This story is part of the literary competition created by In Trieste magazine in collaboration with Comune di Trieste called “Stories from Trieste to the World” which was open to all female writers living in Trieste as part of the annual “Festa della Donna” initiative by the city of Trieste.
by Sarah Donnisoric
9th March 2020, all Italy is in lockdown. ‘That includes Trieste’ my neighbor adds, helpfully. Well, yes, thank you. I am aware of that: I have read about the colorful history of the city I have chosen to call home. It has been Italian since 1954 and well before that too, on and off….
Nevertheless, this is impressive news. We cannot go out of the house unless for ‘essential reasons’ and we must show an ‘autocertificazione’ every time we step outside.
Is going shopping for food an essential reason? Yes
Medical emergency? Yes
Taking the dog for a walk? Yes
Taking the kids to the park? No
Going to see friends? No
Going to school? Definitely not
Going to work? No. We must work from home.
Going outdoors for physical activity? Yes, or maybe not. Only if you are an adult, and you can prove you are exercising and must wear a mask!
Ok, I get it: I can work, online. And also, home school, of course. I can feed the family too (which is a bonus). Dogs have more rights than children and women even less. We only have cats in the family. Maybe I could put one on a leash and test my luck?
This is my chance to get fit – I think to myself. I can finally pick up running and I will have the extra incentive to keep going. After all, if the police find me panting on the curb, exhausted (or more likely intoxicated by carbon dioxide rebreathing effect from mask wearing), I will be fined because I cannot prove I was exercising.
I can also practice body building every time I go shopping for groceries: we are a family of 6 and I can only shop alone, by walking to the nearest supermarket!
My friend posts on Facebook her elaborate program to entertain the kids at home. She has planned a treasure hunt and an expedition and has documented every step of the adventure! She is inundated with ‘likes’ and praised for her refreshing approach to the collective emergency!
Damn! I want to be a cool mom, too and post something original and creative. But I am more of an ‘informed mum’, I am afraid. I have just finished reading an interview with Chinese mothers and their experience of lockdown.
They described that same initial enthusiasm that took hold of my Facebook friend: the family games played together, the hide and seek under beds and inside cupboards, the art and craft activities….
And then they recollect how that early zealous enterprise was quickly replaced by a despondent inertia once it was clear that lockdown restrictions would not be lifted soon. The end of the article explains how Chinese women are now busy planning their divorces; I decide early on that I have too many teenagers in the house and not enough mental health for ‘inventive distraction’; we go straight into planning our very own Netflix agenda.
My sister back home in Bristol tells me how Boris has decided to strategically allow everyone to get infected and she is actively contributing to herd immunity by contracting COVID early on. She goes off sick with a mild cough and a sharp mind. She finishes her PhD in time for submission.
My catholic friend has 7 children and lives in an apartment in town. I call her to see how she is coping. I hear her offspring squabbling in the background. ‘They are arguing about the zona di sole’ – she explains. In an attempt to procure them some natural vitamin D, they take turns lying on the floorboards in the lounge where a beam of sunlight enters from the open window onto the floor. I reassure myself that she has definitely lost it and hang up.
I work from home, online, and have to share my previous MacBook with the kids for their DAD (Didattica a Distanza). After a few days my Zoom name has changed to ‘Reconnecting…’ I discover my 13 year old son has been switching off the camera and pretending he has a Wi-Fi issues during his history lessons.
In the meantime, Italian spring is exploding outside: the sun is bright, it is warm and you can smell the blooming flowers. Lockdown begins to ease, finally, almost at the same time that Boris changes his mind and the UK shuts down to save its NHS from collapsing.
We can go outside. Hurray! I take the little one to the park. We are so excited, but when we reach the swings we find them tied up with a plastic tape, as if it was a crime scene. This tips me over the edge. Before I can think straight I search in my bag and take out the house keys.
It takes me a while (and a good deal of swearing) to cut through the binding and when I finally do, my 5 years old daughter shouts that I am her hero! But I am no hero: suddenly very aware of the stares from other moms and children I whisper ‘Let’s run’ and we speedily head home.
So, this is me, in Trieste, during COVID times: getting emotional singing on from the balcony with fellow neighboring inmates, spring cleaning the house, cursing at the screen, trying and failing to be a supportive mom, a full-time working member of society, a cook and generally a fully rounded (and functional) adult.
Maybe I will miss all of this in years to come, or maybe not. Maybe I will simply be one of those old ladies that choose to travel on public transport just in time for school run in order to experience the joy of complaining about the new generation and their bulky backpacks.
Maybe, just like those who occasionally remark ‘Ghe volesi un poca de guera’ to remark a situation when there is a need of strength, determination and a good deal of sacrifice I will be the one muttering ‘Ghe volesi el COVID, ghe volesi’….
Very witty, well written story.