The moments in between are filled with laughter and wonder
Like a shopping trip or lunch with a dear friend
The moments in between are happy and carefree
Then it creeps in
The urge to reach for the hand sanitizer
The reminder to wash our hands again
The heightened awareness when a cough is heard
The wondering, should I even be here?
What’s next? Will it be me? Someone I love?
What will it feel like? A cold, the flu?
Will I spread the disease? Am I spreading it now?
The moments in between seem fewer now
So I create them
Like a spontaneous trip to the market with my kids for a sweet treat
But the lines are longer than I’ve ever seen with carts overflowing
There is tension all around
My son shuts down
My daughter asserts herself
I snap back
Uncomfortable silence
The cashier has been there 10 and a half hours, not even she is happy
There is no moment in between
Later in the car my daughter explodes with tears and fears that have bubbled to the top
My son shuts down even more
I am their protector, the creator of most moments in between
I have failed
I confess
I do not know what will happen, but we will do our best together
We cry
We hug
In that moment in between, we love
We Love
Written by: Patricia Zamora
