Chapter 2

One cup of coffee a day isn't a lot. Maybe it's the alcohol. Maybe it's the red wine she drinks at dinner time, sometimes before sleep. Red wine is known to have health benefits but what does it do to eggs? It could still be the vitamins. Vitamins have side effects too. Too much can be harmful but she did say she stopped taking them after the first egg failed so maybe those aren't vitamins.

That made sense until all the test results came back. There's nothing wrong with the vitamins, nothing wrong with the wine, tested by three different laboratories, no abnormalities in Lucy's blood or urine but a lot is wrong with the world!

News came from one country, then quickly got the whole world's attention when deaths multiply day by day. Who knew that it could be this deadly? Non-essential stores, churches and pubs have to be closed to stop the spread. Rules have to be put in place just to take a walk outside. Lockdowns? This word is only used in the movies but now…

How long? Hopefully not long because living with Lucy in this situation brought back memories of the time in New York when Lucy couldn't walk. Staying home all day isn't difficult but for someone who is active, who likes to go out, it is. Months at home with nothing to do somehow brought out the young Lucy who hates to follow rules especially rules that she doesn't think will help because not everybody is following them. Watching tv and going online all day can be boring. With stocks tumbling everyday, it is frustrating. But is there a need to be upset over cancelled airplane flying lessons? Is there a need to curse?

News is depressing. Everyday is about the virus. With thousands of deaths, more and more getting ill, hospitals became more crowded, quickly turning into a no-go zone. Like Dr. Z said, it would be safer to stay at home with non-life threatening illnesses. Thank God, nobody is sick. Basic necessities, masks, hand sanitizers, and cleaning products quickly became unavailable in the stores. Many panicked and bought whatever is available even food that they never used to eat as long as it is food that can last. Rules were put in place to stop people from stockpiling and gouging. Aisles of shelves in supermarkets that used to be always stocked remained empty week after week.

Did Lucy know this was going to happen? For someone who looks at the stock market everyday might know. Is this why she stocked up pasta and processed food, food that aren't considered healthy for a woman who's preparing for egg retrieval. Is this why she wanted to go to a shooting range with Grace? To practice? Is this why she bought bb guns, stun guns, nail guns, knives, anything that can be easily bought and used as weapons in case people stop following the law? Is this what she was stressing about? Thank God it's not as bad as she thinks, at least not here. It's worse in the US according to Aunt Erin who thinks that apocalypse is coming. She's not the only one who fears for the ones she loves.

Poor Nadia. No matter what she said, she couldn't persuade Holly to quit working in the children's hospital. That is selfish of Nadia. Can't blame her though. Not being able to get close to the one she loves, touch her, video chatting just isn't the same but it's a good app. Hopefully, Ethan takes advantage of this app and doesn't think that this pandemic is a sign but an opportunity to show Grace that he's not just a chef, but a compassionate person, one who has the courage to lend a hand by volunteering in a food bank unlike Lucy who sits on her ass all day. Since when did she become such a scaredy cat? …(sigh)…

Being married does make a difference. Scud feels the same way. It's a risk he's not willing to take but he did what a capable caring person would do. He kept his restaurant closed and continued to pay his employees. Now if Lucy would just use this time to improve herself, it would be better for everyone. Exercising in the fitness room is good. Punching bags is one way to get the stress out but that's not what I meant!

"What's…going on?"

The lights are dimmed in the family room. The tv is on but there's nothing on it. Having just got a message from Janet to go to her side of the house, she did as told but wasn't expecting this. This is the time when Lucy is usually in the fitness room to get herself tired before going to bed since falling asleep has been difficult with everything that's going on. So what is she doing?

"C'mon. Take a seat!"

Obviously, Janet can't wait. Scud, Nadia, and Zander are already sitting on the couch. Lucy is standing next to the tv with a guitar, the one she had planned on giving Sydney that night but Sydney preferred a hug and kiss.

"Ready?"

Who is she talking to? Oh. No wonder Aunt Erin called minutes ago. It was to give them time to set this up. Sydney, Emily and Aunt Erin are on tv.

