Day 1
This was it, Cosima thought, locking her apartment door. Self-quarantine at home. She certainly wasn't going to go against recommendations. But living alone through Covid19 was bound to be a pain.
Sure there was Skype, and Netlfix and UberEats. But… she knew it'd be lonely. And she's never been much of a cook.
The unit on the left side of hers was empty, she heard nothing through the walls. And the man living in 302 was often away. There was silence.
Cosima cranked on her music and dug around for the handroll she'd left in her purse. She pauses to light it with the cheap purple lighter she'd purchased as a backup. She stops to inhale.
At least her thesis would finally get done. She hoped.
Assuming she didn't spend most days waking and baking to stave off the boredom.
Day 4
A soft knocking at the door disturbs Cosima from the latest chapter of her dissertation. She'd barely even started her latest research project. She did not yet have enough external research that she could start on this anyway. At least that's what her advisors wanted. She had to do something after all.
Another Skype meeting with her advisor had gotten her almost nowhere. Sure, they'd approved her annotated bibliography and suggested additional resources but lack of access to other humans was posing a huge problem. Nevermind passing ethics.
"Who's there?" Cosima calls without opening the door. She hasn't seen anyone. Not in nine days, she was following public health recommendations. Left only to get groceries once a week and stood dumbfounded as the toilet paper aisle was still empty. She doesn't enjoy scrambling to get beans or rice. At least she had plenty stocked up. What a stroke of luck that was.
"My name is Delphine. I moved into apartment 306 two days ago."
Cosima remembers the moving truck that didn't have quite enough furniture. A few deliveries have come by as well. Whoever Delphine was, she didn't have much in the way of furniture.
"You moved during the pandemic?" Cosima shoots back surprised. She'd seen the movers, not even wearing masks but she hadn't seen the new tenant.
"I had to… and I need your help." Delphine calls, her soft accented voice drifting through the wood of the door.
"With what? We're all supposed to be social distancing?" Nevermind that her new neighbour was French. Nevermind that her voice made something in Cosima's stomach drop pleasantly. This was a terrible idea. Especially if Delphine was fresh off a plane.
"I cannot move my mattress into my bedroom by myself. The delivery workers won't bring it past the lobby."
"Bed in a box or giant mattress?" Cosima checks. She can't assume anything.
"Bed in a box. " Delphine answers. "I can pay you."
"No… No, I'll help you." Cosima agrees. She doesn't have a mask yet, they're on order but she moves to cover her face with a scarf.
She opens the door to find Delphine standing there awkwardly. Beautiful face uncovered, for now.
"Hi. I'm Cosima." She waves in lieu of a handshake.
"Enchantée." Delphine nods at her, trying to keep as much distance between them as possible.
"So you're in 306. That's the corner unit." Cosima remarks aloud.
"Yes." Delphine nods.
Cosima sighs. "OK. Let's go get your mattress."
"It's pronounced 'hammock'?" Cosima puzzles over the box as she helps Delphine carry it from the elevator to her apartment.
Delphine merely shrugs, swinging open the door and she helps her carry the mattress to the master bedroom. It's heavy, but with the two of them they manage fine.
"Tilt it." Cosima instructs opening the box. Delphine does, and she manages to rip apart the box at the bottom. They guide the mattress out onto the floor.
"I don't have a box spring or a frame yet. But the manufacturer said I could put it right on the floor." Delphine explains unasked.
Delphine wordlessly grabs her scissors from the kitchen and pierces the packaging, the mattress quickly unrolls and inflates.
"King sized?"
"Yes." Delphine nods.
"It's nice." Cosima comments, The apartment is sparsely furnished. Delphine definitely doesn't have much yet.
"Thank you. I know it's quite empty." Delphine apologizes.
"... So much for two weeks of total isolation?" Cosima grimaces. Hopefully she's not going to get the plague from this. She does not have time.
"Oh no… I haven't left the country. I rented a room close to the university. I needed to get out of there." Delphine tells her matter-of-factly. "Is 304 like this?"
"Sort of? 304 only has one bedroom. And it's not this nice." Cosima comments, clearly Delphine's unit had been reno'd before being rented out. It wasn't fair. Cosima observes the new modern kitchen and much nicer bathroom.
"I guess that's it." Cosima looks around a little. She knows this apartment is at least several hundred dollars more expensive a month than her own. And her condo apartment isn't cheap.
"Thank you. I live alone and this, this was so helpful." Delphine smiles.
