Bhala umbiko walokho okwenzeke ngesikhathi sobhadane.
Angisakhumbuli ukuthi ngagcina nini ukugcina idayari. Ngangivame ukubhala njalo lapho ngiseyintombazanyana: ezincwajaneni ezinemibalabala engangizithola njengezipho ngoKhisimusi noma ngosuku lwami lokuzalwa. Ngangivame ukuwashiya lapho esekhathele kancane. Mhlawumbe uhhafu uma ngangimatasa. Iqiniso liwukuthi, ngabashiya lapho ngibona ukuthi akekho omunye ngaphandle kwami owayekhathalela lokho engangikusho; lapho ngase ngiyekile ukukhathalela; lapho ngibona ukuthi ngangingekho ngokujulile. Lokho kungase kwenzeke nangalesi sikhathi.  Umehluko manje wukuthi ngisho noma ngingasho lutho olujulile: isikhathi sijulile. Siphila phakathi nobhadane lomhlaba wonke, sicashe emakhaya ethu, sinethemba lokuthi asithinteki futhi sithinte abanye singazi. Ukugwema abantu emgwaqweni lapho sihamba, ukufuna ukugeza izandla zethu ngokushesha lapho sithatha okuthile esitolo sokudla ngemva kokulinda ulayini isikhathi esingangehora.  Izolo, kwakuyisikhathi sami sokuthenga ukudla. Umngane wami wayeqhuba iningi lemisebenzi yethu. Isikhathi sokugcina lapho ngangihlangene naye kwakusezisontweni ezedlule, ngaphambi kokuba ulindele ukuba kube nomugqa ozungeze ibhulokhi. Sasivuke ekuseni kakhulu ngoMgqibelo, futhi kwakunemvula encane, ngakho ngamkholisa ukuthi kufanele siye eMollie Stones engaphesheya komgwaqo siyoshaya wonke umuntu lapho. Lapho sifika, kwakunabantu abangaba ngu - 12 ababemi emgqeni, futhi sasibuthene ngaphansi kwesambulela sezimbali esincane esasisesigqokweni semoto yethu.  Ngangikhokhisise leli shelufu ekhadini lami lebhizinisi lapho ngisohambweni lomsebenzi eLondon, futhi nakuba lisebenza kanzima, angiyikulilahla. Lapho ngiyivula ukuze isivikele njengoba sasilinde ngaphandle kweMollie Stones, ngaphupha ngiphapheme ngokubuyela eLondon. Ukuhamba nhlobo. Ukukwazi ukungena esitolo sokudla ukuze uthole izithako zesidlo sasekuseni, futhi akukho okunye. IMollie Stones yayihlale iyindawo esasiya kuyo ukuze sithole izithako zokudla kwasekuseni ngemva kokuphuma ebusuku okunobudlova. Ngangikukhumbula ukuphuma ebusuku: imigoqo eyayigcwele abantu lapho kwakudingeka uphakamise izwi lakho ukuze uzwakale, kodwa ube usakhathazeka lapho umngane wakho omkhulu ekumemeza endlebeni.  Ngakwazi ukudlula kulolo hambo oluya eMollie Stones ngaphandle kokukhala. Isikhathi sokugcina mina nomngane wami esaya ngaso eMollie Stones, kwakuyiSonto ngaphambi kokuba iMeya uBreed iqondise iSan Francisco ukuba ihlale endaweni. Kwakungekho zimfuneko zokuzihlukanisa, futhi isitolo sasigcwele abathengi. Abantu babehlangana ezindleleni. Izimpahla zamaphepha zase ziphangwe. Ubisi lwe-oat lwalungatholakali ndawo. Sakhetha i-Mollie Stones ngoba iyisitolo sokudla esibiza kakhulu eSan Francisco, futhi sasingacabangi ukuthi wonke umuntu uzobe ethenga lapho. Kodwa lokhu kuyiSan Francisco, ngakho sasinephutha. Ngabona owesifazane osekhulile ehamba kancane esitolo futhi ngaqala ukuphefumula kakhulu. Umngane wami wayengekho kude, ngakho ngakwazi ukumthola futhi ngaphefumula ngokujulile ukuze ngigweme ukuhlaselwa uvalo.  Ngakho, ungaqonda ukuthi kungani ngangingakulangazeleli ukuyothenga ukudla ngedwa okokuqala. Ngikhethe iCostco eSOMA ngoba bambalwa abantu abahlala eningizimu yeMakethe, futhi kwakuphakathi nesonto lomsebenzi: mhlawumbe ungagqashula emihlanganweni ye-Zoom ukuze uthathe uhambo olusheshayo lokuya e-Whole Foods noma e-Trader Joe's, kodwa iCostco iyinjabulo, ukuzibophezela. Yebo, amakhulu ayezinikele njengami. Cishe ukuvikela imiqulu engu-30 yephepha langasese.  