Fiction Story Published in Barely South Review

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Almost a year into the pandemic, I sat at my desk and started writing about when, as a young girl, I used to visit my grandmother for weeks at a time. One of my favorite memories was when she took me blueberry picking. My grandmother was unbelievable, filling bucket after bucket with fresh blueberries. The memories warmed by heart at a time I needed it most, during Covid-quarantine isolation times.

 

Ultimately, I wrote what turned out to be this story, No Way Out. It is a pandemic story, and so much more.

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No Way Out

Cathy Beaudoin

           

 

You are home, in the middle of the day, because of the coronavirus pandemic. So are the neighbors, their teenage kids, and the workers remodeling their house. Saws buzz, nail guns fire, drills spin, and one of the teenage boys repeatedly clanks his goddamn skateboard from noon till dinner time, seven days a week. When talking to your friends on the phone, you try not to complain. After all, you are one of the lucky ones, with a job that can be done at home. But you are edgy, unable to sleep, and often lack energy, as if you are nearing the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. The virus hasn’t attacked you, at least not yet. But you doubt you will walk away unscathed.

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Divorced, and mother of two children with families of their own, you used to cherish your quiet life, one more rural than suburban. Once you downsized from raising your kids, you chose to be closer to the mountains than restaurants, theaters, and museums. It wasn’t a choice you would have made when you were younger.

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Normally, you work in an office, go to the local pub every Friday night, attend a monthly book club meeting, and spend the occasional Saturday afternoon with the grandchildren. Now, because of the pandemic, you are sequestered in your home, using various interactive technologies to connect with people. The only time you leave the house is to go to the grocery store, shopping first thing in the morning, when few people are around. Oblivious to the pop of serotonin generated by in-person interactions, you are buoyed by the simple, three-sentence conversation with the cashier.

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Click here to read the rest of this story.

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