"No problem." Cosima responds. "If it weren't for Covid19 I'd offer to show you around the neighborhood. Best places to get groceries, takeout…"
"But we must return to social distancing." Delphine nods. "It was nice to have met you Cosima. I hope to see you again. When… this is all over."
"Yeah. Of course." Cosima nods and goes back to the door, she lets Delphine open and close it.
"Back to work." Cosima says to herself, pulling up her favourite falafel joint on UberEats. At least she'll eat well tonight.
Day 12
The days quickly blend into each other, barring those weird grocery trips to supermarkets with assorted half-empty shelves.
She is honestly spending more time being baked than she is on her dissertation. But oh well. Cosima figures she will end up with a year delay anyway. At least her PhD program is relatively flexible? She continues her research, spending a few hours in the afternoon pouring over academic journals.
She occasionally sees Delphine from her balcony. The blonde is always leaning against the railing, facing away as she smokes what is undoubtedly a cigarette. They don't talk and she hears almost nothing from the other apartment.
Her cell rings and she answers it without thinking.
"Hey Scott." Cosima responds lazily, taking another drag off her lit joint. No Delphine on the balcony today.
"Hey Cosima… I need a favour."
"What kind of favour?" Cosima knows she can't just agree to anything.
"So, I agreed to foster a cat but… I can't. I already filled out the rescue application for you. All you need to do is read it, sign it and email it." Scott tells her quickly.
A soft vibration from her phone quickly shows her that the foster-application has already been sent. At least Scott made it easier for her.
"You want me to foster a cat?" Cosima balks.
"The rescue is too full plus she's pregnant." Scott explains briefly. "She doesn't get along with Denise. I can't keep her here. I can do a full contact-less drop off."
"Umm I guess so?" Cosima says aloud. She quickly signs the form and sends it off. At least it'd be some sort of company.
"Great. Oh you'll get to name the kittens but I really want to stick to the theme."
"What theme?"
"Studio Ghibli characters." Scott answers without hesitation. "Her name is Kiki."
"Kiki." Cosima nods. She thinks she might have seen one movie with an ex-girlfriend back in highschool. Beyond that she's not overly familiar with them.
"I ordered you supplies online. They should be there tomorrow. I'll bring Kiki in her carrier with food and I'll bring Cats for Dummies."
"Cats for Dummies?!" Cosima balks.
"You've never had pets." Scott reminds her. "Just think of it as a quick reference guide to feline care."
"Fine… just what do I do when the cat gives birth in my apartment?"
"Oh she's got a good month or so of gestation left." Scott brushes off her concerns. "She'll be fine. You just need to trim the fur around her genitals."
Cosima cracks up laughing. "What?"
"She's a long hair." Scott informs her.
"Great. Cat pubic grooming." She grimaces and hangs up the phone. At least it's something to do.
She wanders back out to the balcony, peering over the edge to find Delphine sitting on the ground drinking tea out of a mug.
"Hey Delphine." Cosima calls across the metre and a half divide between their balconies.
"Allo Cosima."
"You smoking again?"
"I don't smoke." Delphine answers too quickly.
"Hah… Yeah. I saw you two days ago with a cigarette." Cosima makes a face. "Busted."
Delphine laughs. "It's my last pack. That was the last cigarette I am buying until the end of quarantine."
"Ooh cold turkey." Cosima teases. She can't help herself.
"Cold turkey?"
"It means abruptly." Cosima clarifies. Maybe Delphine hasn't been in Canada that long.
"It's worth a shot." Delphine grimaces.
"Bet you're in withdrawal."
"I am." Delphine nods. "But I can handle it. Do you smoke?"
"Only pot." Cosima shoots Delphine a winning smile. "What do you do for a living?"
"I'm doing a PhD at University of Toronto, trying to branch into working in research. I'm a speech language pathologist." Delphine smiles. "I am just doing research mostly now. I have to teach one remote class a week now. And I still take part-time clients but… language assessments are extremely difficult to conduct via Skype."
"I'm a student there!" Cosima can't stop exclaiming. She suspects they're daily close in age, but Delphine was clearly more disciplined.
"What field?" Delphine is definitely intrigued.
"Linguistics and Anthropology. I'm sort of straddling the two right now." Cosima answers without hesitation. "Cosima Niehaus, lazy PhD candidate."
"Are you more syntax or psycholinguistics?"
"Psycholinguistics is definitely more interesting. But...I'm still figuring out my dissertation. I'm looking at language in traumatic brain injury and stroke patients." Cosima admits with a small smirk. They weren't so different after all.
