Before leaving his house, António tightly adjusted the mouth guard to his face, trying not to leave any opening where any microscopic particle could enter.
Hurriedly and nervously he headed for the market nearest his home. With a sense of fear of the unknown hanging over him that he had not felt for many years.
All his battles, of life, he had fought them facing his enemy face to face, but this time he was facing an invisible enemy, the Covid-19 Virus could be lurking anywhere.
From the very moment that António learned that the pandemic was worldwide, he also knew that it was only a matter of time before this terrible disease would reach his city. He found it difficult to understand how many people were not taking it seriously, but on the contrary, had reached the point of assuring that the Covid-19 virus was a gross lie.
He hurried, but his anguish grew as he saw many people passing by without wearing the mask they had recommended. Others used it without protecting their nose and others, "the most daring", only used an ordinary handkerchief to protect themselves. António thought: "How can this be possible?
Quickly, he took out a pair of surgical gloves, which he had put in one of the pockets of the long-sleeved jacket, which he had decided to wear that day, over his shirt, also long-sleeved, buttoned up to the neck.
He adjusted the cap on his head and thought: "I should have worn the transparent mask that dentists usually wear when treating their patients, to establish a barrier between the affected person's mouth and the doctor's face.
I continue to walk to the vicinity of the market. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks. At the entrance, there was no one controlling people's access to the market. Anyone could enter even if they were not following the slightest rules of protection, and the suggested social distance was not being observed either.
For a moment, António considered not entering that place under those circumstances, the market had become a potential threat to his life. However, he thought, who could then make the market? For nothing in the world would he send his beloved wife or some of his beloved children to a place now so dangerous.
After a while of meditation, he adjusted his mask, gloves and cap again, and decided to enter the messy market. Now, with slower steps and turning his head all around, he carefully observed everything around him. He wished that he did not have to brush against any of the people there, and that he could quickly buy all the groceries he needed.
Now all his attention was on choosing the right employee, and above all, the one who was following all the protective measures to the letter.
António kept going into the bustling market until he heard someone playing very close to him. His heartbeat accelerated, and almost running he began to make his way through the crowd, moving away what I consider to be enough to stop again.
With his heart almost pouring out of his mouth and convinced that he had to hurry and get out of that maze, he began his shopping by starting at the busy meat stands.
António's concern intensified when he had to hand over his debit card to the sales clerk to make the payment. Many thoughts invaded him and began to spin around in his head, giving way at the same time to many interrogations.
How could he be sure that the debit card would not be returned with the virus on its surface? How many people would that clerk have had contact with before starting work? How many people would have handled, and in what conditions, the meat he intended to take home?
That had to end, he had to hurry and get out of that dreadful place as soon as possible.
The same situation was repeated, again and again, in every place I visited and in every purchase I made. Surely he had not forgotten to buy anything, he began to leave the market trying to avoid the people crowded into his walk and every obstacle he encountered while carrying a bag of food in each hand and a heavy bag of groceries on his back.
He barely managed to leave the market, completely sweaty, tired and with that horrible feeling of uncertainty, not knowing if he had come across the merciless virus, and had it imprinted on his clothes, on his body or on some of the groceries he had bought.
Not surprisingly, the day before he had learned that one of his good friends, who lived in the next town, had died infected by Covid-19. The man had become confident, had stopped using the mouthpiece and paying attention to the social distance.
He remembered that he had been told that five men dressed in suits similar to those worn by the astronauts, after having entered the house, had taken the body of his friend inside plastic bags and had taken it straight to be cremated.
António continued walking at a fast pace, without stopping and with the load on his back, until he reached his house. He stopped in front of the fence facing his house, placed his bags on the sidewalk, with trembling hands he took the keys out of his pocket and opened the small door.
He quickly introduced the bags, closed the fence, and taking the bags again went directly to the water tap, strategically located in the garden of the house. He then placed the bags from the market along with the heavy bag on the floor, and immediately proceeded to remove his shoes. He moved the pair of shoes to a place where the sun could hit them.
Making an effort not to touch anything else, he began to slowly remove his gloves, put them in a plastic bag, and gently place them in the trash.
António, still disturbed, returned to the tap and took a container containing a mixture of detergent and alcohol, opened the water tap and smearing the mixture on his hands, he began to wash.