Ngafika egaraji lokupaka leCostco ngo-10 ekuseni njengoba lalivulwa. Azikho izimoto ezilinde ukungena, engikuthatha njengophawu oluhle. Qaphela: akukho zimpawu ezinhle ezibonakaliswa ubhubhane. Ngemva kokuba sengithole indawo yokupaka, ngazungeza ipaki ukuze ngizithole ngisemva kwalokho okwakubonakala kuwumngcele wokuphepha wesikhumulo sezindiza ongenakuphela, owenziwe ngokuphazima kweso ngeteyipu yokuqapha futhi owawuqashwa ubuvila isisebenzi saseCostco esinesigqoko sobuso nesigubhu. Njalo ngemva kwemizuzu embalwa, wayesikhumbuza ukuba sihlale siqhelelene.  Naphezu kokuba nethemba mayelana nokulinda, ngafika ngilungele. Ubuso bami babumbozwe ngokuphelele imaski ye-N95, engivuma ukuthi ngangizizwa nginecala ngakho. Izisebenzi zezempilo kulo lonke elaseMelika zazidinga i-PPE, futhi ngazithola ngisemgqeni wokulinda eCostco ngigqoke isiqeshana esisodwa salezi zingubo. Ngangithenge iphakethe lezinhlamvu eziyishumi ngemva kwesizini yomlilo eyedlule futhi ngangiphule uphawu lwephakethe, okwenza kwaba nzima ukunikela ngalo. Isifihla-buso sami singenza ngizizwe ngiyingane noma ngiwumlingiswa opopayi: siqala esihlathini kuze kufike ngaphansi kwamehlo ami. Ukuze ngigcwalise lokho, ngigqoke amagilavu okugibela e-ski (amapulasitiki cishe akunakwenzeka ukuwathola), futhi ngineziqephu eziningi ze-The Daily engizilandile ocingweni lwami. Ngithatha indawo yami ngemuva emgqeni, enama-switchback ayisithupha noma ngaphezulu, bese ngilungela ukuhlangana noMichael Barbaro.  Sekungaphezu konyaka manje ngilalela iDaily: cishe nsuku zonke, kungaba sekuhambeni kwami noma lapho ngisebenza ekuseni. Kodwa ngemva kokuvalelwa ngedwa, ngeshwa ngawuyeka lo mkhuba. Ngaphandle kwegumbi lokuzivocavoca noma ukuyiswa emsebenzini, akulula ukungena esimisweni sami. Ngimkhumbula uMichael futhi nakhu okunye okudingeka ukwazi namuhla.  Isiqephu sokuqala sinengxoxo noPaul Mozur, intatheli yezobuchwepheshe ese-Asia <unk> odabuka eShanghai. Yena, kanye nabanye izintatheli zaseMelika, bavinjelwa ukungena eChina futhi baphoqeleka ukuba bashiye izwe, futhi wabelana ngokuzizwa kwakhe ngokomzwelo kanye nezizathu zokuthi kungani.  Ngabe sengikhetha i- "voices of the pandemic", isiqephu esihlukaniswe izingxenye ezine: izintatheli zikhuluma namaMelika athintwe yilesi sifo ePittsburgh, eKansas City, eNew York naseSeattle. Abazali manje abafundisa izingane zabo eziklabalasa ekhaya. Owayekade eyisikhonzi manje osehlala emotweni yakhe ezama ukuthola umsebenzi esitolo sokudla, kodwa engakwazi ukuthola isitifiketi sakhe sokuzalwa. Umhlengikazi ongasakwazi ukubona abazukulu bakhe ngoba uphatha iziguli ze-COVID. Ngafikelwa izinyembezi lapho ngimlalela ekhumbula ubusuku bakhe bokuqala esibhedlela lapho baqinisekisa khona amacala amabili e-COVID-19. Wazizwa enenjongo futhi enobungane nabasebenza nabo, kodwa waqaphela ngokushesha ukuthi kwakusho ukuthi wayengeke akwazi ukubungaza i-night-over yakhe yamasonto onke nabazukulu bakhe. Wachaza ngokuningiliziwe igumbi ayelihlobisele wona endlini yakhe, nokuthi imibhede yawo yayiyohlala kanjani ingenabantu amasonto amaningi.  Sekudlule iziqephu ezintathu ze-Daily, futhi ekugcineni sengithuthuka emgqeni we-Costco, ngiqeda umgwaqo, lapho izintambo ezibomvu ezinyaweni zethu zibonisa khona ngokucacile igebe elidingekayo elingamamitha ayisithupha phakathi kwakho nabantu abaphambi kwakho nabangemuva kwakho. Lapho sengingenile kule ndawo enkulu yokugcina impahla, ngenza umzila oya ezimpahleni zamaphepha futhi ngikwenze umgomo wami ukuvikela iphepha langasese namathawula. Ukuphumelela kulokho kwenza ukulinda kube okuzuzisayo, futhi ngiqala ukuhlola izinto ohlwini lwami ngenjongo. Nakuba izisebenzi zakwaCostco zihleliwe kahle kuyo yonke indawo yokugcina impahla, ngezinye izikhathi ziphakamisa umsakazo ukuze zikhumbuze abathengi ukuba bahlale beqhelelene ngamamitha ayisithupha, kunezici ezimbalwa ezenza lolu hambo lwaseCostco lube olwejwayelekile: Ngigcwalisa inqola yami yokuthenga ngize ngiqede, ngisebenzisa imali eningi kakhulu, futhi ngiphuthume ngiphume ngomnyango. Ngaphezu kwakho konke, angisakwazi ukulinda ukuba ngisuse imaski yami.