The Rona Diaries: Week 10 (I think)
Part I
After not seeing each other for weeks because of COVID-19, Roberto and I booked a trip to The French Manor Inn in South Sterling, PA for a socially distanced weekend away. A light rain turned into a major storm while we were on the road driving toward the Poconos. At points there was close to zero visibility, and it felt like the car was being pushed along the highway by the torrent of water no matter how carefully Roberto managed the brakes. The rain would pour down in sheets and then stop revealing a sliver of grayish-blue sky in the distance. Minutes later it would start up again exhausting our hope that the rest of the ride would be a smooth one.
As someone whose anxiety is triggered by even a short ride in a car this was a terrifying experience. Throughout it all, Roberto was calm and steady, holding my hand and making jokes when he could. We were in the car for three and a half hours and I never got the sense that he was scared. He just kept moving forward, completely in control of his emotions, determined to get us to our destination.
Part II
The next morning we decided to take a Yoga with a View class outdoors. It was just the two of us, another couple from New York, and the instructor. As I lay on my stomach with the side of my face in the grass I looked at dandelions growing from the ground and thought of The Bluest Eye. The sun warmed my back and the stress from the previous day began to dissipate. After the class, we sat in lounge chairs listening to the Isley Brothers and drinking Hard Kombucha from Trader Joe's. In our periphery we noticed an older couple seated on a set of lounge chairs a distance away. Roberto noticed that the man had a drone and admired the distance it was able to fly. That is, he admired it until we noticed the whirring of the drone getting louder and louder until we looked up to see it hovering right above us. We thought the old man was just having fun, perhaps showing off his toy until the drone remained directly overhead for several minutes. Afraid to look over, I asked Roberto if the man was watching us. He replied that he was not-he was looking into a device displaying what was on the drone's camera.
Creeped out we decided to walk back to the room and the drone followed. It hovered above us as I dug into my bag for the key. When I went to the terrace with the goal of prolonging my time in the sun I heard the familiar buzzing and looked up and there it was again. Finally giving up I went inside and prepared to watch a movie with Roberto and the phone rang. It was the front desk asking an unnecessary question about our dinner order, perhaps confirming for the old man that the right people were in the room.
Is it possible that there was an innocent explanation for this all of this? Yes. Is it probable? No. Did it interrupt our enjoyment of the weekend? Not really. Zora Neale Hurston said, "Sometimes I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can anyone deny themselves the pleasure of my company."
Roberto and I will continue to claim our space in the sun.
After not seeing each other for weeks because of COVID-19, Roberto and I booked a trip to The French Manor Inn in South Sterling, PA for a socially distanced weekend away. A light rain turned into a major storm while we were on the road driving toward the Poconos. At points there was close to zero visibility, and it felt like the car was being pushed along the highway by the torrent of water no matter how carefully Roberto managed the brakes. The rain would pour down in sheets and then stop revealing a sliver of grayish-blue sky in the distance. Minutes later it would start up again exhausting our hope that the rest of the ride would be a smooth one.
As someone whose anxiety is triggered by even a short ride in a car this was a terrifying experience. Throughout it all, Roberto was calm and steady, holding my hand and making jokes when he could. We were in the car for three and a half hours and I never got the sense that he was scared. He just kept moving forward, completely in control of his emotions, determined to get us to our destination.
 |
| The sun came out as soon as we arrived |
Part II
The next morning we decided to take a Yoga with a View class outdoors. It was just the two of us, another couple from New York, and the instructor. As I lay on my stomach with the side of my face in the grass I looked at dandelions growing from the ground and thought of The Bluest Eye. The sun warmed my back and the stress from the previous day began to dissipate. After the class, we sat in lounge chairs listening to the Isley Brothers and drinking Hard Kombucha from Trader Joe's. In our periphery we noticed an older couple seated on a set of lounge chairs a distance away. Roberto noticed that the man had a drone and admired the distance it was able to fly. That is, he admired it until we noticed the whirring of the drone getting louder and louder until we looked up to see it hovering right above us. We thought the old man was just having fun, perhaps showing off his toy until the drone remained directly overhead for several minutes. Afraid to look over, I asked Roberto if the man was watching us. He replied that he was not-he was looking into a device displaying what was on the drone's camera.
Creeped out we decided to walk back to the room and the drone followed. It hovered above us as I dug into my bag for the key. When I went to the terrace with the goal of prolonging my time in the sun I heard the familiar buzzing and looked up and there it was again. Finally giving up I went inside and prepared to watch a movie with Roberto and the phone rang. It was the front desk asking an unnecessary question about our dinner order, perhaps confirming for the old man that the right people were in the room.
Is it possible that there was an innocent explanation for this all of this? Yes. Is it probable? No. Did it interrupt our enjoyment of the weekend? Not really. Zora Neale Hurston said, "Sometimes I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can anyone deny themselves the pleasure of my company."
Roberto and I will continue to claim our space in the sun.
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