Love At A Distance

– It's your job to be ahead of it.

– An epidemic?

– Any problem. What if she got sick? Had an accident? You can't play with danger.

Renata shrugged.

– Now it's done, and you need to help me keep her here.

* * *

Babi turned the camera to the arena to show how crowded it was… well, almost. She frowned. Strange. It was less than an hour away from the concert and the place was not as crowded as expected. It was an international concert, the tickets sold out quickly… where were the people?

– Da'lings, We're very excited here at Drink's VIP area, I'd like to thank them for inviting us to this magic moment – she said to the camera, forcing an excitement she didn't feel. Her friends, also influencers, who were present, gathered behind her and started to scream, excitedly.

– Woo-Hoo!!! Backstreet Boysss!!

She lifted her drink into a toast to the camera, leaving the sponsor's logo clearly visible, smiled and took a sip of the drink. Then stopped recording and posted it. She was about to open the browser to see the news when she was called by the beverage company's marketing director to take pictures. She greeted a number of people who were there until the lights of the arena went out and the concert began.

When the song started playing and the band came on stage, Babi relaxed and put her worries aside. She was anticipating that show for a long time and when she heard the familiar songs, she let herself be swayed and danced all night long. She recorded several videos from her vantage point, in addition to taking many photos of the presentation.

At the end of the show, she and the other girls were very excited. Generally, the executives of the companies that hired them took them to meet the artists in the dressing room and the whole thing was properly recorded and posted on social media. But when she looked at Renata, Babi realized something was wrong. The manager seemed annoyed and a wrinkle of concern was visible on her forehead. She excused herself with her friends and went to her.

– Everything all right? – she asked, worried. Renata was one of the most restrained people she knew and dealt with any problem with the coldness needed to solve it. Seeing her seemingly shaken by something was unusual.

– Everything… – the woman began to speak but was interrupted by the older man.

– We're sorry, Babi, but we won't be able to take you to the dressing room because of the epidemic. – The man ran his hand down his thin brown hair and continued talking without noticing her widened eyes. – The band's crew warned that they won't receive anyone because of this and…

– Wait. What are you talking about? – she asked, trembling from the inside.

– The concert shouldn't even have happened. The governor has ordered all cultural events suspended starting today. The production team ignored the order – he continued to explain.

– Things are… Are they that bad? – she asked.

– Babi… – Renata called, but she raised her hand to stop her and continued looking at the man.

– We don't know yet. – It's all too recent, but everyone's very worried.

She nodded.

– Don't worry. I won't be upset. I appreciate the invitation to come today. – The executive smiled, seeming relieved that she did not complain. He was used to dealing with celebrities and many of them weren't easy to please.

When the man walked away, Babi took her cell phone and typed the address of a news portal.

Page not found.

That was her luck, the website was offline. She tried another one.

Page not found.

What's going on?

– You won't be able to open it. – She raised her head upon hearing Renata's words. – I had the network team block these pages using an access control program so you wouldn't see the news.

– You did what?

– I knew you would freak out, just like you are now and…

– Renata, have it unlocked now. And I want to leave. Immediately – she spoke, serious. The manager was worried with the expression she saw on her face. – I can't believe it… – she murmured to herself and walked away, without answering when Renata called her.

I need to keep cool, she told herself, I'm still in public. I can't collapse.

She managed to conceal the shaking of her hands and the cold sweat. She smiled, talked a little more, and a few minutes later, Sandro called her to leave.

In the car, he picked her cell phone again and typed the address of the news portal once more. When the page loaded, she was surprised by the news that were not there the last time she had accessed:

Brazil has more than 77 confirmed cases of coronavirus

Rio confirms 1st local transmission.

Government creates crisis office to fight the virus.

Governor suspends public events in the city.

As the car sped up, heading to the condo where she lived, she accessed every link on the subject and read the articles, feeling fear taking over. She stopped reading and took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

– We arrived – Sandro whispered, waking her from her thoughts. She looked at him, nodded and was about to get out of the car when she saw their motion to follow her and stopped them.

– No. I want to be alone. – She saw Renata open her mouth to speak but shook her head. – Please, go home. It's late. We'll talk tomorrow…

She turned around and entered the building. She said good evening to the janitor, who was cleaning his hands with gel alcohol. She frowned. The building employees were never that careful. She got in the elevator and pressed the button for the 11th floor, thinking about the strangeness of it all. She couldn't fully understand what was going on… how that could be happening. Everything seemed surreal.

She entered the apartment and the first thing she did was take off the clothes and shoes she was wearing. Still in her underwear, she turned on the TV on the news channel and headed for the shower. She rubbed herself thoroughly and washed her hair. She knew what she had to do. She watched more series and documentaries about doctors and diseases than anyone should, but she couldn't stop herself. Since childhood, when she heard her mother mention to a neighbor that her father had died after contracting a terrible bacterium, she developed an uncontrollable fear of diseases. This led her to do things that an ordinary person didn't normally do, such as washing her hands countless times during a day.

When her mother realized that she was easily alarmed into feeling something out of the ordinary in her body, she took her to a doctor who diagnosed her with illness anxiety disorder, also known as hypochondria. Therapy and medication helped her get better, but from time to time, she felt that anxiety caused by the fear of getting sick extending its claws.

After the bath, she sat on her bed with a towel wrapped around her hair and dressing a bathrobe in front of the TV and was zapping between news channels that incessantly repeated the same information about the virus that was taking over the world. What if she contracts that? What if she was already sick?

– My God, there were thousands of people in that arena today, – she murmured, distressed.

On TV, a doctor was being interviewed.

– The infected patient may experience shortness of breath, coughing, fever… – She placed her hand on her forehead. It didn't seem to be hot. She wasn't coughing, but… definitely was short of breath. She saw her chest go up and down with difficulty and became even more nervous. Her hands sweated and she started shaking. Until a little speck of clarity whispered inside her head: calm down, that's just anxiety trying to control you. You are not sick. You will not die. Calm down.

She turned the TV off. Listening to so many experts and journalists talking about that wouldn't do her any good. In other circumstances, that would be the time for her to open her social media and make videos, talking about the concert and the people she met, post photos on her feed and watch the repercussion. But now, all she wanted to do was to curl up like a ball and go to sleep.

* * *