As I walked to the school to pick up some workbooks for my kids, I was stopped by an older, Muslim woman standing by an ancient, broken down Mercedes. Her car was filled to the brim with groceries, she was wearing torn surgical gloves, and she was coughing a bit with her scarf around her mouth. She looked like she had been driving for a long time and that she came from far away. She asked if I would call a car repair service for her and I did not have a cell phone, so I told her I would get one from my house when I got back from the school.
How did she end up here? She seemed like she was fleeing from something.
When I next saw her, I asked if she still needed help and she said that the car repair service had been called. She sat behind the wheel in a sort of meditative state, like someone with nothing left in the tank.
I went to check on her an hour later and she wasn’t there.
This day is making my head hurt and the notice about housepets transmitting the disease is making this worse.
My husband and I planned to go out this evening to buy a printer and a radio, but we soon discovered that the electronics store will be closed for the next two weeks. He was in the shopping mall and only the supermarket was open. I wanted a printer because I read that in Italy, you need to print out a special certificate whenever you leave the house. That and the kids also have to print out things for school.
For the first few hours of the day, the shops are only open for the elderly and the stores have food, but I am worried. By afternoon, things like oats and eggs are sold out. Wheat production was bad in the past few years and the only place with a surplus is the US. The nightly news reported that because of the border closures, there is a shortfall of several thousand seasonal workers for the spring planting. They usually come over from Poland.
On some level, I know I’m being crazy. I just chopped up a pineapple and a watermelon while my youngest juiced some oranges. My middle child then sent me away from the kitchen because she wanted to watch her favorite show while she made French toast. We will eat together in about an hour and I will have the rest of the chili and cornbread that only I like.
I went into my husband’s office to let him know about our meal and he shushed me. He was busy composing a list of workers who will be given certificates that will allow them to drive to work. If you don’t have one in your windsheild, the police will stop you.
I really do have a headache, but I forgot to drink coffee today, so that explains it.. I hope.
I told my husband that I shouldn’t be going out shopping tomorrow if I have a headache and he shushed me and told me to see if I feel better tomorrow. I am in bed and have that sort of thinking through sludge feeling that always precedes a cold. Is this psychosomatic? I guess I’ll find out tomorrow!
Kirsten Hacker 
Be well Kirsten!
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