THE TWILIGHT ZONE!

Monday morning was a bit of a blur.  It was still a bit surreal.  What was going on?  I decided to stick to routine.  It would be for the best.  

I was inundated with work.  The courts, albeit on a skeleton staff, were still issuing papers, and we were still receiving them.  In the midst of chaos, there are still those who want their 'pound of flesh', and law suits were being filed by the dozens!  

Of course, we are also on skeleton staff.  This meant that someone had to make the post office run.  I must admit, I did go into the 'tantrum' arena, for a short time, but then realised how blessed we were to have the work, and to be able to work.  I started to count my blessings, and they by far exceeded the fingers on both hands, as well as toes on both feet.  

With hardly any traffic on the road, the drive was very swift, and I walked in after seeing the sign, "Six people only in the main area".  I peered inside and saw only one person, off to the side so considered it safe to enter.  "Hey sweetie", said Vicki, the lady with whom I have had so many amusing chats in the past.  "How are those babies of yours".  I smiled.  My babies were doing fine, but were now more than ever too far away from me!  She told me of how her parents would make cine films and send them to each other, when her father was in the military and stationed overseas.  It was the only way he could see her grow up.  I felt rather ashamed.  I have video chats with the kids as often as I like and although there is no substitute for a cuddle, it is a lifeline!  No one else came in while I was there, so we could visit for a while.  However, time was ticking, and I had one more stop to make before heading back. It was nice to see a smiling face, albeit behind a mask, and see how most were adjusting in a very calm, and almost comforting way.  Most!

I did not need much in the supermarket.  Although I had promised myself I would not shop outside my usual parameters, HEB had specific ingredients that I cannot get in my usual Saturday haunts, and I would have made the trip, or had someone do it for me, in normal times.  I picked up only the things I wanted and headed for the cash desk. I had to ask for a couple of things as I was not sure where they would be, and the helpful assistant was only too pleased to send me in the right direction. However, all went downhill, when the stormtrooper at the till was waiting for me.  "Stay!" he shouted, loudly, as I went to put my goodies on the conveyor belt.  I was still standing on the line that had been drawn so that I was a safe distance away from the person in front.  "Leave it in the cart!" he barked, again.  I asked if I should move back, and he rolled his eyes, and yelled, "No!"  I then saw the notice.  'Do not put your items on the belt until the previous customer has packed away'.  (Or something like that.)  The stormtrooper glared at me again.  "Oh I see", I said, trying to lighten the mood.   He muttered something to which I said, "Excuse me", but he shook his head and continued to mutter.  "Now!" he barked down the aisle.  "Now?" I said, questioning his order.  "Now!", he shrieked.  I chose not to 'play', although I must say the urge to do so was very strong.  I know there are rules in place, but there is really no need for rudeness, and this is Austin, is it not!  The ladies in Costco at the weekend were very pleasant as were those in the Dollar Tree.  The woman at the self-checkkout at Walmart, admittedly, 'felt the power', but there is always one.  "Can you back up a bit", or "Follow the instructions". are requests that would not be taken with offence. We are all in this together, are we not!  I placed my good on the belt and stood, waiting for the signal to move forward.  It came in the form of another bark, and I shuffled to the end of the lane.  I took out a bill from my purse and went to hand it to the cashier.  I would imagine that all the barking had made his throat sore, because instead of shouting at me, he tapped, or rapped demonstratively, on the plastic top, for me to place it there.  I did.  He counted my change, and almost dared me to hold out my hand.  I folded my arms.  It was the strangest battle of wills.  I knew he was not going to actually hand me the change back, so I did not hold out my hand.  He stared at me.  I stared back. I wasn't playing anymore, but this seemed to irritate him more than me doing the wrong thing.  Eventually, he slammed the change down, and pointed to my items which he refused to put in a bag, and said, "Take".  Any other time I think I would have reported him, but who knows, maybe in this scenario he would have received a medal!  However, if we are 'at war' with an invisible enemy, he was not displaying the camaraderie that I heard so much about from my parents!

