Spikey – Daniel 15

[For back story go here: Story so far at 12 June 2020 and more recent Daniel episodes]

Life wasn’t exactly back to normal for Daniel, but it was beginning to suggest normality might be possible. Over the past few days a number of people had been in touch with him to let him know normality was just around the corner – around the corner at a distance of two metres – or, if less than that, then normality would be wearing a mask and being careful not to scream or shout.

His hairdresser had been in touch and, in an irritating over-jovial way, had asked if he wanted to book his post-lockdown locks cutting. Daniel had smirked slightly at this and then decided it was an annoying message which was possibly trying too hard to get his custom. The member’s club where he’d spent his last night of freedom way back in March was also inviting him back, in a guarded fashion, and at the moment was advising him that coffee and snacks were really all they could offer, proper dinner and social events would come later, with a socially distanced roof party in the offing for mid-August.

His gym were also keen to see him. The spa and swimming pool were still trying to figure out exactly what they could offer, but there was quite a range of activities that could get him going and reinvigorate him for the weeks and months ahead. If he needed energy to meet the new challenges of the new world, this was where it was at. If he needed to relax having met the new challenges of the new world, this was also where it was at. Daniel didn’t think they could have it both ways, but he let them off for trying.

But in all this he couldn’t focus on what he wanted. It all sounded encouraging, exciting, perhaps even the chance to start over afresh and be someone new – a new improved Daniel just as he had envisaged at the start of the year. He wouldn’t have to go too far to improve himself, he wouldn’t have to entirely reinvent himself, just tinker around the edge, enhance the great features he already had, believe in himself more and let his charm take him the rest of the way.

Unfortunately, at the moment he couldn’t seem to organise himself sufficiently to do anything more than what he was doing already – getting out of bed, putting on some sort of official feeling clothes and dragging himself through the day. Phone calls came and went, pitches came and went, a few clients came on board or went, they liked what they were doing but still didn’t buy, but it wasn’t exactly exciting.

Daniel also found he kept double booking himself. He’d be on a call with a client when his diary flagged it was time to dial into a conference call on new feature developments. He’d realise three minutes into a call with his boss that he was also meant to be talking to a journalist about their latest success story. And several times he’d been half way through a work call or other when a home delivery rang the doorbell and over-complicated everything.

It was yet another level of bizarre. Daniel knew that before all this he was more than capable of doing everything, juggling, plates spinning, you name it. He thrived on the diversity of his life and the multi-tasking. The phone calls while working out, the ideas that came to him while he was driving, the endless productive networking. Now it was all just tiring and, dare he admit it, pointless.

In the evening he caught up with Daisy, his conversation foreshadowed by a few tart sentences from Chrissy who seemed not to share Daniel’s idea that it was fine for Daisy to eat Krispies for tea as well as breakfast. (And sometimes lunch).

“I can’t hug anyone,” said Daisy of school, quite matter-of-factly, “I don’t want to hug James because he’s spikey, but I want to hug Jessy and I can’t.”

Daniel made sympathetic noises and asked if she’d been learning anything good this week.

“Numbers,” said Daisy. “You put them together sometimes and it changes them. And I can’t touch the cuddly toys anymore either because they’re all asleep or on holiday I think. They said I can’t go in the right toilet either because that one’s not clean anymore.”

Their conversation meandered and made the usual Daisy sense and Daniel felt a flood of warmth come into his room through the screen as they continued. Maybe the new reality wasn’t so bad after all. And even if she was with her mum now, the summer holidays were coming up and that meant he’d get to see her again. 

Chrissy’s voice came from somewhere in the room, telling Daisy it was time to finish up and go to bed.

“That’s mummy,” pointed out Daisy. “She wants me to stop.” And then, in a whisper: “I really wish I was being with you, Daddy. Mummy doesn’t know who Paisley Pig is or why he got sent to Grey Jail.”

Daniel’s chance to commiserate over this was curtailed as Chrissy took Daisy off the laptop. As they logged out Daniel decided he wouldn’t wait until summer, it was time to get Daisy back into his life.