It was never the same again. There had been promises and plenty of hope, but it didn’t help, it didn’t stop. The losses kept rising, and they still are twenty years later. Jamie stood in her kitchen nursing her last coffee for this week. She’d been so looking forward to it, dreaming about it, imagining the rich smell and taste. She wouldn’t get another delivery of groceries for 2 weeks. She hardly remembered the time she took it for granted she could make a dozen a day if she wanted, could even make it different ways, instant, filtered, a latte. Milk! Oh how she missed milk. She shook herself, this was not helpful, reminiscing about life before 2020. She had to be focussed today.

Today was her day to go out. She was going to cycle down to the coast, lock up her bike, and meet Rob on the beach. Rob! Her lifeline in these horrible times. The one who made her laugh, who told her he loved her. They could only meet once a month but they talked endlessly online. They’d met just six months before lockdown started and so were unable to see each other much fairly early on. Every time lockdown eased they made the most of it, even at one point talking about moving in together, but it never got that far. And that was it, dreams about the future shattered.

The alarm on her tracker sounded, startling her back to now.

“Yes” she said to her kitchen, “I’m off”.

She pushed her bike to the end of her driveway, mounted it and pedalled away. She tried hard not to look at most of houses down her road, which were now empty and derelict. She did, however, look to her right at the corner house and waved to Mrs Spencer who spent her days gazing out her window. Mrs Spencer joyfully waved back.

She felt the happiness rise up in her as she neared the sea. She was going to see him! She reached the end and looked up the beach and so the lone figure of Rob sitting and staring ahead. She walked towards him, fiddling with her mask. He turned and stood. She knew he was smiling, she could see it in his eyes, his beautiful green eyes.

“Hey you” he said quietly.

“Hi” she responded.

They sat as near as they could and continued to look at each other in silence. They didn’t really have much to say. They spoke everyday and of course, they didn’t really do much other than work and watch tv. They swapped a few stories about colleagues, and who was ‘seeing’ who. After an hour and a half both alarms sounded. Rob sighed and Jamie closed her eyes.

“Always too quick” Rob said. She nodded sadly in agreement.

They both stood and faced each other. They looked deep into each other’s eyes as they always did at these times, both remembering the feel and touch of the other. After five minutes the second alarm sounded.

“Your time is up” he said in a robotic voice, “better run!”

“I miss you” she said.

“I love you” he said.

They walked slowly up the beach together, until she reached her bike.

“Let me know when you’re home”.

“I will”.

She waited as he walked away, and then climbed on her bike and rode home, much slower this time.