Via Ellipsis – Russia

New Normality (Глава 2)

Monday, Nov. 08

Dad was taken to a downtown Covid hospital converted from a new perinatal center. It seems to be a decent institution. He had a new PCR test taken and has been provisionally placed with other patients awaiting their Covid test results.

Mum has taken a day off from work to visit the local polyclinic and get the results of dad’s first PCR test.

“I need to know for sure whether it is Covid or not. Perhaps they simply forgot to call us or messed things up. If dad has Covid, then most likely we do too. If not, I will go to work tomorrow.”

“What else can it be?” I looked at her incredulously. “In less than a week of thorough treatment and bed rest, dad has developed a full-blown pneumonia. An ordinary flu would have been successfully cured by this time.”

“Well, I don’t know. And that’s why I want to find out. What else am I supposed to do? We don’t have this option of working from home.”

“You can take sick leave and stay here.” To me it seemed like the best solution, but not to mum apparently.

“I no longer have a fever. So, I can’t call a doctor to check up on me at home. I have to go to the clinic and sit in line. And I’m more than likely to catch something else while waiting for my turn.”

So, she went to the polyclinic and, as I learned afterwards, first had an argument with the front desk receptionist because no Covid test results could be found there, then clashed with their local general practitioner, as he also didn’t have the results. Eventually, after a fight with the polyclinic manager, dad’s results were finally dug up. They were negative. Mum is to go to work tomorrow.

Tuesday, Nov. 09

Mum got back from work earlier than usual. Dad had called and told her that the results of the new Covid test were positive. Probably, I should have been worried sick by the news, but I’m actually relieved. This means that the doctors have at last made the right diagnosis and dad will (presumably) get the right treatment. Besides, this means we also have Covid. Tomorrow we are having our PCR test taken to confirm it officially. Mum is to stay home from work until she has her results. She was actually surprised that her colleagues avoided her all day and didn’t dare to have a face-to-face conversation.

They have certainly heard about dad; news spreads fast. So, they decided, “Better safe than civil,” I assume.

“Actually, it wasn’t that bad. As no one was distracting me, I was able to concentrate and complete more tasks than I normally do,” mum declared.

Dad was transferred to a Covid unit. He seemed thoroughly delighted to have a room with a view, overlooking the river and the bridge. “It’s so scenic at night, when the lights on the bridge are on,” he said.

Wednesday, Nov. 10

Went to a private sector clinic and paid a sum almost equal to my average daily income as a freelancer – just to have a cotton swab placed in my throat and nostrils.

Thursday, Nov. 11

Mum got a phone call from the clinic in the afternoon. By her joyful reaction, I knew the result was a positive one. That meant she would be entitled to sick leave. Even more importantly, she wouldn’t have to get a much-dreaded vaccine shot and would receive her QR Code when fully recovered. I got an email from the clinic at the same time. My result was a negative one. Mum was beaming with joy the whole day and got congrats from her colleagues and friends. No one pitied me.

Evening

The same local general practitioner popped in to give mum sick leave. As she told us afterwards, the whole time he was filling out the form, he kept saying that hers wasn’t proper Covid, as true patients were receiving mechanical ventilation in hospitals.

When asked where they got such a nasty practitioner from, she said he used to be a prison doctor. One can only imagine how he treated inmates back then.

Friday, Nov. 12

Mum didn’t let me do the shopping, as I still have a fever and feel weak. She did it herself and was away from home for two whole hours. Was she trying to allow as many people as possible to produce antibodies?

Monday, Nov. 15

I feel no symptoms of whatever-it-is apart from acute eye pain when I strain my eyes. That makes working at the computer rather challenging. Mum is busy dusting and scrubbing. I want to give her a helping hand, but she says that the only way to do something well is to do it yourself. So, I’m left loitering around.

Everyone keeps telling me to take another PCR test, but it costs an arm and a leg and, considering that I’ve almost recovered, will most certainly be negative.

Tuesday, Nov. 16

Mum and I went to see dad in the evening. Brought him some fresh clothes and a bunch of newspapers. He said no food was needed, as meals were served three times a day, and he could also fetch something from the cafeteria, which was on the same floor. We left the parcel at the designated area, having marked it with dad’s ward number and his surname.

