Isolation

On March 19, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsome issued a 'stay at home' order to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus, COVID-19. Pharmacies, grocery stores, banks, takeout and delivery restaurants and banks are among essential services that would remain open. This is beyond the needed emergency services, energy, food and agriculture industries that had to continue.

Jade West and her long-time girlfriend, Tori Vega, had been shut in their Malibu home since that date. Their enviable beachfront location was now little better the view - a moving portrait of the empty beach and the vast blue of the Pacific beyond. If the smog was clear, they could see Catalina Island to the south. And with the virtual shutdown of Los Angeles, the air was far clearer than it had been for generations.

The view from the front of their property was less exciting but notable. Across Pacific Coast Highway were the Santa Monica Mountains and Malibu Creek State Park. That was the home of the old 20th Century Fox ranch, home to decades of movie and TV production. These included the M*A*S*H camp - both the movie and the long-running TV series, Ape City from the original Planet of the Apes movies and short-lived TV show as well as the Tower from Irwin Allen's classic disaster movie, The Towering Inferno, among dozens of other films.

All this was a draw for the talented duo when they bought the beachfront property and moved in two years before but now the area was little better than those fake backdrops in old TV shows.

When this all started, Tori thought it was kind of cute. Of course. But, by the beginning of May, after over forty days of stay-at-home, she was as tired of it as Jade. Brief trips to the grocery store, the local drug store and liquor store (all considered essential services) were short breaks but inevitably were too brief before returning to their home.

Fortunately, they both had outlets. Tori had her own website, courtesy of Neutronium Records, and would perform solo, sometimes a cappella, concerts of her songs garnered from the four albums she released between her high school graduation in 2014 and her last mass release in early 2019. She also performed songs from her latest, as-yet-unreleased album - postponed due to the pandemic. Occasionally, Jade would lend her marvelous voice to these mini-concerts.

Tori was also taking classes on-line through the University of California so she could finish her interrupted college career after she quit school for her first national tour and kept school on pause when she had a limited, incredibly successful European tour a year later.

Jade parlayed college projects into on-line productions while still in college. These helped establish her rep as she graduated and started working in film. Her first indie movie came out in late 2018 and, while Jade didn't like the finished product, was a hit. This helped give her some independence. Work on cable series like Penny Dreadful and Tales of Lovecraft quickly added to her resume and built up her reputation as a reliable creator of horror and suspense.

Like Tori's online shows, Jade had an outlet. She had a video blog, very similar to her high school "What I Hate" blogs, where she opined on things from her hatred of the idiocy in Washington to the stupidity of people who ignored social distancing and stay-at-home to life in isolation.

Jade was actually ending her latest. "...and we are doing our part to keep our favorite restaurants and diners alive by ordering take out or delivery. I really hope a lot of you will too. These people's lives are on the line too. And the lame-ass initial bail out by the government was a prime example of how much a cluster-fuck Washington is when it comes to the little people. Harvard getting ten million? Or Shake Shack? What about Al's Diner down the road? They lost out thanks to these corporate fat cats who finance the assholes in D.C. Al is hanging on by the skin of his teeth. Like far too many others who have survived this long.

"Anyway, I've ranted enough on the Dems and the GOP and their blind leadership. We order just about every day. Why? Because I can't cook and my talented girlfriend, who can sing like an angel..."

"Aw, Jade..." came from the other room.

"Vega! I'm video blogging, damn it!" Jade shouted to the side. Turning back to her camera, Jade smirked, "I swear she has super-hearing.

"She can sing like an angel but has no sense in the kitchen. She can't boil water without burning it..."

"HEY!" Tori appeared behind Jade with a scowl.

Winking at her girlfriend on camera, Jade said, "Hush, Vega! See? I swear she came from Krypton but without the flying and the superstrength. Although she is hotter than Supergirl. And her eyes can burn through me when I piss her off enough...

"But, back to restaurants. They are ready and willing to provide food for you. And they are more than happy to do what they do best. Please do what you can to help your local eateries to stay open. Don't forget to tip them well! I give at least twenty percent now."

Tori cut in, "More like twenty-five."

"Well, the delivery people are going out with the chance they might catch this damned virus. They deserve it.

"Just remember, this won't last forever, regardless of how inept the government has been. Even their partisan stupidity can't keep this going on endlessly. Even if it seems like that.

"So, be good to your first responders, your healthcare workers and all the others out there doing what has to be done. Stay safe, I need you to go see my movies as soon as I can make more...

"Oh, Anarchy1989, while dogs and cats might contract the virus, I think you're asking for trouble trying to put masks on your cats. Especially if they don't go out. I know, I had to doctor Tori when Butch and Sundance rebelled against getting masked...

"Pornaddict, I don't think there's anything wrong with watching porn online. But don't just focus on that. Look at Dingo, Netflix and other platforms. You shouldn't just stream lesbian porn. Not that there's anything wrong with that..." Jade smirked before going on, addressing a few other fans before coming to the last one for this blog.

"And to Jadelover2000... Wear the goddamned mask! Don't be a douche like those idiots in Colorado and Michigan.

