The Corona Experience
I wasn’t happy with the state of the kitchen! Thank God it was Friday but where was Aimee? It turned out she was unwell and had had to call in sick at work. It was a splitting headache, a type she had never had before. I didn’t take it seriously and therefore went back to what I was doing. The next day Saturday, Aimee was still MIA (missing in action). After one very loud shout, she eventually came downstairs wearing dark sunglasses. I burst out laughing. “Is this the new trend? Sunglasses in the kitchen?” I asked. “No mum, my eyes really hurt with the lights and my throat is on fire. Its’ so painful to swallow.” To be honest, I wasn’t really listening. All I wanted was for the Saturday chores to happen. “Awwwww Aimee, so sorry to hear that. Please could you empty the dish washer and clean the kitchen. When you are done, vacuum the whole downstairs.”
Aimee stayed in her room for most of the weekend as she was still unwell. Out of curiosity, I decided to try out my COVID 19 home testing kit on both of us. I had been feeling quite flu-ish too. It was quite straightforward, a few swabs up the nose, add the reacting agent, wait thirty minutes and Voila!
I couldn’t believe the results . The last thing I had expected was a positive result. Unsure about what to do, I called my friend Edith who was married to a doctor. “Hennang my husband says you need to book
a proper drive through NHS test so as to verify her status. You can do it online”. Luckily, I was able to arrange one for that evening. I booked both of us in.
By 6pm, we were driving into the test centre, sitting side by side in the car. As we approached the gentle man at the gate, I began to wind down my window to ask him a few questions. The man started gesticulating vigorously for me not to wind down. He didn’t want any open contact with “us” in the car. It was like a scene from the Bubonic Plague on TV. The staff members communicated with large written placards shown through the glass screen. You were kept safely confined in your car with your virus. In the end, we opted to have a second party do the test for us. I saw Aimee’s red swollen larynx, it looked painful to the eye.
The next morning, the two test results came in. Aimee was definitely positive while I was mercifully negative. They called my mobile number as early as 8am asking to speak with Aimee. I went and handed her my phone. They took a list of everyone she had met or spoken to since her symptoms started. They were all sent messages to self-isolate for ten days. She returned my phone after she was done. I noticed that we weren’t offered any medication or advise, just to self-isolate, not to go to the shops, not to visit nor entertain any visitors. My only default was to ask close friends to pray. The horrors of Covid 19 were all around us and we knew the high death rates for black people.
The next few days were a blur. Aimee had to be confined to her room. I made all the meals and delivered them to her. I brought her teas, juices and bottles of water. On the third day, her uncle brought her a treat; a big bowl of “pepper soup”. He rang the doorbell, dropped the package and stepped away. It was absolutely delish. I dished her a bowl and took it to her room. That evening, as I cleared away her dishes I noticed she had barely touched the pepper soup. By this time, she had practically lost her appetite and was stooling very badly. She was also very weak. Not wanting to throw away good food, I stored the leftover in the fridge as all good African mums do. About two hours later, my husband walked into the living room with an identical bowl of pepper soup. My heart dropped to the bottom of my feet as I hoped that he really couldn’t be having her left overs!! I had to play it cool and not let him see how flustered I was. He commented about how good it tasted. Mentally, I put him on a timer to see how long he would last before going down with the virus. I decided not to share my little secret with him. I didn’t want to scare him and make him more vulnerable. I would just pray for him.
By the fourth day, I was feeling as poorly as Aimee. That night, I woke up with a start, my mouth filling up with some vile liquid and feeling very nauseous. I ran to the toilet and spat everything out, trying not to vomit. I was almost sure all three of us were now COVID infected. I couldn’t wait for Thursday to do another follow up test. My mind was repeatedly plagued with fear as I remembered all the instances of cross contamination between Aimee and myself. Whenever that happened, I would tell myself, “No, you don’t have COVID in Jesus name.” Yes, we had been in the same car on D day, we had shared the same phone, I had sat on her bed unknowingly, she had opened the house doors, she had handled our plates and glasses but “I still don't have COVID in Jesus name.”
Aimee wasn’t eating much. Her plate would barely be touched when I picked it up after a meal. As I placed her breakfast on the fifth day, she was all smiles. “Mum I’ve been offered a new job and the pay is mwaaah!, another child to spoil you mum.” I could see the joy on her face as she shared her good news. It had a huge impact on me because I knew she had only just put in her resignation the day before she called in sick. She quit her job based on her convictions, some things she didn’t quite agree with in the company. In a season where people were losing their jobs, she had chosen to give up hers based on her Christian beliefs. I was so overjoyed that God had honoured her decision and given her, her dream job.
That night, I had the same sickly experience. I woke up nauseous in the middle of my sleep with my mouth full of “something”. I ran to the toilet and emptied it, remaining in a crouched position as my stomach was heaving. I broke out in a cold sweat feeling extremely weak. I now have a special respect for carers who have no other job but to care for a family member round the clock.
By the next Sunday, I took my final covid test and it was still negative. It was also the tenth day of our self-isolation. By the following day, we would be free to go out. The best news was that my husband was also still standing strong. I can only but thank God for His protection over my family. I realise that not everyone has been so fortunate as numerous families have faced the challenges of job loses and lives lost. As we look to the future, may we all find a reason to be hopeful once again.
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