"So not children?" Delphine surmises.
"Not unless they're injured." Cosima jokes.
A slow smile spreads across Delphine's face. "It's good to meet you, Cosima Niehaus. Thank you again for your help with my mattress."
"Is it any good, or are you sending it back?" Cosima wonders aloud.
"Oh it's excellent. I am keeping it." Delphine tells her. "I am very comfortable."
"Nice." Cosima grins. Then on a whim she asks. "Tell me about your research."
Delphine's smile grows wider if anything. "How much time do you have?"
Day 14
It's another day, including another drawn out balcony conversation, before she's ready to ask what she wants. The cat has been dropped off, and other than being sent cat-care tips from Scott, she's mostly hid under the bed. At least the cat was eating. Massive amounts of cat food that had been provided to her. She supposes it's the pregnant part making the cat eat so damn much but maybe the cat was just fat?
She exits her apartment, silently practicing what she plans to say. Surely she can make this offer inviting enough. Cosima smiles, she'd even made an effort to look cute for Delphine. Not like there was anyone else around to try to impress.
Surely two single people bubbling up was a good solution to stave off loneliness during the pandemic. It was clear that she and Delphine had plenty in common, and conversations would never be dull. Maybe sharing meals would give her some motivation to cook and if there were awkward silences they could watch Netflix or smoke up. It was a solid plan, Cosima reminds herself, nervously poised outside Delohine's door.
She knocks, trying not to be too enthusiastic. Or frantic.
"Cosima?" Delphine opens the door curiously. "Is something wrong? Do you need help?"
"OK, Delphine. So I'm single. You're single." Cosima gestures fluidly between the two of them from her spot at Delphine's door. She's even wearing a cloth mask, a rainbow one of course, in case Delphine says no.
"Is this a come on?" Delphine wonders aloud. "I am very flattered, but … I like men, Cosima."
Cosima cannot contain a small grimace. She'd hoped maybe, but that wasn't why she was making the offer. "Not quite what I meant. I meant that we live alone. Why not bubble up?"
Delphine's brow furrows. "Bubble up?"
"Be one household for the duration of the pandemic. We can see each other, eat together, hang out.. I can help you build your IKEA furniture so you don't wrestle with a KALLAX shelf for five hours solo?"
"Alright." Delphine laughs. "I guess you heard me."
"Yes. The French cursing was hard to miss." Cosima laughs. She does like Delphine, she cannot deny that. But… they both need company even if they're not quite a perfect match.
"But… for safety, the arrangement has to be exclusive. So… is anyone coming in or out of your place, or vice versa?" Cosima hopes she's clear enough, while making sure she's not going to be exposed to more people.
"Non." Delphine nods with a shy smile. "Nobody. You're the only person I have seen face to face. Other than the delivery workers and the movers."
"Then we can do this?"
"Yes. We can." Delphine nods.
"Great. Dinner at mine?" Cosima offers.
"Yes. I'd like that" Delphine agrees. "I can cook if you want?"
"So you've…"
"Seen the massive amount of takeout containers that you have taken to the garbage chute?" Delphine teases. "Only twice."
"Change of location? Sure." Cosima agrees. She remembers the small table and two chairs she saw at Delphine's. "Can I come in?"
"Yes." Delphine steps back and allows her to enter her apartment. It is as sparse as she remembers. The second bedroom door is open revealing what seems to be a standing desk and a large bookshelf.
"Thanks." Cosima removes her mask and tucks it into a pocket. "I guess I don't need this now."
"Not here anyway." Delphine goes to her kitchen. "Do you like minestrone?"
"Soup? Sure." Cosima agrees taking a seat. "Oh umm, I'm vegetarian. So… I might be annoying for you to feed."
"No. Not at all. I can accommodate that." Delphine offers, brushing her off. "So we'll try some new recipes along the way. It might be fun. See how many unique meals we can eat in a row."
"That could be fun. Also...weird."
"I guess we could share our grocery shopping too. Only one of us has to go if we are bubbled."
"I can do that." Cosima volunteers. "I… I already have been and I can definitely manage it."
"But you don't have a car." Delphine acknowledges. "We could try to order groceries for delivery for the most part, only go out for specialized items."
"Nope. Do you?"
"Unfortunately not. I didn't think I would need one here." Delphine wrinkles her nose somewhat.
"We'll work something out." Cosima assures her. This arrangement could be very beneficial. She hopes. At the very least, it'd be good company.