Life has changed so much; it feels like we need a road map to navigate it. But we don't have that. None of us have been here before. And things are constantly changing. This story imagines a situation where restaurants are open but physical distancing and the wearing of masks are expected. What would you do if you wanted a first date? Dinner out used to be so easy!
Masked Date
Sandra sat back in her armchair, phone propped up on her raised knee. “Have you been to any restaurants yet? They’ve been open for a couple of weeks, but I haven’t been able to get my head around the safety of it.”
On the screen in front of her, Kelly shook her head. “No, I haven’t. I’ve spent so long staying away from places like that, it just feels like a strange idea.”
“You know, six months ago I would have just asked you to join me at The Old Squire and we would have dinner together. We’ve been chatting for four months but thanks to this virus we’ve never had a real date. I like walking in the park with you, but that doesn’t feel like a date.”
“A date would be so nice. But do you understand how anyone could sit at a table with someone they don’t live with and still follow the rules? We wear masks when we’re in the park. How can someone eat and wear a mask? How do you ever get to move on in a new relationship if you can’t even eat together. Honestly, I’ve been feeling really stuck with this. I love chatting with you, and walking, but I don’t know where to go with this.”
“I guess you haven’t heard about the new masks? It’s of such economic importance to get restaurants flourishing again that someone invented a different kind of mask. It’s a win for the manufacturers and the restaurant owners, apparently.”
“What?” Kelly laughed. “You’re kidding, aren’t you?”
Sandra shook her head. “As far as I can tell, it’s legit. I watched a video. The masks lift up easily from the bottom. You quickly spoon some food into your mouth and close it back down while you chew. The restaurants supply them. It’s really easy to pop a straw in for drinking.”
On the screen in front of her, Kelly’s head kept shaking back and forth. She stopped to speak, “I can’t believe this! I’m going to go crazy soon. Life will never be normal, will it?”
Sandra shrugged, “The thing is, I really want to have dinner with you. I want to sit close enough to look into your eyes, to take our time and sit and do the things people used to do when they were in a new relationship with someone. The way things are right now, it feels like we’ll never do more than just talk to each other through a screen or walk side by side. I just want you to come over to my house and have dinner and take our chances, but I haven’t even had a chance to sit and look into your eyes. Somehow, I want us to move forward.”
Now Kelly was nodding slowly. “Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, Sandra. I’ve just been telling myself to be content with a relationship that’s a lot like a long distance relationship, but that doesn’t seem fair. I just don’t know how to make the next step without it being a big one.”
“Would you give a try to a restaurant meal with me?” Sandra asked her, feeling like she was wearing the beseeching puppy dog look. “It will be strange for both of us.”
Kelly shook her head again, and looked down at something off-screen. Then she gave a little shrug, “I do really want to have dinner out with you, even just once. Yes, I’ll do it. But we better do it soon before I lose my nerve.”
Sandra met Kelly in the park, and they walked to The Old Squire together. This time they walked side by side for the first time, without keeping the mandatory six feet distance that was required for people who don’t live together. They were both masked, as always.
It felt good to be walking in such close proximity. Walking near Kelly felt so comfortable. “You know,” she said to her, “this is the first time in months that I’ve spent any time this close to someone else. It feels wonderful and at the same time it feels like we’re breaking the law. It’s hard to believe now that this used to be the most normal thing in the world. It’s amazing how things can change and become the new normal.”
“I’ll admit, I’m resisting the urge to grab your hand.” Kelly ducked her head away, so Sandra didn’t see her eyes when she looked over to her. She let it go. Soon enough they would be sitting across from one another.
They walked along in silence for a while, then Kelly spoke. “I hope they have those masks you were talking about.”
“They do. I called them to make sure. Sorry I didn’t let you know.”
Sandra put her hand on the entrance door and turned back to Kelly. “Are you ready for this?”
“Yes, I need to sit with you,” Kelly nodded. Sandra thought she was smiling behind her mask. She held the door so Kelly could walk in without touching it, and then pumped a dollop of sanitizer onto her hand from the nearby pump.
A young man in a colourful mask greeted them. “Welcome! A table for two?” Sandra nodded. “Do you know about the masks that are required to be worn? We aren’t permitted to serve you unless you agree to wear them.”
“Yes, we know,” Kelly answered.
He grabbed two packages containing masks. “Do you have your phones to access the menu? Then I’ll show you to your table.”
It had been six months since Sandra had been to a restaurant. Here each table appeared to be two metres from the others. The space looked bare compared to the look they were accustomed to, but each table looked comfortably private.
After they were seated, the young man opened a package, ripped it open, and held it out to Sandra so she could pull the mask out. Then he did the same for Kelly.
“Your server will soon be with you.” He nodded to them and returned to his station.
Before they had a chance to settle in, a young woman in the same colourful mask arrived with two glasses of water on a tray. She introduced herself and set a glass in front of each of them. She pulled the end off a straw cover and held it out so they could pull the straw out for themselves. Then she did the same with a package of napkin-wrapped cutlery. “Are you ready to order or shall I come back?”
“Please come back, we are in no rush,” asked Sandra. She just wanted a chance to settle in with Kelly before they got busy eating.
Finally they were alone. She looked at the woman seated across from her, and felt lost in her eyes. It was such a strange feeling. She felt hungry for the closeness, and at the same time she was overwhelmed. Kelly broke the contact first, and reached for her straw to take a sip of her water.
