Breathe Into It

The party was already well underway when they arrived. The glowing golden orbs of string lights gently swung in the early evening breeze like grandmas pearls, mildly yellowed with age. Across the grass came the joyful murmur of lively conversation, occasionally punctuated with a crescendo of laughter that wasn’t muffled by a mask.

They hesitated, taking it all in from afar. Feeling an indescribable pull towards the gathering, while simultaneously frozen; reluctant and cautious.

How would they even approach a group of friends, acquaintances, and potential new contacts after this long bizarre year? What would they talk about? How would they strike up conversation?

This past year had felt as though they had been holding their breath, hoping everything would resolve. They had only really spoken to their cat for the better part of a year, and that had begun to feel relatively normal. They wondered if they even remembered how to chat with anyone human anymore.

They flinched watching people mingle around the food table, leaning close, talking loudly, filling plates, casually passing shared serving utensils.

But, I’m fully vaccinated now, I can safely do those things too, they reassured themselves.

They recognized a woman they knew, although they hadn’t spoken since the beforetimes. They wondered…