March seems such a long time ago and the world has already changed so much. Glad that the rush on toilet rolls has calmed down.
A and B are speaking to each other over Skype.
A
So he says, he says, he can’t understand why there are so many cars parked outside people’s houses when they’re all meant to be at home. So I say, well, people are at home, aren’t they? That’s where there’s all these cars parked outside. But he still doesn’t get it. They’ve got to be visiting people, haven’t they?, he says, I’ve never seen so many cars parked in the road. So I says, where else are these cars gonna go? They belong to the people in the houses and usually they’re at work and stuff, and he says, yeah, but they all had to go out and get the cars from somewhere.
B
What a nob.
A
And he’s still going on about it. Cars, he keeps saying, look at them all parked out there! He’s standing at the window. And all these people are meant to be at home. And I lost it, I said to him, we’ve just been through this!
B
Heh-heh.
A
And then he’s in the supermarket, right? This is before it all kicked off, he’s in the supermarket and he phones me and he says, all the bread’s gone! The vultures have bought up all the bread and now there’s none! And I need bread! I’m desperate for it! And I says to him, I says, go to the bakery, I was in there just now and they had loads, and he says, what? The bakery? I’m not paying their prices!
B
Your brother is such an idiot.
A
So what have you been up to?
B
Not a lot. I went to the bins, earlier. And then I thought afterwards, oh, does that count as my one exercise for the day?
A
Ha ha.
B
Am I not allowed out now for a walk because I’ve gone to the bins? Mind you, it was further than I went yesterday.
A
I tell you what I don’t get.
B
This isn’t that thing again is it? The helicopter thing? I told you that was fake news.
A
Debs sent it to me.
B
Oh so it must be true! Helicopters coming over at night to disinfect everything. Don’t leave your windows open. Never heard such nonsense! What about all the wildlife? And farm animals, and crops, and every other living thing on the planet?
A
All right, all right, so it wasn’t true.
B
And where are we suddenly going to get all these helicopters from? And how are they going to carry all that disinfectant? And why would the government announce it over Instagram?
A
Yeah, yeah.
B
How many people did you send it to?
A
Everyone. Anyway, I tell you what I don’t get.
B
Hang on a minute.
A
What?
B
Bogey.
A
What?
B
You’ve got a bogey.
A wipes his nose several times on his sleeve.
B
So what don’t you get?
A
I tell you.
B
Go on.
A
They say you’re not meant to touch hands, right? And someone suggested doing that elbow bump thing. Well that’s ok, isn’t it. But aren’t these the same elbows that we’re meant to be closing toilet doors with? Aren’t these the same elbows that we’re meant to be sneezing into? Can’t be hygienic, can it?
B
You’ve got a point.
A
It’s true though, isn’t it?
B
You think we’re all spreading elbow germs, now?
A
We’ll survive the flu and we’ll all die to some new elbow disease.
B
There’ll be some government advice, we will all have to wash our elbows. Boil our elbows. And it will be just like a night club, the hottest joint in town.
A
What’s that? I don’t get it.
B
Never mind. Hey, do you know Justin?
A
Justin who?
B
Berwell. Justin Berwell. Actually you might not know him because we went to different schools. Berwell. Emigrated to Australia, they got the same rules over there about staying at home as we have. Anyway, he’s got this company selling these miracle diet pills. It’s all a scam. These shoddy airbrushed before and after pictures. He’s flogging these dodgy diet pills. And he has the cheek to change his profile picture to the words I deserve respect, I’m a health worker!
A
I suppose he is, in a way.
B
Diet pills, though?
A
It’s healthy.
B
It can’t be, I’ve seen the adverts.
A
Makes people feel good about themselves, though.
B
It can’t be good if he’s involved. I remember him at school. He was so obnoxious. The geography teacher once asked us if we knew where the Great Plains were and he said the airport.
A
Admittedly, that’s quite funny.
B
Diet pills, though. It’s not the sort of thing you hear about, though, is it? On a train or something, the conductor comes over the intercom and says, ladies and gentlemen, this is an emergency, is there a miracle weight loss pill salesman on board?
A
Is this a bit?
B
A what?
A
A bit for one or your shows?
B
No, it’s real.
A
Haven’t they all been cancelled?
B
Most of them.
A
Even the fringe?
B
I don’t know, yet. Mind you, if gatherings of more than two people are banned, then at least my fringe show can still go ahead.
Silence for a bit.
A
I don’t get it.
B
Things have, er, they’ve kind of . .
A
Yeah.
B
It’s all about . . Carrying on, isn’t if? Because otherwise . .
A
The way I see it, as long as we keep this up.
Silence for a short white.
B
Listen, I’m going to need some hair clippers.
A
What for?
B
For making a meringue. For my hair! What else?
A
You gonna shave it all off?
B
No! I’m just going to trim it a bit.
A
Cut your own hair?
B
I watched a YouTube video showing how it’s done, I’ll be fine.
A
Funny you should say that. I was in the hairdressers the other day.
B
You’re bald!
A
I was waiting for my brother! Anyway, this yoot comes in, big hair, huge chin. I mean it. Never seen such a big chin. I thought, now there’s someone who could do with a chin-ectomy. Anyway, the yoot comes in.
B
Get to the point.
A
Says to the hairdresser, here, can you cut my hair so that it’s curly? And she says, I can’t do that! It’s impossible! And he said no, I saw this YouTube video showing how you can cut someone’s hair and it ends up curly, so can you do it with mine.
B
Heh heh.
A
And he wasn’t having it, he kept arguing about this video, and the hairdresser was saying that it can’t be done, and then my brother had a hair cut, she did a good job.
B
Well that just kind of fizzled out there, didn’t it?
A
Massive chin.
B
So what are you up to today?
A sneezes violently into the webcam camera and the screen becomes obscured with mucus leaving just a vague outline.
B
Oh for heaven’s sake!
A tries to wipe the camera to no avail and just makes it worse.
B
Try to use some kitchen towel.
A
I haven’t got any!
B
You haven’t got any kitchen towel?
A
I used it all as toilet paper!
B
Didn’t that . . Chafe a bit?
A
Like hell!
B
For goodness sake, what are you using?
A
Pants!
B
Pants?
A
Boxers.
B
Gross!
A
Boxer briefs, to be precise.
B
Yewww!
A
It’s not like you’re actually here.
B
Why have you got boxer briefs just lying round in your living room?
A
It’s hot in here, I just took them off.
B
I’m logging off, now.
A
Log off! Log off!
B logs off. The screen goes blank.
B whispers wistfully
Bye.
Robert Garnham 