"1…2…3"

Whaat! What happened to the one who has been using the punching bag as a stress reliever for the past two months? No longer bored out of her mind and very alive! It's now obvious what Lucy has been doing. She found another hobby. Ohh…my…goddd…. Singing too? Wish Max is here, she'd be impressed and probably be laughing her ass off now like Janet and… Aunt Erin?

In the past few months, all Aunt Erin talked about every time she called is the situation in America. Food prices tripled. Hospitals ran out of masks. Death tolls continued to rise each week, a lot more than other countries yet the federal government didn't step in to help until it's too late. Protestors gathered in large groups, chanting like Nazis, like cult members. Racism always existed but is now getting worse. Country is more divided than ever. Hate groups, uncivilized groups, racist groups, enemies of the US are using this opportunity to spread hate and incite violence. Greedy politicians are using this opportunity to make themselves richer. The lies, the hate, the divide, the chaos, the darkness, the emptiness on the streets, feels like apocalypse is coming. That's what Aunt Erin said every time she called which isn't a good sign. Excessive worrying could lead to illness especially for someone her age so she had to tell Aunt Erin to stop watching the news, stop reading online. Apparently, she didn't know about the troll agencies owned by enemies of the US where people get paid to use social media to spread misinformation to create chaos. That seems to have worked. Tonight, Aunt Erin seems different, less worried, more relaxed, happier, laughing and dancing to the beat next to Emily.

"…don't give up…don't…givvve...upppp…"

Everyone is cheering and clapping. Cocoa is barking. Looks like Zander is the only one who doesn't like it; he had his ears covered with the noise blocker headphones the entire time. That is loud. It's not rock but it's not a song to relax with either. Sydney looks cool. Lucy always does, even more so now with the guitar plus the shades. That performance deserves a standing ovation and a hug.

"What diya think?" Lucy has been waiting for this moment. Amy's jaw dropping look is worth the wait. The pain on her finger tips, the frustration is all worth it.

"Woww"

Wow is the reaction Lucy expected to get but the next response from Amy is unexpected. "um babe, they can hear you."

"what?" Amy asked in confusion. Laughter from Sydney and Emily immediately can be heard. Aunt Erin has a look of shock. How could they have heard when Scud, Janet, and Nadia couldn't? …oh my god, this is so embarrassing… That's not what I meant isn't going to work. It's impossible to come up with another meaning for "I'm so hot for you right now." The only thing that she can do is bury her face into Lucy's chest to hide herself. It's good to hear Aunt Erin's laugh though.

"I didn't know you didn't know." Lucy said after getting a few slaps on her shoulder. Should've turned the mic off. It is now. This isn't the outcome she is expecting. It's better. Everyone had a good laugh. After saying goodbye to Aunt Erin and making sure the line is disconnected, it's time to ask "Surprised?" It was difficult to keep it from Amy. Spending hours in the fitness room everyday would seem excessive to anyone especially when the room isn't soundproof. The only way to keep it from her is go to Scud's side of the house. Making an excuse was easy. Scud is always trying to improve the security system.

"umm…you can't sing but that's impressive." The way Lucy is playing the guitar is impressive but her voice, oh god, is unpleasant to listen too, it's off-key. She probably knew that already so there's no need to lie. That's why Sydney did most of the singing and Emily as the background singer. What's also impressive is the lyrics until Lucy said she wrote it. That's shocking. There's no way. It's not rap. It's not just a few lines. It's… "Which line?"

"Nothing is impossible, when you have love, never give in, don't give up…don't …givvv…uppp…"

Oh. A few lines is possible. "I love it."

"c'mon, be honest. "

okay, it didn't sound convincing enough. "You want my opinion?" There's the eyeroll again. Okay, you said so. "Nothing is impossssible, there'll always be love, don't give uppp, donnn't…givvve upppp." It's necessary to sing it. Melody needs to be changed too. It's good to see that she's taking this seriously. She's thinking about it. She's singing to it.

