Please read this – every last word:
Mila, illuminated and mysterious, was a creature beyond this time. She wanted to be a midwife and she would have been a glorious one. When COVID hit, our part of the world, Ontario, Canada, imposed some of the most draconian and aggressive measures of anywhere in the world. A couple of weeks to flatten the curve, right? Initially, like almost everywhere and everyone, we obliged.
Schools were closed. It was near the end of Mila’s grade 11 year then. There were no classes online at that time. A mad scramble ensued to get these kids some sort of education. Eventually, schools tentatively opened for some. We had the option of keeping her home or sending her in. She insisted on going. For the next few months, and into the fall of her graduating year, schools opened. Then schools closed. Then schools opened. Her friend group shrunk considerably. Most parents abided by the “no socialising” rule. There was really nowhere for them to go anyway. Theatres, live music, restaurants, and even places like bowling and the roller rink were closed. Instead, the dwindling friend group that Mila was a part of had random, clandestine meet-ups—in a friend’s frigid barn, or someone’s basement.
