View to a Plane – Sandra 43

 

[For back story go here: Story so far at 30 Nov 2020 and more recent Sandra episodes especially this one.]

[Other back story through in-links.]

They stood in Frankie’s back garden. For some reason they were still at a distance from each other which seemed a little unnecessary given that they now stayed in the same house, ate at the same table and talked to each other every day. But old habits died hard. Or rather newly acquired habits due to a pandemic died hard.

There was a refreshingly clear sky, but it was cold and winter was taking a hold. Frost was still on the roofs and the grass crunched underfoot when they first went out. There hadn’t been the snow of last week however. This had somewhat disappointed the kids who had revelled in it and were fully convinced any sign of white anywhere in the world outside would mean more snowball fights and snowmen the next day. They were a little disappointed to go outside and just be cold. But that was winter for you – get used to it.

Sandra and Frankie watched them now. Sukie and Freddie, kneeling and sat on heels trying to get an automaton dog to sit up and beg through speech direction alone. The dog wasn’t terribly obedient but he was diverting at least. He was also very loud and repetitive which wasn’t endearing for either of the adults. It was somewhat fortunate the dog didn’t need feeding or cleaning up after him or he would be in serious trouble. Frankie noted the next model up did indeed demand food and threatened to wee on everything and there was no way that was going to happen, no matter how often it was advertised between the kids’ TV programmes.

“Do you think they’ll remember any of this?” asked Frankie, absent-mindedly.

“Dunno,” said Sandra. “I imagine something will stick - for Sukie anyway, I mean she’s old enough isn’t she?”

“Yeah - do you remember anything from when you were her age?”

Sandra wasn’t certain. It was all a bit of a blur at that point. There were a few standout pieces – significant bumps and falls and hospital visits which had then been backfilled with an actual date, reason and age. Thing was, the amount of time spent in lockdown was a significant slice of these kids’ years. They may feel that this was actual normal rather than a new normal or a kind of temporary normal. If this had made any impression on them they’d certainly welcome back the old-school school days as soon as they arrived.

Eric and Yolanda had been on the phone rejoicing in their vaccinations. Their enthusiasm was infectious and Sandra was almost feeling positive about the future. Certainly she was feeling better. She had done some cooking and felt reconnected to the idea of heating ingredients to create something new, tasty and better. Frankie was very thankful to see this – not just because she felt her sister had turned a corner but also because it lifted some of the weight from her shoulders cooking wise.

Sandra looked up and watch a lone plane course across the blue sky, vapour trails following at a slight distance but recording its path across the sky nonetheless. What must it be like to fly away from everything, wondered Sandra. Except you couldn’t do that now. Even the people in that plane weren’t going anywhere where it was freer. There would still be restrictions to be met, maybe quarantine measures. And even sitting in that plane, travelling away wouldn’t be that relaxing.

“Mummy and Auntie Sandra can we watch the Unicorns again now per-lease?” came a call from the open sliding door where Sukie now stood.

“You betcha,” smiled Sandra.

“Jeez,” sighed Frankie, “Rather you than me.”

“Nothing wrong with a few good Unicorns and a bit of sparkle,” said Sandra as they walked over the grass to the door. “Takes them away from everything for a while. Unicorns don’t get Covid.”

“Good for them,” said Frankie. “Although I might consider paying good money to see Mr Sparklehat run a decent vaccination programme. Do you think he could do it all with his magic wand?”

Sandra sat down while Frankie charged up the coffee machine. In this episode the Unicorns would overseas the pigs discovering the true value of friendship and the importance of being honest with each other and yourself. Sandra smiled and admired the still standing Christmas tree. Time was standing still again but for now that was OK. She’d be productive tomorrow.