The Thai restaurant is pleasant, not brightly lit and the food is exquisite as I inhale both through my nostrils and mouth the steaming red curry on my plate. We are all quiet, each enfolded in his personal thoughts, or fog. We have spent so much time together and I think that now even Carl is exhausted from having to talk. My hope is that we can all get home soon, make it an early night, even skip the obligatory nightly reading time or bedtime story Well, maybe a bedtime story. A short one. I noticed that my Winnie the Pooh books are still in the den. Maybe something from the House on Pooh Corner. But really I want time alone. I need time alone. I just received from Erik a text. For sure he is going to have to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival here tomorrow, which gives me a reprieve. Tomorrow, I am going hiking in the forest, alone, and plan to spend the whole day just like that, alone. Francois and Carl can take care of each other or themselves. I really don't care. I am so overstuffed with human companionship, and have noticed that I am getting notably edgy and irritable.
"What is the plan tomorrow?" says Carl, and of course Carl, being among us the most sociable and the most codependent.
"I move that we all have a free day tomorrow, and just do whatever the hell we want." say I.
"Okay", he says, "Where should we all go."
"Wherever the hell we want, but I am spending tomorrow alone."
"Me too", says Francois.
After briefly drinking from his water glass, Carl, deflated, says, "Alright then. It's probably a good idea. But what about your ex-brother in law?
"Tomorrow when he arrives he begins his fourteen day quarantine..."
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