I’ve been too spellbound to tell this story, but I’ve finally come to terms with it.

Promise you won’t freak out.

Let’s go.

Remember in Entry 1 when I talked bout the forms they gave us at the airport, and how everyone treated it – the passengers and officials alike. Well, on the fourth week after that, I got a call from an unknown number one fine morning. I picked it up. He said his name was Dave, and he was calling from the Rivers State Ministry of Health.

The next few sentences were even more unexpected than the call. “Am I on to Miss Alma Asinobi please?”, he continued. “One of the passengers on the flight you took in March tested positive to COVID-19 and I’m calling to make sure you are fine. Have you had any symptoms?” My heart started beating fast, thinking of all the times I may have sneezed or cleared my throat – wondering if this was the end. But I garnered boldness in the fact that this was the fourth week since I was on that flight, and I replied, “No.”

“Alright then, please stay indoors, and call this number if anything comes up. Have a nice day.” Then hung up. My mind first traveled back to that day, picturing those people who made paper fans of the forms, and the ones who filled them but didn’t return them. Sigh. We really need to do better as a country.

On another hand, up till now, there has only been one recorded case of COVID-19 in the state, and the patient was not on that flight. So, except the person on my flight left the state before it was detected, it’s not adding up. But what’s my own? I’m just going to be indoors pressing phone till outside opens up again.

Speaking of outside opening up again, Port-Harcourt has been unusually safe recently. No news of kidnapping as used to be the case. It’s sad that it took a pandemic to make that happen, but I’m hopeful that it would stay so, even after this is over.

Totally unrelated, but thanks to WhatsApp, we have been inhaling the steam from boiling orange peels and onions for a while now in my house and my skin has been glowing because of it. Does this mean I have a skin care routine now? We’ll find out in the coming entries. Or not.

Couch Felicitations,

Alma.