Most of the phone calls I received during the day were from delivery men.  Our number was on the door, and the deliveries were coming in thick and fast.  I was on my way back from washing my hands for the umpteenth time on Tuesday, and saw a neighbour at the door.  She had lost her key card, and was unable to enter.  "I emailed my office", she said, "And I am getting a new card today".  I told her it was okay and stood back as she entered the building.  I was in the right place at the right time so all was good.  Twenty minutes later, I received a call from a delivery man.  As I came out to open the door, another neighbour was making his way to the front door.  "I was called by someone else!" he said, looking confused.  "I got an email to say my colleague was here".  I looked at him with a huge question mark on my face.  "But she got here twenty minutes ago", I told him.  He seemed a little confused.  "Well she is not here now", he said to me.  I wondered if he was suffering from something else  "She is in your office", I said to him.  "She has been there for twenty minutes.  Have you not seen her".  It was then that the pieces fell into place.  He had read the email, gone to answer the door, without thinking about who had sent it.  Things were getting a little crazy, or crazier!

Instead of going for my usual lunchtime walk, I had taken to walking around my complex at the end of the day.  It is a good walk, up hills and down dales, and it gives me an opportunity to check all is okay, like I would know!  Of course I am taking my 'board membership' seriously!  The pool looked nice!  It had been refilled but the water was still being checked.  

Samantha sent me a message on Tuesday evening to tell me that the Governor had signed an order to put the whole state under the same set of rules.  It would probably not affect us, as the rules looked the same, would be more restrictive for some, but better for others.  We were still on the list of 'essentials'.

I felt a little lost on Wednesday.  I prepared dinner for three, as I wanted to take a plate to my elderly neighbour.  I left the house and headed to the office.  I was not sure what I would have to do today, but the work had not stopped.  Dana received a call from one of our guys in a different county saying that their local judge had sent them an email telling them they were unable to continue working.  Dana suggested he send a copy of the new order with the specific sections showing the necessity of our industry.  We were rather surprised when he agreed to do so, and waited for the response.  Unlike the cashier, the judge did not 'pull rank' and march our guy off to the gallows, but responded, "If it is good enough for the Governor, and Homeland, it is good enough for me!"  It was a beautiful moment!  

I was exhausted on Wednesday evening, probably due to a stress release.  I had read every order, every rule, and every directive.  I did not want anyone to get into trouble, and wanted to make sure all our guys had the correct notification, and identification.  I could not police Austin, but I was certainly not going to put any of our guys in a position that would cause them harm.  

The phone call came at around nine thirty.  It was George, one of our servers.  "So I ran into a ditch and can you come and get me".  It appears that he had swerved to avoid something and crashed into a wooded area, whilst on his way either to, or from, a delivery.  We could not leave him stranded, but could we go out at this time of night?  It was an emergency.  I did not want Dana to go on his own, just in case of .... well just in case!  "Where are you".  The journey was going to take about an hour and twenty minutes, one way.  

