Guardian Homepage: https://www.theguardian.com/
A Guardian guest story written by Michael Segalov, from the story of Mikayla, 19, student, New Hampshire.
As soon as I met Dalton, I knew I had to convince him we were soulmates. We started college last September and lived in the same halls of residence. At a Bernie Sanders rally he turned to me and asked: “When are we going to stop pretending we aren’t perfect for one another?” It wasn’t until February that we officially got together.
It was like being in a movie. The weather was warm and we had all the time in the world ahead of us. Then we got an email: there’s coronavirus in New Hampshire, and you have to go home. My family lives out of state and to get there I’d have to transfer at a busy airport. The last thing I wanted to do was put myself, or others, at risk.
I was panicking, but Dalton told me not to worry: I should come home and move in with him and his family. I’d met his dad only briefly and our relationship was a few weeks old.
It’s intense what we’re going through, and takes a lot of communication. Our relationship has had to mature really quickly. One of us makes dinner and the other does the dishes. We share a room, so that needs tidying. Groceries need buying. The intrigue of what our future might be like is no longer a romantic mystery. That’s reassuring for both of us – if we can get through this, we can get through anything. I’ve had strong feelings since the day we met, but seeing Dalton with his family and pets has made me fall even more in love with him. Through this scary time he has become my rock.
This story is from a series by Michael Segalov, called Love in the time of corona: ‘This wasn’t how I planned it, but she said yes’, written for the Guardian Newspaper, 12th April 2020.
“Imagine being separated from the one you love. Or stuck with the one you don’t, or being alone? Stories of the heart from behind quarantined walls”
Original Guardian article URL: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/apr/12/love-in-the-time-of-corona-stories-of-the-heart-told-from-behind-quarantined-walls
Guardian Homepage: https://www.theguardian.com/