March 18-March 19, 2020

A Storytime With Amy Special

March 18, 2020

Phuket, Thailand

I’d just booked the ticket a few days before as an insanely last minute choice. I was still surprised considering the quickly unraveling state of the world when I saw that the evening flight back to America was not cancelled. It was listed as on time and on schedule.

I sighed as my husband woke up and came out of the bungalow. We’d drank some green bottled Chang beer for Saint Patrick’s Day the evening before and talked about things. I still expected a bit of a pushback.

“I check flight.” I told him as he came out. “I’m leaving tonight. 5:30 PM.”

“But Gen! My birthday I! My birthday you!” March 18 and March 19 had become a quasi holiday for us in it’s own right, as our mutual birthdays crossed in both time zones. I was one day older on paper but Ka was 5 hours older according to his mother. It just wasn’t meant to be this year.

I grimaced. “I know. I tell you already everything stop. The world shut down. My daughters stay home with grandma they try to do online school. Mom doesn’t know how to use a computer what they do? Your visa shut down. The US Embassy shut down. Everything shut down.” I’d tried to schedule an appointment at the Nevada DMV to renew my driver’s license, which was expiring that day, on my birthday. They had closed too.

“You have twin boy?” Ka questioned.

I grimaced again. The timing was off. “I don’t think so. Next time.” I was turning 41.

“When you come back Thailand?” Ka asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe very soon, with my daughters, in about 1 or 2 weeks. As soon as I can.” I had read that Thailand was thinking of closing its borders on April 1. I had no idea when I could get back after that.

He sighed and settled in. “Happy Birthday.”

“Thank you.” We set up the small cake that I had bought at 7 Eleven with two candles.

I hated leaving my husband the day before his proper birthday. It was just the way things had to be in the dark days that the world decided to go to Hell. At least his brother was staying with him, calming my worries about my husband having an epileptic seizure while living alone. I’d even gotten the TV fixed in Phuket a few days prior. It was the best I could do.

I said that I would say how many puppies Daisy had on March 16, and I will post pictures of the little cuties. But for those who want to know, the correct answer is: