COVID-19: How It All Went Down

This story is based on true events, although some details and dialogue have been added for a more interesting story.

When the virus came to America, it first hit me at Costco. My brother, sister, mom, and I was sitting at the food court and eating giant slices of pizza and hot dogs while we watched people shop. This event was nothing unusual for us, but for some reason, I knew something was wrong on that particular day. The shoppers seemed… tense.

“Hey, Mom?”

She looked up from her meal.

“Why are the lines so long? Why is everybody buying so much?”

My mom set down her hot dog and looked at me seriously. I knew her next words were important, so I stopped chewing and held my breath.

“I think people are trying to stock up on food in case they have to stay home for a long time. You know, with the whole corona virus thing going on.”

My heart skipped a beat.

“Corona virus? I thought that was all the way in China.” I had read memes about it on Instagram in January.

“Yeah, but viruses spread, you know. It’s in America now.”

I watched a woman pass by with a cart full of rice, toilet paper, and water bottles, and the panic set in.

I half-jokingly asked, “Are we gonna die?”

My mom didn’t think it was funny.

“I don’t think so. The virus only kills elderly and high-risk people with pre-existing medical conditions.”

My eyes shot around the entire store, and the lines seemed to get longer the more I stared at them.

“Oh my God, I had no idea.”

That day was just the beginning of what happened.

It was Spring Break when all of this happened. I thought that maybe, maybe everything would go back to normal before the break was over, but then I started hearing rumors and reading posts about schools canceling across the state. Our school had yet to cancel, though, which was typical for our district, so I assumed they would ignore the warnings and still have school, just like they did on snow days. However, I was sadly mistaken.

I remember scrolling through Instagram and Snapchat, looking at memes, when I saw someone’s story with a screenshot of a news article stating that school would be out until March 25. I was excited and scared all at once, and I looked up to see if the article was true. It was.

Things felt like they were spiraling out of control. Pretty soon, school was being delayed until early May, and we were starting online learning. Here’s another thing: I had just gotten my driver’s license a week before, and suddenly there was a city-wide order to stay at home unless you were an essential worker or needed to buy essential items. I didn’t even get to use my license. Not only that, but I had to figure out the log-in for APEX. Let me tell you, doing math online is one of the worst ways to learn math. I kept re-reading lessons and barely passing quizzes. School, in general, gave me an excuse to stress. I am an expert at stressing out over menial tasks.

But I’m not here to talk about school. I’m here to talk about the virus.

I realized how badly I’d been avoiding any news on the virus when my dad asked me to write articles thanking the front-line workers for all of their hard work and effort. I cried that day, claiming that I was crying because I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to make the articles perfect, but the truth was, I didn’t want to face the facts. This virus was everywhere.

I went on a walk down the street with my mom and told her everything I was feeling.

“I hate seeing it everywhere. The deaths. The panic. I can’t stand it. I’ve been avoiding everything, but these articles are forcing me to look at what’s going on around me. I don’t want to see it. I just want to forget what’s going on,” I let a few hot tears trace down my cheeks before I angrily wiped them away.

My mom gave me a hug, and some of my worry and panic dissipated.

“If you really don’t want to write the articles, I’ll tell your dad and he can write them instead. You don’t need to worry so much. We understand.”

Hearing her say that made me want to prove that I could do it, so I ended up writing some of the articles. It was hard to read about home-made masks, over-worked grocery store employees, and the declining mental health of doctors and nurses across America, but I did it. I looked death in the eye and wrote about it. And although most of my writing wasn’t used, I’m still proud that I had faced that fear. It helped me move on and realize what I needed to do.

I needed to keep moving forward.

Despite facing the virus, there was one thing that I hadn’t faced, and that was all of the events I wouldn’t be going to this school year.

Since freshman year in high school, I had been in band and choir. That meant that at the end of the school year, music was my entire world. However, with COVID-19 disrupting the school year, I couldn’t do any of what I normally did. We couldn’t do any of it. There was no rock-and-roll-themed floor show. There was no cheesy pop music and ridiculous dance moves with choir friends for our pop show. There was no state competition, even though I had worked hard to make it to state at solo and ensemble. There was nothing anymore. Not only that, but I developed a bad cough that made singing and practicing my flute from home practically impossible.

I still haven’t cried over it. I’m not sure if I remember how to cry anymore. I just feel numb. And yet there is more to worry about.

I won’t be able to see any of the seniors that are graduating. That hit me like a ton of bricks when I realized it. My chest hurts every time I think about the seniors that won’t get to experience all of their “lasts” in high school. I can’t begin to imagine how that must make them feel.

Despite all of this, I didn’t let this virus completely stop me. I don’t let the virus stop me.

I kept practicing, even when my cough got really bad and I could barely breathe. I kept writing even though my insecurities told me that all of my work would never amount to anything. I kept pushing forward in my own small ways, making dinner for myself, showering every day, doing my laundry... all of those menial tasks meant everything because I wasn’t giving up.

I’m still not giving up. I’m writing this story. I’m doing projects, taking tests, reading books, and forcing myself to keep going when I don’t want to. This virus is attacking everything I worked for, but I won’t let it win. Never. I’ll show COVID-19 who’s boss. For me, this is just another chapter in my life.

There are more chapters to come.

If you actually read to this point, congratulations! You're a nerd.

But in all seriousness, I just wanted to say that you can TOTALLY share your own corona virus stories with me through email or comments. I'd love to hear your own stories.