Page 134 of Where Do We Go From Here?
W: Yes. With, you know, the ups and downs of the pandemic. The infection rates and what-have-you… But overall, I was probably there, like, half the time, maybe? Over those two years?
H: I don’t think it was half the time.
W: I think you’llfind it was.
J: Well, I don’t think we need to be exact here. But I get the picture. And why did you do that, do you think? Why did you leave the family home for such a significant amount of time?
W: Like I said, because of the risk of infection. I was working in a very high-risk environment, and everyone was scared. I was terrified of giving it to my kids.
J: You’re referring to the risk of infection from Covid?
W: Yes.
J: And you truly believe that’s the reason? Because for most people, well, Covid was little more than a cold.
W: …
H: Um… … Um, that’s not really true. In fact?—
W: Over two hundred thousand people died in the UK. Quite a few of them in front of me.
J: Yes. Of course. Your experience as a nurse will have been different, I suppose. I was merely pointing out that this wasn’t the experience for most of us. Anyway, moving on.
W: Christ!
H: You OK to carry on, Wens?
W: Sure. Yeah. Whatever.
J: What I was trying to get at is whether you were happy to get away from the family home? Even a little bit. Please, there’s no shame in admitting it.
W: Happy?
J: It’s just a question.
W: No, I wasn’t happy. I hated it.
J: OK. And you’re perfectly sure about that?
W: Yes.
H: Um… Are you, Wens? Totally sure about that?
W: What? Yes, Harry! Of course.
H: It’s just… I don’t know…
W: What don’t you know, Harry?
H: I just… sometimes I wondered. Sometimes I felt like you did enjoy getting away. So you could, you know… get hammered andwatch Netflix without worrying about the kids. Without having me on your back.
J: Were you? On her back, as you say?
H: About the drinking?
W: Iwasdrinking too much. It was my way of dealing with the stress.
J: Well, many people did find themselves drinking more during the pandemic. I certainly know I did.
