Introduction
I have also included background music here to listen to while reading for that extra intensity! Thank you for reading so far!
Ava closed the door behind her, as she had been working tireless hours since the pandemic reached the US. As she was leaving, her co-worker, Nancy, who had just come in for her shift asked if she could speak with her for just a moment.
Nancy led Ava back to the break room and pulled out a box.
"I am so sorry, Ava. Mrs. Anand ..... she ..... "
Ava cut her off before she could finish,
"When?"
"Yesterday, I figured I should wait to tell you until I saw you in person. I am so very sorry... and..if you need anyone I am here," Nancy replied with deep concern.
Ava thanked Nancy for her kindness and before she left Nancy handed her the box she was carrying. It was a medium-sized and wooden with a carved floral pattern that matched the natural wood of the box.
"She asked me to give this to you......I am really sorry Ava. "
Nancy looked at her watch and said,
"I should really get back to the fourth floor before I get chewed out. You know they need all the help up there they can get. Let me know if you need anything ... really, Ava. "
Ava once again thanked her and as she walked to her car she thought of Mrs. Anand . She was an older woman who came from India and was one of the hardest people to get close to. Mrs. Anand was one of the first patients to come in for COVID and her condition worsened with time. Eventually she got so bad she could not breathe and had to be moved to the fourth floor and put on a ventilator. That is where the most severe cases are. When Mrs. Anand first arrived, she was so closed off and seemed very callous. Ava kept a close watch and soon realized that she did not have any family or friends to come see her. Ava tried relentlessly to form any type of connection with her and after so long of Ava pestering she finally started talking and then not too long after, she became one of her closest friends.
Ava pulled out her keys to her humble little blue car. She was extremely exhausted emotionally and physically. The had reached the capacity for patients and the case numbers were not decreasing.
She got in her car, sanitized her hands, and removed her mask- the now normal ritual. She pulled down the car mirror and examined her face. Her big brown eyes were red and adorned with bags from the endless hours at the hospital. She ran her fingers across her face, she traced the grooves and indentations from the medical mask.
She tried to smooth out the redness and lines that were on her face but her efforts gave no fruit. The lines were so normal now, like if she was born with it.
She let the thought fly out of her head. She didn't want this to be something to get use to. The hospitals are overwhelmed and it is getting harder to see people suffer in such a way. She tried so hard for the patients that she encountered to keep a good attitude but it had become harder and harder with each passing day. A picture of her sweet friend flashed in her head. Ava reached her small apartment and immediately plopped on the couch. She put the box right next to her. Her whole body seemed like it just melted into the couch. She looked over at the box and felt the embroidered pattern with the tips of her fingers. She opened it and found most of Mrs. Anand belongings and things she came in the hospital with. She picked up an envelope that was inside.
The name Ava clearly written on the surface. She opened it and found a picture. It was a picture of her friend when she was young. In the photo, Mrs. Anand was laughing and so full of life. She could tell it was her because of the way she laughed. It was same big smile that pulled everyone around in. There was also another girl in the photo. She was the same age and had her arm around her friend. There was a note from her friend behind it. Ava began reading it and immediately put the note down, she just did not have the emotional energy. She knew that reading it was going to hurt.
Ava looked to see in the box if there was anything else and she found a book. It felt like smooth leather to the touch and was a pretty teal color. She knew what it was. She had given this to her friend in one of her visits before she became more restricted to visit the fourth floor. It was a book she bought for her friend after they put her on a ventilator. Mrs. Anand had asked her to bring her simple notebook as a favor. Ava had forgotten it until now. She skimmed the pages and realized why her friend had wanted it. It was a prayer book, and she had written in it everyday. There were constant prayers for the state of the world to various goddesses she had never heard from. Ava continued skimming and on one of the final pages, was a prayer for her. Streams of tears ran across her face as she read the prayers of protection and blessings from her friend. She closed the book and put it on her coffee table. Ava wiped the tears from her face and then laid on her couch. She just wanted to enjoy the stillness. As she watched the ceiling she said one prayer to the same gods to please help the world if not for her then for the endless prayers of her friend. She closed her eyes and fell asleep from a very tiring day.
