*March 21st, 2020*
It's not very often that Dashie and I get the chance to enjoy some fresh air out at the park this time of year. The winter season may have just ended, but in a state like Michigan that doesn't mean very much. The compiled snow on the ground sometimes won't be fully melted until nearly May! However, we are very fortunate today. Back on Groundhog Day, the creature did not see his shadow when he came out of his burrow. Spring came earlier than usual in our area, so Dashie and I decided to make the most of it on this lovely Saturday afternoon and go for a park outing.
"Go, Dashie, go!" I chant as my beautiful daughter soars through the air at her usual breakneck pace.
I must say, our neighborhood and the area around it, including the park, is usually pretty quiet. It used to be a bustling community back when I was just a kid, but over time many of the residents moved away to either find better jobs or because of how old the area was, I assume. The last few years have been especially quiet, but on the first nice day of a typical year, you would see it get about as lively as can be. Who wouldn't want to be outside on a day like today? The temperature is in the mid-60s, with a steady breeze to remind you that the world is living to go along with it, I'm actually rather surprised to not see anyone out here today.
In all of my thought, I hear the faint sound of someone stumbling and look up just in time to see Dashie hurtling towards me with a panicked look after what I could only assume was a wipeout. I try to catch her, but alas, I merely end up breaking her fall as we both eat sand upon impact with the playground floor.
"Oh, my head... Sorry Pops. That breeze really threw me off. One second, I'm going for a ninety-degree left-hander to reset my formation, and the next thing I know, I'm headed right for your gut!" Dashie laughs it off as she gets up. She may not have cartoon physics on her side in my world when it comes to pain, but she sure can take a hit or two. I, on the other hand, wasn't doing as well.
"Mmmm," I wince in pain from the impact with Dashie, and then the ground. "It's okay, Dashie. As long as you're alright?" I slowly stand up, brushing myself off as I inspect Dashie for any damage.
"I'm fine, Dad. I've been through way worse and you know it! You on the other hand don't look so hot... And I'm not just talking about your belly!" I chuckle in response as I turn each of Dashie's hooves over. Other than the occasional bruise, I don't see anything that needs my attention. Dashie is quite the hardhead, so I can't exactly take her word on things like this, so I always make sure she's alright myself. Now that I was certain she was relatively okay, it was time to inspect myself.
"Ouch... Skinned me pretty bad, didn't you Dashie?" I point at my left elbow that had lost some skin and was now bleeding slightly in response. I didn't notice the pain at first, but now that I've seen it, it's all I can feel. It stings, to say the least.
"Oof, I'm sorry Pops... I didn't mean to. We should probably go back home so we can treat that." I was only joking, but it is important for Dashie to know when to apologize. She's nearly an adult at this point, but I'll never stop being her parent. Although the thought of treating myself did make me realize something.
"I'm only joking, sweetie. It's okay. As you said, we've been through worse and this certainly isn't the first time. But, now that I think about it, I'm not sure I have the right stuff to patch this abrasion with. I might need to hop over to the Walgreens down the road real quick.
There was the chance that I was wrong and we did have what we needed. But, Walgreens is a lot closer to the park than home, and I'd hate to be right if we do go home, instead. This wasn't the first time that I've needed to make a detour before heading home from the park. Whether it be groceries, dinner, or a sweet treat for the two of us to share, there's always something to take a detour for if you think about it hard enough. That being said, we knew exactly what to do in this scenario.
"Alrighty, Dad. I guess I'll wait for you here. There's actually this one Cumulous cloud that I've had my eye on since we got here. Looks super comfy! I'll be here until you get back." I smiled at my little girl, as all I could imagine was how good it must feel to lie on a cloud.
"Sounds good, Dashie. I'll be back before you can say 'Sonic Rainboom'. I might even get you a treat from the store while I'm out there for all of the chores you've been doing back home." I give her a quick fist bump as I start walking towards the shopping plaza that was about a mile or so down the road.
Dashie calls out to me as I leave. "I'm in a chocolatey-mood whatever you get! Be safe, Pops!" she flies up to the cloud she was talking about a moment ago as she waves goodbye.
I was lucky that I decided to bring my wallet with me to the park today, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to get what I need and my abrasion might get infected without the proper care. I wave back to Dashie as I turn around to begin my quick journey.
A two-mile roundtrip might sound like a lot to some people. But, after walking double that to get to and from work each and every day for so many years, a two-mile walk on a Saturday is pretty refreshing with this weather. Or, at least it would be if it weren't for the stinging sensation coming from my left elbow constantly.
Despite the pain, I make it to Walgreens just in time to see a dark cloud-cover come rolling over as I reach the parking lot. To be honest, I had no idea what the weather was supposed to be like today. I haven't been on my flip-phone very much recently. With everything going on around the world, I just needed some time away from it. I haven't seen the news or weather channels in the past few days, either. Dashie sure doesn't enjoy watching them, and I can't say that I've ever been much different. Hopefully, I can get in and out with what I need and make it home safely with Dashie before any rain falls if that is indeed in the forecast.
As I make my way through the parking lot to the front doors of the pharmacy, I begin to notice some rather peculiar things. Now, I've never seen a packed Walgreens before, but this was just on another level, especially considering how close it was to rush hour at this point. I could only see two cars in the parking lot, meaning that the pharmacy must be empty inside apart from the employees.
If it weren't for the front automated sliding doors opening when I walk towards them, I probably would assume that the place was closed for whatever reason. Fortunately, that wasn't the case, and I make my way into the greetings of the two employees currently working.
