Living La Vida Lockdown – Day 57– Darrell Ventures Beyond

After seven weeks of almost virtual incarceration Darrell decided he had to venture beyond the confines of The Towers and car park and into the world beyond, which was quite a daunting thought for all of us.

He needed to go to the Post Office to post his best friend and mentor Hugh’s birthday present (carefully and thoughtfully purchased well before lockdown). He knew how much birthdays meant to Hugh and this would be the first time in at least four years they wouldn’t be together for the celebrations, so there was no way he could let it pass without a little something for Hugh to excitedly open on the day.  Only for Hugh would he leave the safe confines of The Towers to face the perils of a possibly riddled and rife town, he declared, before he went. What on earth is he like?

Though the socially distanced queue ran outside the Post Office, it moved pretty quickly so Darrell was in and out within ten minutes. Buoyed by the rush that he’d actually done it, Darrell felt up to doing the little bit of essential shopping we sort of needed, but which could wait if he got nervous in any way.

Evesham, Darrell told us, was like a ghost town, it was sooooooo spooky, but not of a late, great Derek Acorah type nature, this was a different kind of spooky, more like the Village of the Dammed, especially  with the absent throng of people that usually avail themselves of the also absent tables outside Wetherspoons.  It was also deathly quiet, he said it sent a bit of a chill down his spine, but he continued on with his mission.

He was making his way to Home Bargains in the shopping centre to get some soap, citronella tea lights (more of that another day), bread, batteries plus a couple of packets of medium egg noodles and dark soy sauce for his speciality chow mein, all of which he knew he could grab in one fell swoop and then get home as quickly as his little legs could carry him, back to the bosoms of those he loved so much.

Shopping in a real live shop again just felt strange, no longer the leisurely and pleasurable activity he used to look forward to, usually of a Monday morning, this was a very different kettle of fish …… it was probably the “new norm” everyone has been talking about on the radio and TV ……..

……. and he didn’t much like it, life was probably never going to be the same again. Just a few short weeks ago we had it all and took it so much for granted ……. and now it’s gone.  When Darrell came home I knew straight away that I needed to just grab the shopping from him and then give him some time alone in his room ………. he’d tell me all about it later.

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