Member-only story
Love Notes to My Shadow
I felt the scorching touch of the sun’s beam sear my forehead. I turned away into the shadow of the wall to shield my eyes from the light that seemed to intensify by the second.
In my semi-conscious state, I felt the solar spotlight shift from my head to my cheek and a devilish giggle ringing in my ear. I squinted and saw my son brandishing his flashlight at me.
Like a sorcerer wielding a wand, my son, a master of mirth in the early hours had successfully willed me awake.
It was 6am.
Although I yearned for a few more minutes of slumber, I rolled out of bed and fumbled to the bathroom to put on my contact lenses.
My son trailed behind me to illuminate the floor with his flashlight so that I could see. As I waited for the world to come into focus, the prospect of yet another day, filled with the responsibility of conjuring activities to keep my son busy, loomed over me.
Having tested positive for COVID, my son had to quarantine from daycare. There was nothing he could do other than be by my side, and for me to be by his. Becoming inseparable like my shadow for two weeks, the unexpected and extended time I had with my son felt relentlessly long, yet effervescently precious.
