Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 71843 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71843 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Kola went to the closet to get Monopoly before he sat down to eat, when Tawny’s eyes suddenly filled and she looked away so no one would see. Her mothers were both at the hospital, one of them an ER doctor, the other a nurse, which was why she was with us.
I cleared my throat, and when Sam’s gaze met mine, I glanced over at the young woman.
Walking over to her, Sam put his arm around her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m scared,” she told him, her voice wobbling. “What if they get Covid?”
“They’re being very careful,” he assured her, giving her a gentle squeeze, “just like we all are. I know you’re worried, but don’t be scared, be prepared.”
She squinted, and then slowly lifted her head so she could see his face. “I’m sorry?”
“I said,” he replied, clearing his throat and using his patented “dad” tone. “Don’t be scared, be prepared.”
“Yeah,” Hannah told her. “Don’t run around like a chicken with your head cut off. Be smart, stay informed, listen, pay attention, and act rationally. Hoarding toilet paper isn’t the answer. Neither is stockpiling hand sanitizer. I mean, don’t you want everyone to have clean hands? Isn’t that the point?”
“How are you so calm?” Tawny asked her.
She tipped her head at Sam. “My dad has us prepared, not scared.”
“That’s already getting old,” Tawny informed her, leaning into Sam’s side.
“You’re in a tough spot with both your moms at the hospital,” Sam said, giving her another quick clench before letting her go. “But they’re okay, they’re following all the guidelines, and of course they would never put you in danger, which is why you’re here with us and not with your crazy uncle.”
“Sam!”
“No, he’s right,” Tawny agreed, nodding. “Mom said that if Uncle Danny thought that having his friends over every night to drink was a good idea, then clearly, he’d taken leave of his senses.” Her sigh was long. “That last part is a direct quote, by the way.”
Having known Dr. Maria Sanchez for years, there was no question that it was. And her brother was lucky to still be alive. I had no doubt he was on her hit list.
“You can stay here as long as you need to,” I reminded Tawny, “and I told both your mothers that.”
“Thank you, Mr. Harcourt.”
“What about the ‘shelter in place’ edict?” Kola asked his father. “Does that mean only our own family can be here?”
“No,” Sam assured his son. “You have to figure that some folks are still picking up takeout, taking cabs, and even dropping off dry cleaning, right? That means people are outside their homes for specific reasons.”
“Sure,” Kola said, and it was interesting to see how closely he was watching his father’s face, studying him, and his expressions, as he spoke.
“You have to figure that most people who could work from home, already are. We’re all washing our hands like crazy, we’re wiping down everything—I mean, you should see the janitorial staff in our building alone. The doors, the counters, the elevator buttons, I doubt it’s ever been that clean.”
All the kids were nodding, staring at him. I understood. He was the chief deputy; to them, he was the final word.
“The important piece is to maintain a safe social distance with people you don’t know, and to be certain that everyone in your circle—for instance, all of us here—are following strict safety protocols within our homes. It’s how we can all still see each other, because everyone is being vigilant.”
“Except my uncle,” Tawny said with a sigh.
“Which is why your mothers would rather you were here with us, because she knows the lengths we’re going to, instead of with him, who’s taking a very laissez-faire approach.”
She nodded.
“Shelter in place means what we’re doing now, keeping our trips outside the house to the bare minimum. I have to go to work, there’s no way around it. We have to go to the grocery store, but we don’t need to go to the bookstore—that’s the difference.”
“But would a policeman come to the house to see if there’s more than just our family here?” Hannah wanted to know.
“No, sweetie,” Sam promised her. “I don’t know any city that has those kinds of resources. You all just need to be smart, and if you don’t feel well, you tell us, you tell your parents, immediately. It’s very important. But you’re all welcome in our home as long as you keep washing your hands and you all enter and exit through the kitchen door and we don’t have another mint-chocolate-chip incident.”
There was a chorus of yessirs and thank yous, even though no one confessed to finishing off his ice cream. I didn't blame them.
“You’re welcome,” he told them all before walking over to me and scrutinizing the lasagnas. “I don’t wanna pick wrong, so—which one has the meat?”