Taiye and I were catching feelings and feelings can be funny things. Feelings can be like the proverbial genie in the bottle. One moment you are going your merry way, hooking up and going at it like rabbits then the next, you are feeling all mushy and shit. The genie was out of the bottle and Taiye and I had become a bit tentative with each other.
That is what happens when a situationship transforms into a relationship and love. You begin to look at each other with different eyes, the simplest things assume significance and nothing will ever stay the same again.
So, last night, we watched television, drinking red wine and bingeing on Netflix until sleep came. We showered together, brushed and then crashed naked and in each other’s arms, Taiye’s head resting on my chest.
We slept in till about 10am when Taiye roused and ran her fingers over my growing beard.
“Are we going to shave any time soon,” she asked as she kissed me.
I kissed her back, tasting morning breath and half-hearted desire.
“Nope. this is my Corona vex,” I said pulling her close to me and rubbing my stubble all over her face.
“Stop it, cave man,” she said laughing.
“Cave man horny. Woman not horny,” I said tickling her.
“Oh Zeal, stop, I hate being tickled,” she cried trying to escape but I grabbed her, pinned her down and kissed her so deep she responded and then by the time I took one nipple in my mouth, Taiye was the one pulling me to herself and kissing me like I was a ventilator to a Covid-19 patient.
Our love making was slow and tender and sweet and she was screaming and crying and pounding on my chest as she came.
“I love you, T” I said as I held her close and there were tears in her eyes as she looked up at me.
“Don’t say that if you don’t mean it. You know I can’t move away. I own the fucking apartment and so do you.”
I know,” I said “And I don’t want you to move away.”
We dozed off for a bit but hunger pangs began to bite so I rolled off her and pulled on my boxers.
“I will make breakfast,” I told her.
“I will join you,” she said, getting up too.
I made wraps; flatbread with corned beef and cheese as fillers while Taiye brewed coffee.
Then we sat in my living room and had breakfast while we watched CNN.
It was all the same. The Corona virus had finally crossed the 1 million mark in global infections. Nigeria was heading towards 200. The FG had relaxed the lockdown and markets were open again with people mingling and maybe spreading the virus.
I checked my email. The Lekki client had a visit from the task force enforcing the lock down and they had shut down her construction site. She had sent another mail which I read and ignored.
I had a whatsapp message from Vic asking how I was doing.
“I am good. Shacked up with somebody’s daughter,” I replied.
“Zed man, who is with you? Don’t tell me Chi came from Canada because I know it can’t be Aramide. Me and her chatted yesterday.”
“Nah. Someone new, someone you don’t know.”
“Chai, this boy you are a proper Ashawo. And I am stuck here with your sister and these noisy kids. I don’t even know why I recalled Ify from the US. She should have stayed there after all she is a citizen.”
“Vic, you complain too much. You have a lovely family, enjoy their company.”
“God punish you dia. Enjoy their company says the man shagging a new babe. Bastard.”
I read Vic’s message, laughed and moved on to check my WebmD newsletters in update.
There was an interesting article from WebMD. I scanned through quickly then shared with my sister, Aramide and my parents.
How Do You Know if You Have a ‘Mild’ Case of COVID-19?
…At this point, the list of possible symptoms has grown to include: headache, runny nose, sore throat, weakness, fatigue, muscle aches and pains, nausea, stomach upset, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of smell and taste, and red eyes.
Like everything with COVID-19, this is causing a lot of confusion. Is it possible to have just a runny nose and have COVID-19? Is it possible just to have an upset stomach and diarrhea and have COVID-19? How about a mild fever, sore throat, and muscle aches that go away after a week or two? Could you have already had COVID-19 and not even known?
These are all great questions.
The answer is: It’s possible. It seems that mild disease really can look like anything. The likelihood of having COVID-19, depends in part on if there is an outbreak in your community and if you’ve had exposure to someone who has COVID-19. If you are in parts of New York City, it’s more of a possibility right now than if you are in a part of the country that isn’t seeing much COVID-19 yet…
So what do I do if I am having mild viral symptoms?
Practically speaking, if you feel unwell, you should isolate (find tips here). This means staying home, staying away from family members (stay at least 6 feet away, in a separate room and use a separate bathroom, if possible, don’t share household items, clean and disinfect surfaces) and monitoring your symptoms to make sure you are getting better. Check your temperature daily, watch for worsening cough or shortness of breath. If your breathing worsens, call right away for medical attention. We’ve seen many cases where people are feeling ok, and then suddenly worsen….
So, again, if you start experiencing any symptoms, the best thing to do is isolate and watch. And if you live with someone who is sick, stay home and away from others for 14 days, to make sure you don’t develop symptoms during that time as well.”
Sitting there checking our phones and watching television, we both dozed off. I was first to rouse and I had gone to pee when Taiye joined me in the loo.
“We need to take the bins out. Yours is full and so is mine,’ she told me.
So after using the bathroom, I pulled out the bin bag from the bin in my kitchen then standing outside her door, I waited for Taiye to bring her own bag down and together we walked down stairs for the first time in days.
The guards were quick to take the bags from us and after we washed our hands I gave them N2,000 naira each.
“Una dey see food buy, abi?” I asked and they said yes.
“The hausa woman still dey fry akara and that boy for corner still dey fry yam for night.”
We got in and I had just finished locking the gate that led upstairs when I turned and saw Taiye standing on the landing stark naked. She had pulled off her gown and was standing with her back turned to me.
“Opportunity knocks but once,” she said.
“T, the cameras,” I stuttered taking in her beautiful body.
“Fuck the cameras amigo,” she said as I walked up to her.
She put one leg up on the railings allowing me free rein. I slapped her bum, as I parted her cheeks and slid into her wetness.
Once done, we walked upstairs hand in hand and into her shower. Showered, dressed and decent, we were watching tv when her phone rang.
“Mum, what’s wrong with him? Ha, when did this start? Do you want me to come over? Police and Soldiers on the road. Ok, I will come tomorrow at 10am. Yes, I will tell them I am going to the supermarket. Can I speak to him? Oh, he is resting. Ok, no wahala. Tomorrow. But if anything flares up call Dr. Ajayi. They have an ambulance they can send.”
“What’s up?” I asked when she put down the phone.
It turned out her parents had forgotten that her father had to take his insulin shot. He had woken up dizzy, trembling, sweating, and finding it difficult to concentrate.
“They both forget things these days and with no one in the house to remind them they did’nt remember. I should set alarms, man.”
The news had soiled her mood so she asked me whether it was okay if she went back to her apartment.
“Sure, I will come with you,” I said reaching for the remote to turn off the television.
“Don’t bother Z. Just chill besides I want to talk to my siblings.”
I sighed, kissed her and sat back down.
Alone, I picked up my phone. Twitter told me our Covid-19 stats for positive tests was now 210.
God help us, I prayed because critical mass was looming.