Love in the Time of Corona

When Two returned home from Puerto Rico, he asked if he could stay in Brooklyn with his girlfriend and her cousin, mostly to catch up on sleep. It had been a stressful few days for them as the island began shutting down in response to increasing numbers of coronavirus cases. I told him it was fine, but we should talk soon because the situation in our area was rapidly changing.

Two called on Monday to talk options. He wondered if he should just stay in Brooklyn to avoid bringing home any possible contamination. But if he did make it to New Jersey, could T and her cousin E come with him?

This was a test.

My natural inclination is to mother. I have five children at home, plus Art Girl and Six, who have been living with us for the past two years. We've known Six since he was in kindergarten with Two. He's vacationed with us since he was 12, and we've tried to be a safe harbor for him when his home life was tumultuous. After his parents moved in opposite directions but his job and school kept him here, we offered him a bed downstairs.

Art Girl was in Two's BFA program and had visited our house a few times. She reached out to me shortly after her third time in rehab. Her family didn't trust her recovery so she had no place to live. The Captain and I understood the risk in taking her in, but we felt uniquely qualified to help. I had thirty years clean and Cap is very goal oriented. Within two weeks of her arrival she had a job, meeting commitments, and obligations. We're happy to say that two years later she's healthy and successful.

Parenting is our jam.

Except, maybe, during a pandemic?

I admit to hesitating when Two asked if we could increase our quarantine quota. We hadn't even met T; their relationship was new. But I could understand his reluctance to leave her. When Cap and I first dated we spent five straight days in my apartment, skipping classes, eating in the park, and watching  The Young Ones. The coronavirus had the potential to separate them indefinitely.

I told Two to bring his friends here. It was more than the memory of yearning, young love that motivated me. It's easy to wish you could help, but hard to actually do it. It's easy to love from a distance, but hard to open your heart. It's easy to say you're a Christian, but hard to act like Jesus.

I picked up Two, T, and E from the bus stop on Tuesday, right before they instituted a tri-state 8 PM curfew. Cap and I welcomed them into our home with the understanding they may be here a while. Every day brings a torrent of new information to digest.

It's hard to process it all.

But it's easy to share the love.