I don’t think I did anything to offend her or push her away, but I’m not sure. Maybe kissing her like that in public was rushing into things, but I don’t think it bothered her. At least, it didn’t seem like it did.
I get up to fix myself some lunch; it’s already the afternoon. No more work has come through yet, which worries me a little bit. I’m carrying my chips and sandwich back to the living room when my phone rings. I put my food down. Looking at the caller ID, I hurry to answer it.
“Stacey, is everything ok?” I ask worriedly. It’s a surprise that she’s called me.
“Um, hi. Um, no, not really,” she says in a hesitant tone.
“Whatever’s wrong, you can tell me,” I say, reassuring her.
I can hear her take a deep breath on the phone before she continues talking. “Well, first, I want to apologize for ignoring you and cancelling our date. It’s not that I didn’t want to see you, it’s just that… I didn’t know how to say this to you.”
“Just say it.”
“Well, I haven’t been feeling good for a few days. Yesterday, it got worse, so I went to the hospital. I got tested, and they told me I have COVID-19. I needed to tell you so that you can get tested too.”
She starts to cry. I sit there in silence. I’m both shocked and saddened by this news. However, I don’t like hearing Stacey cry like this.
“It’s ok, Stacey. It’s nothing to worry about. I’m not upset at you. I’m glad you told me, because like you said, I can get tested now. Don’t cry. I’ll call you later, ok?”
“Ok, bye.” She hangs up with a sob.
I sigh and look around the room. I don’t feel like I have any symptoms, but I still need to get to the hospital. I grab my phone, wallet, and keys and rush out the door, my lunch and work remaining forgotten for now.
I spend the whole drive to the hospital worrying about Stacey, rather than myself. After I arrive, I explain to the nurse that I might have been exposed. They take me to see a doctor immediately.
I’m tested very quickly, despite having no visible symptoms. I’m sent back into the waiting room to wait for my test results. Honestly, I’m not too worried about it; I feel fine. I’m more concerned about Stacey because she sounds like her sickness is getting worse. I wonder if there’s anything I can do to help her.
A few seconds later, the doctor talks to me. I’m relieved to hear him say, “Your results are negative. You’re free to go. Just be extra careful who you come into contact with.”
I leave the hospital and drive home. I call Stacey quickly to tell her.
“Wow! That’s such a relief,” she says happily. She still sounds sick, and that worries me.
“Yes, it is. Go ahead and rest. I’ll handle the rest of the work,” I say.
“No, it’s my job. I like to help,” she says, even though she starts coughing after saying it.
“No, you need to rest. As soon as you are well, you can work again,” I say firmly.
“Ok. You’re right,” she says weakly after she is done coughing.
“Good. I’ll call later to check on you. Get some rest now,” I say softly.
“Ok, I will,” she says before hanging up.
I smile as I put the phone down and finish driving home. Once I get home, I quickly shower and change. It’s almost evening now. I sit in front of my computer and devour my leftover sandwich, which was still good.
I clean up my dishes and go back to the living room to check my email. I see that Stacey forwarded me all the assignments so I can grade them. I type her a quick text. “Thank you for sending me all the work. I hope you are resting, as instructed.”
She texts back quickly. “Yes, doctor, I am. Haha. Don’t work too hard.”
I laugh at her text and put the phone away. I don’t want to bother her further. It takes an hour to grade these assignments; after, I enter them into the online grade book, where the students can view them.
This is an all-night process, as some students email questions about their grades or the assignments. When I finish and move onto grading the next half, it’s well after midnight. I post the next day’s assignment before heading to bed.
I wake up early in the morning, going through my routine of showering and exercising. After I eat a quick breakfast, I sit in front of the computer.
I’m up early because I’m waiting for an announcement from the principal regarding the decision about reopening the school. I receive an email saying that the announcement will be made later this afternoon. The school district needs additional time to discuss and come to a decision.