Rockdale is a remote rural little town to the north of us.  It is, apparently, responsible for providing enormous amounts of aluminium, but its population is about one percent of that of Austin.  Like many small towns, everything is located on the main road from where you enter and leave.  That being said, it shouldn't be hard to locate George.  I tried to call as we were about five miles out, but as I said, it is remote, and there was no phone service.  Four miles, three miles, two miles, still nothing.  Still, it shouldn't be too hard to locate him, as it is a main road.  Eventually, as saw the sign "Welcome", I got a signal.  "The tow truck is here, they had to saw the trees down, and they are pulling the car out now".  What had he done?  "Where shall we meet you?"  After some discussion with the tow truck driver, he said that we should meet him at the McDonalds.  The tow truck driver was now answering the questions.  We asked "Where Is the McDonalds"?  In Rockdale.  Yes, but where?   There is only one in Rockdale.  Yes, but where is it on the road.  Next to the Walmart! Okay, so we are not from here.  Is it on the main road.  "Yup, opposite the tractor trailer place.  I'll meet you there!"  This was a town for local people.  If you are not local, you should not be here!  It was reminiscent of a very peculiar English TV show called the League of Gentleman, where they had a shop for locals, and locals only!  Everyone else was not welcome!  I started to giggle.  We were at the end of the main road, and had not spotted a McDonalds, let alone a Walmart or a tractor store!  "Use Google to find it!" was the instruction.  Internet service, here?  It didn't exist.  I barely got a phone signal.  We turned around and headed back.  Dana stopped at a petrol station to ask for directions.  "Well?" I asked, when he finally returned to the car.  The girl in the shop had, apparently, looked at him with disgust, and told him, as if he should know, "Two parking lots down!"  

We drove out of the petrol station, and two 'parking lots' down.  "There it is", I said, with excitement.  "Where?" said Dana.  "There", said I.  Hidden, unlit and back from the road, was a tiny golden arch.  Further back, unlit, was the Walmart.  "There's the tractor place", I shouted.  "Where?" said Dana.  "There", said I.  "How do you know", asked my husband.  "There are tractors lined up"  I could barely make out the shapes in the dark, but they looked like trailers.  The sign, unlit, was brown, with darker brown writing.  We were here!  So now, can I say I am an expert on the geology of Rockdale?  

George was not in a good way.  He had hurt himself, and his car was not roadworthy.  We were going to have to take him back to his home.  Dana took his belongings from the car, handed the tow truck driver the keys to the car and gave George the rest of the keys on the ring.  Into our car he got.  "Go left. No right.  No turn around.  It's not this turn.  Go back.  No, here.  Up here.  No, down there".  Dana asked how he had come to swerve off the road.  "Lights.  There were lights coming at me!" he said.  Aliens, I thought?  Rockdalians?  (Sorry Rockdale!)  I messaged Samantha. It did not go through.  We were on a road that had ten miles of nothing.  After turning around three times, whisking in and out of turn lanes because it was 'the next one', we eventually got to where Goerge is living.  It was midnight, and I was a little concerned about us being on the road at this time.  However, we had got him home safely, and all he needed to do was let himself in.  "Can I have my keys?" he said to Dana.  

Having settled George safely in our spare room, we went to bed at a little after one, and laid awake for a considerable time.  We could hear moans every so often as he presumable turned to get himself more comfortable, but eventually all was quiet.  Thursday morning, Dana took him to the office, where he was collected by someone who was going to take him to see his car.  It appeared that in the confusion, he had taken everything out of his pockets and put all on the passenger seat before getting into our car to drive away.  In retrospect, I think it was a good thing he was not alone after the accident but I was now faced with more bed linen to wash!  How compassionate am I!  We are all in this together, right?  Hmm.  At least I didn't bark at him!

The week continued.  Samantha facetimed me on a regular basis.  She was not coming into the office.  It was late on Friday afternoon that I received a call from a fellow resident.  "I office here, and I was expecting a package.  Do you have it?"  I asked which office she was in and said I would go and take a look.  As I rounded the corner, I saw someone struggling with a key.  "Is that you", I asked, and she continued to talk into the phone.  "Yes, I am here. Do you have it?".  I repeated the question, and she turned. "Oh, I didn't know you were in the building", she said.  I wasn't sure what she was talking about.  Where did she think I was?  The package was not there, and she said she would have to call the delivery people.  Out she went, rather perturbed.  It was then I realised that the note says, "For deliveries, please call (our number) for entry"  She had obviously not got to the 'for entry' line!  She had assumed I was the delivery holder!  Oh joy, another job description!  It was an amusing end to the week.