"mine's better"

Why am I not surprised. Regardless, a song about love at this time with everything that's going on deserves a kiss and more but more will have to wait since bedtime is an hour away. I can wait. Apparently, Lucy can too since she's taking forever in the shower, so long she missed two calls. What is so important that can't wait until tomorrow? Is it Gr…

"I'll let her know." Lucy hung up.

Finally. Whoever it was sure has a magic touch. Lucy isn't laughing anymore but the smile is still there. "Who is it?"

"Syd"

Sydney? It's good to see how well they're getting along but what's she calling for? Can't be about music again, can it? "Did you forget something?" Amy asked since Lucy is making herself comfortable on the bed as if she completely forgot what she just said before hanging up. "You said…I'll let her know." It has to be me. Who else could she be referring to?

"oh…she said to let you know how lucky you are to be able to be with me."

"ohh really"

"mhm"

There's the arrogant behavior of the 18 year old again. The young Lucy would never have said that. Sounds like a lie but it's possible that Sydney did say that but only for one purpose only. There's the smile again. Whatever they talked about must be just a casual conversation so there is no need to ask but she would like to know "Have you been talking to Aunt Erin?" It just occurred to her that they might have because Aunt Erin never curses but in the phone conversation two hours ago, prior to the surprise performance, Aunt Erin did and did so in a satisfying way that reminded her of Lucy since she used the same exact words to describe the man she hates, pervert, racist, sexist, misogynistic, narcissistic sick ahole. It was shocking to hear those words from Aunt Erin, a kindergarten teacher.

Lucy saw no need to hide it this time. There's no reason to. Many are worried. It's normal to be worried but after listening to Aunt Erin, she understood why. Aunt Erin might not have experienced it herself but her coworker did. Getting verbally assaulted while sitting in her car by a man for no reason at all is odd. It scared her because she was alone. That man would never have approached her if she is a man. She later realized why after noticing the red cap behind the windshield of that man's gleaming red truck. A racist attack is frightening but what got Aunt Erin even more worried is another incident that her coworker told her about. A vacation trip to a foreign country for the first time that turned out to be an unpleasant experience would make anyone especially a young woman in her 20s to rethink twice about traveling to another country again. That incident might have happened years ago but having the experience of being surrounded by 4 policemen for no reason at all outside of a convenience store in a country where her ancestors once lived is a terrifying experience. Thankfully, nothing happened but the incident became the reason her coworker never returned to that country again. That incident made Aunt Erin realize what it would be like to live in a country with a leader who has too much power.

"She's feeling much better."

It's good to see that she is able to stop Aunt Erin from worrying but …a sign? from the Lord? That's what Aunt Erin said about the virus. "you believed that?" There's the eye roll again. What does that mean this time?

"I believe…things happen for a reason. It's pretty clear what that reason is, don't you think?"

Understood but really? Since when? Ever since the pandemic spread to UK, she was so stressed out, she wasn't in the mood to talk about pregnancy. That's understandable but she wasn't in the mood to even make out. Social distancing doesn't apply to couples living in the same house. So when did she become this relaxed? Her eyes are closed. The smile is gone but that look is calm, peaceful, unlike last night when she got all frustrated over Cocoa for making a mess in the kitchen floor. "babe, mmm…don't you think…there's no reason why…we shouldn't"

(ring)

Now who's calling! At this hour! Whoever it is, is there a need to get off the bed? There's only one reason why she would. It's Grace, isn't it? Last time, the argument started because of Grace. Not that she thinks there's something going on between them but what do they have so much to talk about? Lucy might not have denied who she was talking to but also didn't elaborate what Grace called about. Things? What things? Asking for more information didn't seem out of line, at least not at that time. This time, she's not going to ask because asking too many questions would only indicate mistrust.

"Are you positive? Are you 100 percent sure?"

What's wrong? There has to be something wrong because why else would she ask the same question three times? That look isn't a good sign. That is a look of fear. What's there to be afraid of? "Who is it?" That's a long hesitation, way too long. It's now obvious what she's doing, she's stalling, she's thinking of what to say. She's thinking of a lie. "Don't…do that."