Julia- a short story by Vic Davey

 

I wrote this during the covid lockdown when I couldn’t even take the dog out.

Consequences

Charles Roberts

Hi Dave, just a quick note to tell you what’s happening back here.  You’ve probably heard about this Covid-19 business, everybody says that it came from China, but I think that it comes from America and they’re just trying to blame the Chinese.  You know what the Yanks are like, they have to have someone to be paranoid about.  Reds under the bed and all that, well we think that this Trump fella is paranoid about the Chinese, I wonder if he has ever had a take away.  Anyway, you know this virus thing comes from the same town where apple have all their stuff made.  All your iPads and iPhones and Apple computers. 

Well they sell a new iPhone over here for about eight or nine hundred quid, but they are built in China for less than a hundred dollars, which is about eighty quid in real money.  I reckon that the Chinese workers have said that they want more of the action, more of the money.  So, the Americans have said ‘we’ll soon put a stop to that,’ and someone from the CIA or other intelligence agency has gone over there, impersonating an Apple executive, and let loose this virus.  Never thinking that it would spread to the rest of the world

Well back to the news from here.  This virus thing is causing havoc.  I’m still going into work, the bus is standing room only as usual, nothing changes, they say that you should wear a mask in public, but sod that; they’re just trying to regiment everybody.  You know, turn us all into zombies or something, same with this injection, they’re putting chips into you so that they can track your movements, then the coppers can arrest you at any time for doing nothing.  Anyway those who can work from home are doing that, especially the ones with kids, so the work load has increased for the rest of us, because a lot of the ones with kids are slow in getting their work back to the office.

Anyway, spring bank holiday was brilliant, shame you weren’t here.  The class of twenty ten met up for a couple of days enjoyment.  All the gang turned out, except you that is, and Gazza brought that Sally along.  You remember Sally, don’t you?  She was in the class behind us.  She lives with her Granny. You really fancied her, but never plucked up the courage to ask her out.  We met up Sunday about ten and went down the park, the café by the boating lake is still open, and had a drink and talked about the old times and absent friends, it’s a wonder if your ears weren’t burning, until the coppers turned up and moved us on so we just split up and met by the café in the rose garden and had another coffee.  We just mooched round the park after that, then decided to meet up Monday and drive to the coast and spend some time soaking up the rays on the beach.

Monday we all met up and the twenty of us went to the coast in five cars.  The place was busy, we had difficulty parking on the front.  We spent some time on the beach, even had a paddle in the sea, but it was bloody cold, then we went to Greasy Lill’s for fish and chips.  The café was closed, but you can buy take aways.  We ate them on the benches opposite.  Then someone, Bri. I think, suggested that we go to the Red Lion for a pint or two.  The pub was shut, but the beer garden, round the back, was open so we went round there.  God it was heaving, you could hardly move.  They were serving the drinks through the windows.  We ended up sitting by the fence at the back of the garden, all the tables and chairs were full.

We had a brilliant day, I didn’t want it to end, just to go back to work the following day, and that infernal bus ride, being packed in like a sardine and having to pay for the pleasure.  We got back to town about six and I decided to go and visit my Nan, she’s in a council care home now you know, well they wouldn’t let me in, but as her room is on the ground floor, I went round and we talked through the open window.  The old girl seemed happy in there, and it took a weight off my mum’s shoulders, she’s got enough to cope with, Dad’s bed bound now, his back has gone altogether. 

Anyway, about a fortnight later everything started to happen.  My Nan was rushed to hospital in the middle of the night, she couldn’t breathe, and she died two days later of that Covid-19 thing.  I don’t know how she could have got it, probably one of those so-called nurses, none of them are properly qualified you know, took it in.  So far, it’s killed seven or eight in there, damn council don’t give a fig for them in there.  Then I heard that Sally and her Gran had both caught it and had died.  Then the twins, Di and Bri had it, but Bri didn’t make it, I didn’t know that he had asthma, did you?  Their mum also went as did my dad.

The class of twenty ten is somewhat depleted Dave.  I think, at the last count there were twelve of us left standing.  Four are in intensive care.  We all came down with this bloody virus, god knows where we could have picked it up from.  I mean it’s not as though we did anything stupid or anything.  We just had a brilliant weekend.  There’s not many of our grandparents left standing either, I think that there are, well I don’t know and I’m not speculating.

Well I have to go now because a rather pretty little nurse wants to put a catheter in my right hand.  I think that I’m in there as long as I play my cards right.  She has a twinkle in her eyes whenever she come to me.  I’ll be pleased when I can breathe properly again.  You’ll be all right though won’t you?  The Navy will look after you.  Where are you good-willing this time?  Last I heard was that you were on your way to New Zealand for a good-will visit.

You enjoy yourself mate, bring us back a Kiwi if you can find one, and I’ll write again as soon as I’m out and about again.

Take care, as we always do.