I had a chance to get away last weekend, so I took it. It was the beginning of the craziness when the coronavirus was hitting us in early March. It was a Monday, talking to my friend at work. She says “I have the place and the car, you just need to get to there do you want to go?” Hell ya! I figured it out within a couple hours, adjusted my schedule and booked my flight on Tuesday. Informed the kids, no questions; they are old enough plus I started my me-cations a couple years ago. This won’t be exactly by myself but it’s close enough…it’s a getaway to someplace warm.
My intention was to not follow any media, social networks; kinda go off the grid but of course stay in contact with the kids. However, it started immediately after I arrived in Tampa on Saturday. Text from Matthew that the public schools were closing starting Monday. Last week, colleges closed and would do all online after break; I have 3 in college. Now the other 3 won’t be going to school either. So much blew up with the virus with closings, travel while I was away. Couldn’t escape the chaos as much as I tried.
The last day for me, I’m laying on the beach, my brother calls. Warns me about shutdowns and quarantines-social distancing going to be imposed. Within the same hour, my boss texts that there’s no work until further notice. So now I have no job to go home to due to this COVID -19 cutbacks. Plus I’m going home to all the kids being home: we are all housebound. Marcus is the only one with a job cuz the restaurant can do take out. Trying to enjoy my vacation has been interrupted by the start of a pandemic. So now I change my flight to a direct one with Southwest. Was booked on Delta and had a layover in Atlanta…NO WAY was I going to get potentially stuck there!
So after all the discussion we didn’t want to have about this pandemic and our upheaval of life when we returned, we did enjoy some nice weather and a little serenity.
Serenity now; Insanity later!
Frank Costanza – Seinfeld
