Staying clean

By Orion, Age 11

When I wake up, I do my morning routines, except there’s a new thing to worry about: MASKS. Like usual, when I’m at the bus stop, which is 6 minutes away from home by car. My cheeks feel the gusting wind and I know something is wrong. I forgot my mask! Luckily, the best bus driver had some spare ones for me.

When I get to school, I say my good mornings, but no one can hear over my mask. Therefore, I have learned to talk louder. Our hulky bulky expressional mouths have disappeared, leaving 2 itty bitty eyes for me to become quite good at reading eye expressions.

At lunch, I get 20 minutes to eat, but really I only get 15 minutes because I have to use hand sanitizer, choose a spotless seat with a corresponding uncontaminated section of the table, and make sure to be one seat away from my dear potential infectors. Nowadays, I’m so picky, I can’t resist the smallest of crumbs.

That’s me, the eye only expression reader, the mouthless mysophobic, and the astute seater.