António's hands did not stop shaking. The foam ran through all his fingers as he wondered and thought to himself, "Can I stand it if I got this terrible disease? How could I stand to be intubated for three weeks, face down for most of the time, under general anesthesia and breathing with the help of a machine, much like an induced coma?
I definitely kept thinking, it would be like being dead, at the mercy of fate and destiny. The only weapon I have in my hands to defend myself, at this moment, from this invisible enemy is prevention.
The tension continued to take hold of the defenseless António. He sat down on the floor of the porch of the house, and taking a cloth that he had arranged for it, he impregnated it with detergent and alcohol, and began to pass that piece of cloth over each of the foodstuffs that he had bought.
After cleaning everything up, António entered the house and joined his family. As something paranoid, he still feared he had brought the deadly virus w inith him, despite all he had done to avoid it, and to infect everyone.
Antes de salir de su casa, António ajustó fuertemente el tapabocas a su cara, buscando no dejar ninguna abertura por donde pudiera entrar alguna partícula microscópica.
Apresurado y nervioso se dirigió en dirección al mercado más cercano a su casa. Con una sensación de miedo a lo desconocido a cuestas, que hacían muchos años no había sentido.
Todas sus batallas, de la vida, las había peleado enfrentando a su enemigo cara a cara, pero en esta oportunidad se enfrentaba a un enemigo invisible, el Virus del Covid-19 podia estar asechando en cualquier lugar.
Desde el mismo momento que António se entero que la pandemia era de dimencion mundial, sabia tambien, que era cuestion de tiempo para que esa nefasta enfermedad llegara a su ciudad. Le costaba entender como muchas personas no estaban tomando en serio aquello, sino que al contrario, habian llegado al punto de asegurar que lo del Virus Covid-19 era una burda mentira.
Apresuro el paso, pero su angustia iba creciendo a medida, que veia a muchas personas pasar cerca de el, sin llevar puesto el tapabocas que tanto habian recomendado. Otros lo usaban sin proteger su nariz y otros, "los mas osados", solo usaban un pañuelo comun y corriente, para protegerse. António pensaba ¿Como puede ser posible?
Velozmente, saco un par de guantes quirúrgicos, que habia metido en uno de los bolsillos de la chaqueta manga larga, que habia decidido usar ese dia, sobre su camisa, tambien manga larga, abotonada hasta el cuello.
Ajustó su gorra contra su cabeza y pensó, debi haberme colocado la vicera larga que usualmente usan los Odontólogos cuando atienden a sus pacientes, para establecer una barrera entre la boca del afectado y la cara del médico.
Continuo caminando hasta las inmediaciones del mercado. De pronto se detuvo en seco. En la entrada, no habia nadie cotrolando el acceso de las personas al mercado. Cualquiera podia entrar aunque no estuviera siguiendo las mas minimas normas de protecciòn, y tampoco se estaba cumpliendo el distanciamiento social sugerido.
Por un instante, António considero no entrar a aquel lugar bajo esas circunstancias, el mercado se habia convertido en una amenaza potencial a su vida. Sin embargo, pensó ¿Quien podría luego hacer el mercado? Por nada del mundo enviaria a su amada esposa o algunos de sus queridos hijos a un sitio ahora tan peligroso.
Luego de un rato de meditación, ajustó nuevamente su tapabocas, los guantes y su gorra, y decidió entrar al desordenado mercado. Ahora, con pasos mas lentos y girando la cabeza a todos lados, observaba cuidadosamente todo a su alrededor. Deseaba no tener ni siquiera que rozar con ninguna de las personas que alli se encontraban, y lograr comprar rápidamente todos los viveres que
necesitaba.
Ahora toda su atención estaba puesta en elegir al dependiente adecuado, y sobre todo, el que estuviera siguiendo al pié de la letra todas las medidas de proteccion.
António siguió internandose en el bullicioso mercado hasta que escucho a alguien tocer muy cerca de él. Los latidos de su corazón se aceleraron, y casi corriendo comenzó a abrirse paso entre la multitud, alejandose lo que considero suficiente como para detenerse nuevamente.
Con el corazón casi saliendo por su boca y convencido que tenia que darse prisa, y salir de aquel laberinto, comenzó sus compras iniciando por los agitados puestos de las carnes.
