"I must have timed this right," I thought as I entered into the cavernous store, disinfecting my hands after touching the escalator railings. I made a conscious effort to not touch random pieces of furniture or tags along my path. I was on a clear mission and knew just what I needed.
There were a few people along the winding path to the bookcase section, but not many. Some wore masks and some wore gloves. I made a mental note to add disposable gloves to my personal-protection arsenal now in my bag.
I picked up one Ekat bookcase and a base in the self service area and headed to the checkout noticing again, the emptiness that is always filled with people any time this store is open.
Then, I got to the checkout area. You always wait in a long, long line. You always wonder if your purchase is worth it. Not this time, not this trip.
I walked up to the waiting cashier, who was wearing gloves and a mask, paid for my purchase and left the store with a sick feeling in my stomach from yet another impact of the novel virus plaguing our society. I wiped my hands and the steering wheel with disinfectant, just like I always do these days.
I washed my hands, when I got home, and took off my clothes to wash them, in hot water, like I always do, these days. Another sign that something is wrong, these days.
In the last few weeks, the suburbs of NYC
have changed due to the presence of the Corona virus.
It is a sad slice of life today.
5 comments:
I’ve been a proponent of removing shoes at home, never wearing outside clothes in bed, and hand washing for years. Until two weeks ago, I was considered a germaphobe. Now it is just common sense considering what’s happening.
Stay healthy, Anita!
From your opening lune “The first sign that something was wrong” until the last words you had me hooked w/ the eerie, isolated, quiet tone of your descriptions. I need to step up my disinfecting routine, but there are no wipes in any store around here. The world is crazy right now, and I fear for all the businesses caught in the fray.
It hasn't got this bad in Estonia, yet. Serious, yes. It still looks very normal but people are checking news and waiting for the government actions as the number of cases is increasing daily here.
I am glad you wrote about this experience and what is going on in your part of the country. It is what we are hearing about on the news but not personally seeing here (yet), other than daily household supplies such as toilet paper disappearing from shelves. Local colleges have started to move towards online classes for the next month. So far, primary schools are still open. It would have been very odd to experience IKEA like you did - it is always busy, as you said! Take care and stay healthy!
I am still in disbelief of what's happening with this virus... The suspense in this post was written well.
I wonder how we will all look back on this in a few months.
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