The First Birthday I Spent with the Love of My Life
Instead of the end of times, it was the beginning.
I woke up on my boyfriend’s couch that morning before work. After four months of dating, we moved in together- right at the Pandemic’s beginning.
I grew up in a very religious family, and with the uncertainty about what was going on around the world or if this was the end times, I was hedging my bets by not sleeping with him. By living together, I was still exposed to the risks of infection.
The situation with my mom was different and more complicated as she was in the hospital for pneumonia at the start of the pandemic. Upon going home, her doctors required her to quarantine in isolation. She could not be in contact with anyone who had to work outside the house.
That meant me. I had to work because I wasn’t in a financial spot where I could break for two or more weeks.
I was not looking forward to avoiding another day of a mental breakdown due to the callers at work.
“It’s way too early to be doing this crap on my 33rd birthday,” I thought as I started to stretch out and went into the kitchen to make my coffee.
On the table in front of me was a vanilla cake with lots of vanilla frosting and a single butterfly candle…