Saturday morning, and off I went to Costco.  The line was longer than last week, but I was earlier.  The rain was pouring, and I had a large umbrella.  "I should have brought one of those", said the man in front.  "I would offer to share, but I think we would be arrested", I told him.  'Post office lines' had been made with yellow tape, should the queue get too long, but we were lining up around the perimeter of the 'up and down' lanes.  "You need to go up and down", said a lady behind me.  She was quite adamant.  "But there are not enough of us", said the man behind her.  She was getting rather agitated.  "We need to go up and down", she repeated.  Here we go again!  Why does someone always have to assume we need to be shepherded!  "Someone needs to come and tell you to do it properly", she said, absolutely exasperated.   The store had opened, and the line was moving.  We were actually past the place we would have been should we have gone 'up and down' as she had suggested, but she was still shouting.  Eventually, a member of the store came up and started to usher people through the aisles.  "See, see.  I told you", she continued.  "Go one then", said the man behind her.  She suddenly saw the 'error of her ways', and realised that it had not been necessary, but this seemed to irritate her even more!  All in this together?

With very few people allowed in at a time, the experience was eerily pleasant. I waved to a member of staff, quite enthusiastically, but he just looked at me oddly.  Perhaps he didn't recognise me.  Strange times and all.   I did not get into trouble this week, and the people at the till were most pleasant.  I paid, and walked out  "Coffee!" I said as I came to the exit.  I had forgotten to buy the pods for the machine in the 'guys' room.  "That's okay.  Leave your cart, and go back around".  I must have looked horrified.  "What, queue up again?"  The lady at the exit laughed.  It was one of those release moments, where the stress levels have got so high, anything seems hysterical.  She laughed heartily before telling me I could just walk around the warehouse to the entrance, and pick up a box.  I did that and came back to the same cashier.  "See you again in ten minutes?" he said, with a smile on his face.  "We are all in this together", said the smile!

The Dollar Tree was not too busy, and the staff exceptionally pleasant, as were the folks in the Indian supermarket.  Everyone, shoppers and staff, was polite to all.  "Sorry, I should have let you go first", said the man with a trolley packed high with vegetables and fruit.  "Oh, I have nowhere to rush off to", I responded.  He smiled.  I wondered what wondrous goodies he or his wife were going to cook this weekend.  My mouth watered at the thought.

Walmart was Walmart.  I saw 'my friend', the guy with the English aunt, whom I have not seen for sometime.  He said he had taken vacation time, but his vacation had been cancelled so he stayed at home for a couple of weeks.  He was in good health, and we chatted for a bit.  "Oh, I must tell you", I said, as we bid each other farewell.  "I was just in Costco, and shouted to a guy, 'hey, how are you', and waved, and he looked confused.  I then realised I was in the wrong shop and it wasn't you!"  He laughed so hard, he bent over double.  "You have made my day", he said.  Glad I could do that for someone!  

I headed home, after meeting Samantha to swap some groceries, and she filled my tyres with air for me, as they were very low.  I dropped off some groceries to 'my' homeless man, who was grateful, but it was pouring so I did not want him to be out in the rain for too long.  I could go home!  Did I mention the order of 'shelter at home' specifically noted that this did not apply to the homeless.  Someone has a high IQ!

Dana and I opted for a curbside pick up at a local restaurant. I could have cooked, and we can't save Austin on our own, but I just wanted my Saturdays to bear some resemblance to the norm.  

Breakfast was delicious, and cooked by me!  Nothing fancy, just a treat we can still enjoy.  I am not sure if it is the limiting of amounts people can buy or because people have stopped panicking, but the shelves are pretty well stocked with food, or at least what I want.  

Tomorrow starts the second full week of our 'lockdown', and then it is Easter!  How many times have we joked about petitioning the Courthouse to close on Good Friday so we could have the day off!  I think perhaps this was not the option we would have gone with.  So, until next week, I can only hope and pray that all are safe and well, and I will say au revoir, until we meet again, in ........ another story!