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “This won’t work! Let’s check these masks out.”
They took their own masks off, shoved them in a pocket, and immediately applied the new mask. They looked at each other and laughed, each of them sounding a little hysterical. Kelly shook her head, “Oh my, it’s a good thing I didn’t know they would look like this! I might not have agreed!”
“They didn’t look like this in the video! They must have modified them for it.” These masks had a plastic frame that fit around the nose and mouth area. Shaped filter material fit inside it, made to fit over the nose. But it was the plastic frame that gave them such a strange look. There was a ridge along either side, and a little tab sticking down at the bottom. She examined Kelly’s, since she couldn’t see her own. “I think this plastic part is hinged.” They each felt their own mask. The panel lifted out from the bottom, leaving a gap.
“This is supposed to work? Really?” Kelly reached for her spoon, and went through the motions of filling it with food. With one hand she moved the panel, with the other one she brought the spoon to her mouth. “Huh, it might work. If I don’t knock the food off in the process!”
“I guess we take it slow and careful. It must work, other people do it.” Sandra stole a look around her. Two adults and two kids sat at another table, all of them busy eating. They seemed to be managing fine.
Kelly followed her, watching them. “I feel like I’m inside the strangest movie, you know the kind where you can completely reassure yourself it’s just a crazy story. But it’s real.” She shook her head and gave herself a shake. “Seems like all I do lately is shake my head. It’s a strange new world.”
She stopped and met Sandra’s eyes. They sat there, just looking at each other, no longer noticing the grotesque masks. “I like your eyes, Sandra. They feel very safe, but at the same time, my heart is racing like crazy. I think it’s because I don’t know what to do with the closeness. It’s not you. It’s just that I haven’t looked into anyone’s eyes in so long.”
“It’s the same for me,” Sandra told her. “It makes it very hard to figure out how I feel about anything right now.” She looked down to her water, opened her mask’s panel a little for the straw, and took a drink, glad for the break.
“I can’t believe how hard this is! Maybe we should check the menu.”
They took out their phones to look at the menu. The menu had changed from what she remembered: all the options could be managed with utensils or fingers. There were no sandwiches, wraps or burgers. Talking together about the choices, with short moments of eye contact, felt more natural. Sandra could feel herself relax, and sensed the same from Kelly.
They had just settled into their choices when their server returned. Sandra ordered a vegetarian salad with pecans and apples and a side of french fries. Kelly chose a chicken pot pie, also with fries. They both agreed that it had been too long since they had eaten fries, and they would be easy to eat with masks on.
Feeling more at ease, they settled into chatting, just as they had in their video chats. “I’m glad we spend all those hours in video chats,” Sandra mused. “I feel like it’s pretty easy to know when you’re smiling even though I can’t see much of your face. I find that when I don’t know people very well, it can be hard to tell for sure if they are smiling.”
Their server came over with two plates of food and set one down in front of each. “Enjoy your dinner,” she said and walked away.
They each picked up a fork, held it up in hesitation, and their eyes met. Sandra gave a little laugh. “Let’s do this. I’m hungry.”
She stabbed her fork into her salad, came up with a few pieces of lettuce and a mushroom, and aimed her fork toward her mouth. She tipped up the front panel of her mask and slipped the fork in. The mushroom fell off, bumped by the panel, but the rest of the food arrived safely.
She felt her eyes open wide. “Oh, no, I just had a vision of this mask being covered in dressing with bits of lettuce hanging out this bottom part! This could be a very challenging experience. Can you imagine trying to eat a burger, with ketchup and mustard smeared everywhere?” She checked on the status of her napkin, imagining she would have to try to keep her mask clean. “Oh, I guess that’s why there’s an extra napkin here.”
Kelly chuckled, “At least if my mouth is dirty, no one will see it.”
“I can’t believe this is how things are now,” said Sandra. “I got used to keeping physical distance and wearing a mask whenever I’m out, waiting in line everywhere, but this feels even crazier than I imagined it would. I just really wanted to sit at a table with you.”
Kelly filled her mouth again. “Mmm, it might be crazy, but the food is good. Let’s just enjoy it.”
It was a slow process, having to be so careful with every mouthful. When they were both satisfied, they set their forks down and sat there looking in each other’s eyes. Kelly spoke, “They say the eyes are the window to the soul. I never understood that until now. Your eyes truly are the window to your soul, Sandra. Thanks for letting me in.”
“And thanks for letting me in, Kelly.”
Kelly nodded, while her eyes crinkled in an obvious smile. “What now?”
“I want to navigate my way through this with you, Kelly. With you I will experience this as a brave new world. With you, masks are irrelevant. I feel like we can find our way, and it will be good. For the first time, I don’t feel afraid.”
Kelly reached her hand across the table, and Sandra reached out with hers. They rested comfortably together, an instant warmth soothing them both.
“Kelly, will you come to my place for dinner tomorrow? We can eat without masks, and talk, and find our way together.”
“I’d love that!”
Sandra paid the bill. They removed the masks the restaurant had given them and carefully re-applied their own masks.
Kelly pumped a dollop of sanitizer, opened the door for them, and then rubbed it carefully into her hands. As they headed down the sidewalk, she reached out to Sandra, who reached out to her, and they walked back to the park, hand in hand.
If you are looking for my short novel, A Matter of the Soul,
click here
