Livin' La Vida Lockdown Day 16: The Cough

The first time you hear it in the building you say to yourself:
"OK I haven't heard that sound here before...where did that come from? But we aren't allowed to walk around... so who is walking around? Why is that lady outside coughing as she walks? Why does she have no mask on? Why is that lady even walking with a cough that bad at all? Why are people's doors open? Why is she even outside? Why are those sliding doors all slowly closing now?"

You text your helpful and kind landlord and politely ask if there is something you need to know. And that is when you are told it's now showing up in the condominiums of the city regardless of this lockdown. It is mandatory here to report yourself to your building if you are unwell. Most people do all the right things (one hopes) and then the building just notifies all the inhabitants - one way or the other - usually by a formal letter stuck to the wall in the lift. I think our notification today came via cough.

Your landlord then tells you to stay at home and only get things delivered - security is available at all times via intercom in your kitchen - you proceed to forward all the WhatsApp messages to your partner and tell him it will all be OK. It will - you promise. And he knows your crying and you know you're crying and then you say "this is how it begins isn't it?"

The sound of that cough was like a dry deathly rattle and you meditate for an hour just so you don't have to hear it in your head anymore. Then you get up shake off the bad vibes, drink some tea, watch something funny, write, do your 30 minutes Malay lesson, start cooking and thank the stars, moons and every god above and below that you are on the 11th floor with very few neighbours.