It’s a Thursday night, and also the restaurant that is modern midtown Manhattan is mobbed. a woman that is young to welcome her buddies but pauses. “Are we nevertheless kissing in the cheek?†she asks. (the clear answer seems to be a tentative yes.) some guy in a grey suit whips out a bottle of Purell. “You could offer that for $100 on Amazon,†somebody close to him jokes. The gray-suit man laughs and walks away, clutching their bottle near to his upper body. an unattended hand sanitizer sits for table, appropriate close to a cappuccino, eyed covetously by the individuals nearby. Somebody coughs. Everyone else cringes.
Meanwhile, my date is later. We fiddle through my clutch to find something I’ve brought him: a mask, jammed between my secrets, wallet, phone, lipstick, and Purell. He travels a whole lot for their task, and I also thought it might be a gift that is funny. But possibly it is perhaps maybe maybe not. Or maybe it is a representation of my personal anxiety. That is just our 2nd date, and yes, he travels a whole lot. Wait, can I be concerned?