Of course, there was no face-to-face conversation, but we were actually able to see dad’s dark silhouette against a brightly lit ward window and waved our hands. Mum noticed that he looked thinner and asked him on the phone if he was eating properly. He didn’t have much of an appetite, he confessed. Mum made a mental note to bring dad some fruit next time, even though he is dead set against fruit out of season.

Tomorrow evening, I’m moving back in with Artem.

Wednesday, Nov. 17

There were no changes at Artem’s, apart from a new magnet on the fridge. We shared the latest news, and then he ordered a meal while I was unpacking. Had dinner while watching a streamed movie.

Thursday, Nov. 18

Worked during the day, watched a movie in the evening, with dinner delivered.

Friday, Nov. 19

The same.

(…to be continued…)

Transadaptation Volume 7 – Via Ellipsis – Continuation of Uncertainty, Instability and Extremes Transadapted

January: An Unexpected Trip Down Memory Lane – Sarah-Leah Pimentel (South Africa)

February: Blow-up – Veronika Groke (Austria)

March: Futuros Murguistas – Alejandra Baccino Uberti (Uruguay)

April: The Nomenclature Man – Paulius Limantas (Lithuania)

May: Amanecerá y veremos – Adriana Uribe (Colombia)

June: Finding Light in Yerevan – Armine Asryan (Armenia)

July: The Last Judgement – Nadia Silva Castro (Brazil)

August: Puzzled – a collaged nivola by and of perypatetik authors (International)

September: Second Steps – Jonay Quintero Hernandez (Spain)

October: New Normality – Svetlana Molchanova (Russia)

November: Beyond Comprehension – Rahaf Konbaz (Syria)

December: Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Worm? (Parts I and II) – Narantsogt (Natso) Baatarkhuu (Mongolia)

Background – Context

Transadaptation Volume 6: Meaning? – Uncertainty, Instability and Extremes Transadapted, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2025)

Transadaptation Volume 5: Of Flowing Vicissitudes – Life Transadapted, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2024)

Transadaptation Volume 4: Material Dissent – Adulthood Transadapted, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2023)

Transadaptation Volume 3: Evanescent – Young Adulthood Transadapted, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2022)

Transadaptation Volume 2: Conceived – Childhood Transadapted, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2021)

Transadaptation Volume 1: In the Middle – Prelude to a Contemporary Transadaptation, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2020)

Peripatetic Alterity: A Philosophical Treatise on the Spectrum of Being – Romantics and Pragmatists by Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2019)

La Syncrétion of Polarization and Extremes Transposée, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2019)

The Codex of Uncertainty Transposed, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2018)

L’anthologie of Global Instability Transpuesta, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2017)

From Wahnsinnig to the Loony Bin: German and Russian Stories Transposed to Modern-day America, (eds.) Angelika Friedrich, Yuri Smirnov and Henry Whittlesey (2013)

Emblems and stories on the international community

Perception by country – Transposing emblems, articles, short stories and reports from around the world

Credits

Background photo: Saratov, Russia – The river facade – Kirill Skorobogatko (Shutterstock)

Inserted photos (top: left to right): 1. Saratov, Russia – The Volga Beach – White Fox (Shutterstock); 2. Saratov, Russia – The busker – CTatiana (Shutterstock)

Inserted photos (middle: left to right): 1. Saratov, Russia – In the park – Fire-fly (Shutterstock); 2. Saratov, Russia – Prospekt Kirov – Maxim Novikov (Shutterstock); 3. Saratov, Russia – The academic theater – Lapandr (Shutterstock); 4. Engels, Russia – Saratov Operetta Theater – Shushonok (Shutterstock)

Inserted photos (bottom: left to right): 1. Saratov, Russia – Barbecuing in the forest – Irina Wolfe (Shutterstock); 2. Saratov, Russia – Entering – Irina Wolfe (Shutterstock); 3. Saratov, Russia – Skating – Natka-i (Shtterstock)