"Hi, welcome to Walgreens." they both say in unison. I wave at them and reply back with a "Hello" as I make my way towards the back of the store where the medical supplies can usually be found. As I walked through the store, however, I begin to notice more out-of-the-ordinary things. The normally full aisles had been dwindled down to their last few layers of product on many of the common items. As I get closer to the gauze and rubbing alcohol, I spot some one-time-use face masks for sale out of the corner of my eye. I know that Walgreens is a pharmacy and everything, but I can't say that I ever recall them selling face masks. No one ever really has a reason to purchase them, after all.
I eventually reach the aisle that I was looking for and locate the medical supplies that I had sought out. Considering the relative emptiness of the aisles themselves, I'm fortunate that they had everything that I needed, even if I do have to reach pretty far back for it and the packaging has its fair share of dust.
I spot a Nestle Crunch Bar on my way to the checkout counter and grab it for Dashie before I forget. She tends to favor Hershey Bars, but she really doesn't know what all is out there. It's good to expand her horizons every once in a while.
I make it to the front counter and hand one of the teenage employees my items. They act like most Walgreens employees would normally, bored, unfeeling, robotic, nonchalant, the list goes on. They tend to act like how most people in my area do these days, but with a little more angst, as well.
Not wanting to fit in with society's tropes, I attempt to make conversation with the cashier. "You guys are really running dry today, aren't you?" I chuckle slightly at the end, trying to make light of the odd situation.
He responds to my question as he takes my payment. "Yeah. It's been tough, we ran out of toilet paper to sell. Everyone's panic buying with what's been going on recently. Would you like your receipt?"
I nod my head and add a "Yes, please." to keep up the chatter. the tired teen hands me my receipt and my items in a bag as I continue. "Yeah, that's usually what happens when you see clouds like this outside. Thank you, and have a great day." I walk out with my bag in tow as the employee waves goodbye from behind the counter. In my peripheral vision, I can see that he has a somewhat puzzled look on his face. He must've seen some of the cyan hair on my shirt that got rubbed in when she decided to use my stomach as a landing strip.
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I quickly make my way back to the park as the cloud cover became thicker and darker. Thinking back on it, I'm not sure how we are doing on other supplies like TP and food for that matter. Hopefully whatever is coming doesn't last very long no matter the case.
Once I make it back to the park, I spot Dashie poking her head out from the Cumulonimbus clouds that had formed up above. I beckon her to come down and follow me home. If it was quiet out here when it was nice and sunny outside, then there was no way that anyone would spot us on our way home with the weather like this.
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I fill Dashie in on just how bizarre the Walgreens was, both inside and out. She eagerly munches on her Crunch bar while she listens and chimes in every so often. I'm lucky that she saved me a couple of squares.
We make it home as quickly as we can walk and I have Dashie hold the bag while I unlock the deadbolt, the Masterlock, and finally, the doorknob. We rush inside as the wind blows the curtains just inside the living room. I close the door and lock everything back just as the rain starts to hit.
"Man, they weren't kidding about people being scared of this. I haven't seen a storm like this in years!" I set the bag down and begin to treat the abrasion that I had nearly forgotten about at this point with everything that there was to think about.
"I know right! I was a little filly the last time it was this bad. I was so scared that night!" Dashie chimes in, reminding me of the night of her first thunderstorm. Although my thought is quickly disturbed by the first roar of thunder.
*Ruuuuuumble*
Dashie's ears perk up at the sound, and I quickly take the opportunity to joke. "You sure you aren't still scared, my little Dashie?" I enjoy a good laugh upon saying that, as Dashie replies with much annoyance in her voice.
"No way, Dad! It just surprised me! I could so easily go out there and tame every cloud in sight and have this storm out of here in ten seconds flat!" She wasn't kidding. Several years ago, I was curious if she could actually manipulate the weather, just like she could in the show. And to much avail, she could. I believe her 100% when she says she can get rid of the whole thing. But, we also agreed not to interfere with Mother Nature's activities unless it was a dire emergency.
"You might have to if it gets worse!"
We both go back and forth with the banter as I finish caring for my wound and prepare dinner. We plan out the next week's activities for when I wasn't at work. The storm certainly didn't get any better, but it was nothing to be worried about, really.
Bedtime came quicker than usual that night due to the detour earlier. Once we had finished all of our daily chores, the two of us were exhausted and ready for bed. We said our goodnight's and went to our separate bedrooms to end the day. I normally would've showered at this point, but thought better of it with the storm.
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As I lay in bed ready to retire for the night, I can't help but think about how otherworldly the Walgreens was earlier today. I've seen plenty of panic buying in my thirty or so years of living on this planet, but nothing like I had seen today. The face masks were weird, as well. I know that the Coronavirus had spread to the US last month, but all signs from our country's leaders had pointed to it being under control, so I simply stopped following it more for my own sake.
Maybe it's about time that I checked back in on that. As unfun as it is for a potential pandemic to be on my mind every day, it's probably for the better if it's actually something that I need to worry about. Back when my parents were still around, I would just let them worry about bad things like this. They would always let me know about the important stuff and wouldn't sweat the details. But, they're gone now. Now, I'm the parent, and it's my responsibility to make sure that we're doing what's safe. For me of course, but mostly for Dashie.
I couldn't imagine what on Earth I would do if she got sick with that virus and there was very little that I could do about it aside from hoping and having her rest. It's better to worry about this sort of thing now rather than when she or I potentially get it. As much as I don't want to, it's something that I have to do, for my little Dashie.
I decide to leave the research for tomorrow, as I slowly drift off to sleep in my bed, with the extra cover taken off due to the higher temperatures today. However, no amount of blankets would shield us from the bitter-cold feeling of hopelessness that we would endure on such short notice.
The only thing that we will have is each other.