"Well, I want to thank my impromptu guests today. Butch and Sundance who always seem to walk across the keyboard when I don't want them to," Jade glanced to the two cats, one all black and the other a cute tuxedo cat, lounging in the afternoon sun. "And my beautiful, talented, goofy girlfriend. I love you Tori."

"I love you too, Jade."

"All right, everyone. Before this gets to sickly sweet, I'm off. Peace, love and self-righteous anger!"

Jade signed off with her peace sign towards the camera that morphed into a middle finger turned in the direction of Washington, D.C. Behind her, Tori smiled and nodded just as Jade shut off the camera.

"That was a good one Jade."

"Yeah, well, when you're a genius, it comes naturally."

"Oh, you..."

A tickle war broke out until there was a tone from Jade's PC. Pulling away from her red-faced, panting girlfriend, Jade answered the video call.

Trina appeared, "Hey! You haven't killed each other yet? How are... Oh god, don't tell me you were doing it when we're about to do the family chat!"

"What? No... Jade did her blog and... We started... We didn't! Shut up!"

"That's my baby," Jade smiled in amusement. "And no, Screech, we weren't 'doing it'. We did that earlier when we woke up."

"Eew..." Trina stopped when another chime sounded. David and Holly Vega came up in a small window, causing the window Trina was in to shrink.

This was the way they, like so many others around the world, were keeping in touch with family. It started with daily calls and regular emails and chats but soon, they got into rhythm of video chats every other day.

"Hi Mom. Hi Dad." Tori waved at the camera. Trina echoed her and their parents greeted their daughters and their future daughter-in-law.

"So how have you all been keeping busy?" David asked.

Staring out of the screen at the disheveled couple, Trina smiled wickedly, "Ask them."

Tori blushed bright red, that came over the internet easily, as Jade said, "We weren't... Not then!" Then she paused, "Screech, what about that time Tori called you and Cat and found you somewhat bare assed..."

"Shut up!" Trina pouted.

"Where's Cat?" Holly asked, pointedly ignoring the entendres and stifling her own amusement.

"Um, she's not feeling well," Trina said, brightening up. Then she quickly added, "It's not corona! We went to that bar in Venice that's selling cocktail makings to take home. I got margaritas for us. She wanted to New York drink. I tried to stop her but she insisted on a Long Island Iced Tea. They give you enough of the makings for two drinks. She didn't even finish the first one and... My poor girl is hungover."

Jade rolled her eyes even as her mother chimed in. "Hi everybody!"

As she did every time they had multiple small windows of family on the screen, Jade snidely sang, "And that's how we all became the Brady Bunch. The Brady Bunch, The Brady BummmmmPH..."

Tori removed her hand from Jade's mouth. "Stop..."

"Hi Mom," Jade changed the subject with a glare at Tori. Tori knew Elizabeth West well after the past few years but never failed to marvel at how beautiful she was. Her girl was gonna be a knock out for the next few decades. Still, it saddened Tori that Jade's father was apparently too busy to join these group chats.

They all took turns but had little new to tell each other - the drawback of meeting so often when no one can really experience anything outside the home. The highlight was usually David's recital of his duties as a cop. "Sadly, it's not the idiots who won't social distance but all the homeless. They don't have the resources and public spaces at too limited for them to distance themselves. I'm afraid the virus has affected more of them than any other group. But, due to their own situation, we really have no idea how badly they're doing..."

"I wish there was something we could do," Tori said sincerely. Even as she and Jade had contributed a thousand dollars to the city's homeless fund - after David vetted the fund to ensure the money went to those in need and not the city coffers.

"Sweetie, even before all this, you've done more than most of the people and corporations around here have done."

"The missions and churches are doing what they can. There are some very brave medicos helping out. Still...

"Let's change the subject, shall we?" David finished.

"Jade, I saw you video blog," her mother said. "You were great. I loved what you had to say even if I wish you would soften your language..."

"Oh god, Mom..."

Liz went on, "I'm ordering for delivery tonight myself."

"But you're a great cook," Tori stated.

"Thank you sweetie. But Jade's message is good and I'm going to be doing a lot more ordering than cooking for the time being. Anyway, it's hard to cook for one without a lot of leftovers..."

"Liz, your leftovers are better than anything Jade or I can come up with in the kitchen," Tori declared.

"I'll say..." Jade muttered, to everyone's amusement.

"Want me to FedEx them to you?"

Tori blushed as everyone chuckled.

Cat appeared with Trina, "HIIII!"

"How are you Cat?" Tori asked.

"I'm never drinking iced tea again!"

Trina glanced at her girlfriend, "Sweetie, I tried to tell you that wasn't regular iced tea."

"It was irregular?" Cat asked.

"You could say that," Jade replied.

"My brother had some irregular..." Trina's hand muffled the rest of Cat's tale.

When the hand was removed, Cat said, "Tori, Jade, you look like you just had sex!"

No one responded and she went on, "I don't blame you. It's fun! And being shut in like this, there's not a lot of other things to do. Are there, Trina?"

"CAT!"

Holly blushed even as she said, "Out of the mouths of babes..."

"HOLLY!" David shouted.

"Damn..." Liz muttered.

"Mom?" Jade asked.

"I must be the only one not getting any..."

"MOM!"