*October 31st, 2020* (Halloween)
The world must be playing some kind of trick on me because today certainly hasn't been a treat so far...
The thing that I had come to dread the most this year had finally happened. In a way, it's almost a relief. At least now, I can hopefully get it out of the way for myself, not spread it to Dashie, and have antibodies stored up until a vaccine rolls out. Then again, that's what would happen in a perfect scenario if I had to get it, but I am doing all that I can to help that happen. But yeah, COVID has not been fun...
I started developing symptoms a day or so after some kids came in without masks to buy their Halloween costumes and whatnot. I tried my best to get them to comply, but they just wouldn't budge. I eventually had to kick them out, not that it seems to have mattered in the end for me.
So yeah, I haven't been to work in several days now, nor have I been able to spend any time with Dashie. That's terrible on its own, seeing how I haven't gone a day without seeing her for nearly a decade now. What makes it even worse is that we haven't been able to celebrate Halloween or enjoy any of the things that come along with the time of year. No pumpkin carving, no candy, and no costumes... I know that especially considering how isolated she is, that I can easily make Halloween be whenever I want it to be, so we can always do those things once I'm better, but I know it won't quite be the same.
Speaking of getting better, I've shown no sign of doing that since my symptoms started. They haven't gotten much worse, thankfully, but if there's one thing I know about the virus it's that it stays in your system for a lot longer than most sicknesses do. I could be out for the count for a good week or two still.
It's hard to imagine having to deal with these symptoms for that long. I've learned plenty about them in the past eight months or so, but it certainly wasn't enough to prepare me for this... I can't taste anything, can't smell anything either. My throat has been pretty sore so far as well, not to mention the coughing and fever, too. I've gone through worse as a kid, but it never lasted any more than a few days before I started to get better. It doesn't help that there's a chance that 'long-COVID' could mess with me too. Permanently changed tastebuds, sense of smell, and maybe even some neurological things that could lead to other problems when I'm older.
It's a lot to have on my plate of thought right now, so I've been trying to keep that stuff out of my mind if I'm honest.
On another note, Dashie has grown up quite a bit over the years and could probably survive on her own at this point if she lived in Equestria. But, unfortunately, that isn't the case. No amount of tomfoolery on my part can make life in my world like life in hers. I can fedangle appliances and other things around the house to make it easier for her to use them, but that only goes so far.
Because of that, we've sort of developed a routine so that I can still help her out as best I can with food and other things while still being safe and making sure that she doesn't get sick because of me. I suspected earlier in the year that she might not even be able to get the virus, but I don't want to take any chances.
In the morning, as long as I'm feeling up for it, I'll make my way to the kitchen before Dashie wakes up and make her food for the day. This has tended to consist of a fresh breakfast and then another large meal that she can eat throughout the day as both lunch and dinner and microwave when she needs to. She can obviously grab snacks and whatever else she desires, too. But, the parent in me wanted to make sure that she'd be set for the whole day.
For a good portion of each day, Dashie has enjoyed laying by my bedroom door and talking to me. Of course, with how sick I am, I tend to be asleep half of the day. So, when she doesn't get a response from me, she'll leave a note on a piece of paper and slide it under my door to read when I wake up. After reading the said note, I'll usually write my own note back on the other side of it, disinfect the pencil, and slide it back for her to see whenever she gets back around to my bedroom door.
Speaking of those notes, there happens to be another waiting for me in its usual place. I gingerly get out of my bed and trundle over to the note.
I struggle to pick the note up off of the ground before I read it.
Happy Halloween, Pops!
Hope you’re feeling better.
That virus thing inside you
isn’t nearly as scary as the
costumes we planned on
wearing today. Kick its butt!
P.S. Thanks for breakfast,
nothing like hot cakes shaped
like a Jack-o-lantern to set the
mood!
-RD
Her notes over the last few days have done wonders to brighten my mood, even if I don’t feel hardly any better from them.
I pause to think for a moment before writing my reply on the other side of the paper.
Thanks, Dashie :). This sickness
is tougher than it looks, though.
I’ll be sure to launch a sneak
attack sometime soon. Glad
you enjoyed breakfast! Hope
it didn’t startle you too badly!
-Pops
I thoroughly disinfect the pencil that I used before sliding it and the note back underneath the door to my bedroom. I suppose that there isn’t too much point to me writing a response, as I could easily just respond whenever she comes around again. However, on the other hand, I could fall back asleep before that happens, so better safe than sorry. That goes double when I’m sick!
It has been a really strange feeling being sick these past few days. Up until now, I hadn’t gotten sick since before Dashie showed up in my life. It’s hard to say why exactly… it could be that in some weird way, the happiness that she brought into my life increased the strength of my immune system and overall health. Maybe it was just luck, but either way, I think I stopped appreciating not being sick and this has now come to be a rude reminder for me…
Aside from the feeling of being sick itself, I have been beyond bored being stuck in my room. The conversations that I had over text and call with my boss and fellow coworkers about my situation didn’t last very long in the grand scheme of things, and I’ve found myself running out of things to do almost as soon as each day started. It’s yet another reason why I enjoy Dashie’s company in all of this, even if it is only her slightly-muffled voice.
Even still, however, the times that I have no one to talk to can’t help but remind me of my life before Dashie. I certainly left my room more often than this, but I would typically spend most of my free time in here, if I wasn’t outside walking, with my computer doing whatever it was that I enjoyed doing back then.
I do still have that computer in here, away from Dashie importantly. It’s pretty old at this point, though, and hardly works if I’m being honest. I cancelled the internet plan that I had not long after I started taking care of Dashie. With me trying to keep her away from it and much of my free time being spent with her, there just wasn’t much point in having it. Not to mention that I couldn’t even really afford it with a daughter to take care of.
Even without WiFi, we got enough digital entertainment out of the small television in the living room thanks to the free satellite service. If it was good enough for Dashie, then it was good enough for me.
By this point I had wandered back into my bed to try and rest as much as I could. They say laughter is the best medicine, but I’ll swear that laughing right now with my sore throat is the exact opposite of a good idea. So, I have to settle for rest, rest, and more rest. I close my eyes and think about how fun it is to be healthy before dosing back off to sleep…
—————
I wake up several hours later, with the sun already setting over the horizon from my window. I know I said that I wanted to get as much rest as I could, but I hardly meant sleeping all day and being stuck awake all night…
In all of my defeat, I do notice that the sheet of paper that we had been using for the last day or so had been sent back to my end of the door. Once again, I take my time retrieving it.
Seems like you really gave
it your all today, Pops. You’ve
barely been awake all day!
You’re lucky that you prepared
today’s meal early, or we
would’ve had a problem! XD
Anyways, I hope you read this
before today is over, otherwise
it won’t work so well. Goodnight,
Dad. Love ya :).
-Dashie
Despite the slight pain that it caused, I couldn’t help chuckling a little at the note. She’s so good at keeping things positive, even in the hardest of times. I vow to myself to get better as soon as possible, simply so that I can see her beautiful face again and show her just how much I love and appreciate her.
I locate the scissors on my dresser and cut out the bit of paper with her most recent message on it. I then open our scrapbook and turn it to the first open space down the line. I stick the note inside and close it for keepsake.
With how odd my life has proven to be over the years, I feel like I don’t know a whole lot. But one thing that I know for sure is that I might not do so well with this virus as I seem to be doing if it weren’t for her.
For my little Dashie.