La preocupación de António se intensificó cuando tuvo que entregar su tarjeta e débito, al dependiente, para realizar el pago. Muchos pensamientos le invadieron y comenzaron a dar vueltas en su cabeza, dando paso al mismo tiempo a muchos interogantes.
¿Como podría estar seguro que la tarjeta de débito no se la regresarían con el virus alojado en su superficie? ¿Con cuantas personas habría tenido contacto aquel dependiente antes de iniciar su faena de trabajo? ¿Cuantas personas habrían manipulado, y en que condiciones, las carnes que pretendía llevar hasta su hogar?
Aquello tenía que terminar, tenía que apresurarse y salir de aquel espantoso lugar lo antes posible.
La misma situación se repitió, una y otra vez, en cada lugar que visitaba y en cada comprar que hacía. Seguro que no se le haba olvidado comprar nada, comenzó a salir del mercado tratando de esquivar a las personas aglomeradas en su caminó y a cada obstáculo que encontraba mientras cargaba una bolsa de alimentos en cada mano y un pesado bolso de víveres en su espalda.
A duras penas logró salir del mercado, completamente sudado, cansado y con aquella horrible sensacion de incertidumbre, por desconocer si se habia topado con el despiadado virus, y lo llevaba imprennado en su ropa, en su cuerpo o sobre algunos de los víveres que habia comprado.
No era para menos, el día anterior se había enterado que uno de sus buenos amigos, que vivia en la ciudad contigua, habia fallecido infectado por Covid-19. EL hombre se habia confiado, habia dejado de usar el tapabocas y de prestar atencion al distanciamieto social.
Recordaba que le habian contado, que cinco hombres vestidos con trajes parecidos a los usados por los astronautas, luego de haber entrado a la casa, habían sacado el cuerpo de su amigo dentro de bolsas plasticas y lo habían llevado directo a ser incinerado.
António siguió caminando a paso acelerado, sin detenerse y con la carga a cuestas, hasta llegar a su casa. Se detuvo frente a la reja que daba a su hogar, posó las bolsas sobre la acera, con las manos temblorosas sacó las llaves de su bolsillo y abrió la pequeña puerta.
Rápidamente introdujo las bolsas, cerró la reja, y tomando nuevamente las bolsas se dirigió directamente al grifo del agua, ubicado estratégicamente en el jardín de la casa. Luego, coloco las bolsas del mercado junto con el pesado bolso en el piso, e inmediatamente procedió a quitarse los zapatos. Alejó el par de zapatos hasta un lugar dónde les pudiera pegar el sol.
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Haciendo un esfuerzo por no tocar nada mas, comenzó a quitarse los guantes lentamente, los introdujo en una bolsa plastica, y los colocó suavemente en la papelera.
António aún perturbado, regresó al lado del grifo y tomó un envase que contenía una mezcla de detergente con alcohol, abrió el grifo del agua y untandose aquella mezcla en las manos comenzo a lavarse.
Las manos de António no dejaban de temblar. La espuma recorría todos sus dedos mientras se cuestionaba y pensaba para si mismo ¿Podre soportar si me contagió de esta terible enfermedad? ¿Como podría soportar estar entubado tres semanas, boca abajo durante la mayoria del tiempo, bajo anestesia general y respirando con la ayuda de una máquina, lo mas parecido aun coma inducido?.
Definitivamente, seguia pensando, séria como estar muerto, a merced del destinó y de la suerte. La única arma que tengo en mis manos para defenderme, en este momento, de este invisible enemigo es la prevención.
La tension continuaba apoderada del indefenso António. Se sento en el piso del porche de la casa, y tomando un paño que había dispuesto para ello, lo impregnó de detergente y alcohol, y comenzó a pasar aquel pedazo de tela sobre cada uno de los víveres que había comprado.
Luego de limpiar todo, António entró en la casa y se reunió con su familia. Como algo paranoico, aún seguía con el temor de haber traído consigo el virus mortal, a pesar de todo lo que había hecho para evitarlo, y contagiar a todos.
All this publication is original and has been written by its owner
using his cell phone brand Xiaomi Redmi Go 8 Model M1903C3GI.
Toda está publicación es original y ha sido redactada por su propietario
utilizando su teléfono celular marca Xiaomi Redmi Go 8 Modelo M1903C3GI.