So, the world has shut down due to a certain virus. This lockdown has naturally postponed my travel plans and also my plans to become famous. However, it did bring about a nice opportunity recently...
A certain person that I have been trying not to like too much due to the potential emotional fallout had a birthday last week. Owing to our previous discussions about drinks she liked but could not remember, I bought her a Juice Journal. I brought this journal and a mini bottle of scotch that did not fit in the valentine I had made for her in February, and I took these to her parents' house, where she was staying for the weekend while visiting from San Antonio. Bear in mind that we are under shelter in place orders, so I have only left the house for food and drinks, and even having dinner with my grandpa has made me somewhat nervous.
So I arrive at the house and in my mind, I am wondering how to stay six feet apart and talk, when she just says "want to come in?" and I give the honest reply of "...yeah" and I do so. She loves the gifts and I meet her bengal cats, one of whom strolls up to me in a reportedly surprising move, as this one is typically less social. She has been working with patients who have the virus in the ICU, so essentially the front lines, and we discuss treatments and annoying doctors and time flows by. Her mother returns from mowing the lawn and her father from work, and as they bring out this free pizza that he had acquired, I start to try to leave. But it is made clear to me that I am not allowed to leave, so I sit down and have dinner with this gorgeous friend and her parents. She and I sit side by side with myself opposite her father, and her opposite her mother. We talk about the virus, about her father's job in landscaping, about bee keeping, about this and that. At one point, this girl says something with an incredibly strong country accent and I am fairly certain that I reflexively winced at it.
After we finished the meal, I insisted that I needed to leave in order to keep my family from discovering that I broke quarantine. The lady toward whom I struggle to restrain affections offers to walk me out. It seemed like it could potentially be a moment to tell her that I liked her, particularly considering that this was the first time I had seen her since I had sent the valentine (and the actual last time I had seen her was in mid-December). But I had decided before going there that this was not the time, and I am glad that I am holding onto that much sanity. We had not actually physically touched throughout our interaction over the past few hours, but I then gave her a hug, officially tearing quarantine asunder.
I do not know how her family perceived me, but hopefully well enough. With her, I am attempting to invest in a lifelong friend regardless of whether any romance has a chance to blossom.
