facilities. I guess that's fair. They're essentially trapped! They really have no say about going somewhere to stay safe or whatever. I guess the front-line workers like doctors and nurses will be next in line. Mom will be fairly high on the list because she does some clinical work. Hospital volunteers will also be in that group. Dad will have to wait because he can work entirely from home, and he is young enough not to be considered at high risk. Then young studs like Tony and me will probably have to wait until next summer. Of course, in our case, we should have some immunity because we've had it and recovered. I worry about Collin.
December 25th:
Christmas was a lot like Thanksgiving, very subdued. I hope in a year's time all this pandemic will be behind us and we can live normal lives again. I'm ready. With more vaccines on the market, it might be possible. If not, at least I have my hubby to share the holidays with.
January 1st:
The party last night was at Benji's house. We wondered if we would be invited in light of our having contracted Covid back in November. None of our friends were worried about that. They treated us like heroes for having survived it. They even drank a champagne toast in honor of our half year of wedded bliss. They couldn't believe that we've lived together that long in relative confinement without having a fight of some sort. Hey, we're newlyweds! Besides, the tests we took in premarital counseling showed that we're highly compatible.
I think part of having the toast was because Benji wanted to have a wee bit of alcohol to see the new year in. No one got sloppy. There wasn't enough to even make us silly.
January 6th:
I can't believe what happened today. A mob of crazies stormed the Senate Chambers in the Capitol. We saw all the footage several times. It makes our country look like a banana republic! We've always been known for having a peaceful transition of power. That's what democracy is all about. We learned all this in government classes last year.
One woman was killed in the incident and several policemen were injured. The National Guard is now keeping the peace. Grandpa Fred said he's never seen anything like it, and he's been around since Truman.
January 20th:
Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. was sworn in today as the 46th President of the United States. Along with him, Kamala Harris became the first female Vice-president ever. This comes 100 years after women were granted the right to vote. That's a lot of time to wait!
January 25th:
Spring term has started and will end May 14th because there will be no spring break. It will be a long haul, but I guess it's for the best. College students didn't behave responsibly last year, so why would anyone expect us to this year?
I think I'm going to stop journaling now. I could pick it up again, I suppose. However, with going full-tilt until May, I don't have the time or the desire.
So, call me a wimp, or a sassy brat! I don't care! :p
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Author's notes:
Well, Liam carried through to help his creator when the muse seemed to have fled the scene. I'm not sure when or if that spirit of inspiration will reappear. If it does happen, I'll send out an alert message to those on my list. Anyway, it's been a fun ride these past several years.
Thanks to all who emailed since last posting: Tony C, Joe S, Walter S, Mendy D, Gordon, John L, Bill T, Paul F, Ott H, Paul R, Jim W (2), Frank K, Starfish, Allen B, and George N. I hope I haven't missed anyone!
Thanks to David for editing.
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David