Friends, Benefits & the "Virus Zeitgeist"

We watched the sun go down over the mountains sipping a cool Chardonnay, enjoying a gentle, warm breeze. My friend was driving through on her way to California and stopped over for the night. She works in a tourist industry that is currently shut down in a state with almost no cases of COVID-19. Still, we were both being cautious, keeping six feet away from each other. We didn't wear masks, we were outside, after all.  It seemed oddly silly because we had often slept together in the past and know each other’s desires and bodies in intimate detail.

I told her I have been a very good girl during the virus outbreak, sheltering-at-home, only going out for necessities, and certainly not having sex with anyone. She told me the little city where her company was located was a ghost town now and had virtually no cases of the virus. She drove straight through to my place, only stopping for gas. She wore disposable gloves pumping the gas and had made sandwiches for the journey so she wouldn't have to stop for fast food.

After catching up on small talk, we pondered why we weren't in each other's arms. Despite knowing each other since university and knowing we had both been very careful about social distancing and such, there was still this overwhelming feeling we needed to be cautious. Neither of us had been tested for the virus, there was no reason to be because none of our movements would indicate, even remotely, exposure.

After opening another bottle of wine and an animated discussion, we decided that the "virus zeitgeist" was strong. We realized we were caught in it up even though we could logically assume -- with high probability, of course -- that neither of us was infected. We laughed at our perfectly reasonable deductions and made dinner and love. There were several midnight snacks and treats as well. 

We were both rested and refreshed when I sent her on to California with a bag of sandwiches and goodies. We agree, we have to live with the "virus zeitgeist" but we don't have to stop living and loving, as long as we are careful and can trust.