Denver Cereal -- Chapter 700 (part two)
Return to normal?
Sunday morning — 10:07 a.m.
The Castle, Denver, Colorado
“Hi, everyone! It’s Delphie! Jacob asked me to write a kind of ‘catch up’ post to get you caught up with everything that’s gone on in the last few months.
“There are some big things. Probably the first is that Lipson Construction is up and running at full capacity. They haven’t had a single outbreak of Covid-19. Not one! That’s mostly due to their 100% compliance with vaccines and masks, of course. Well, that and being an underground utility company, everyone is pretty careful to wash their hands and that kind of thing, anyway. Overall, the company has been a tremendous success. They’ve even hired new people to fill in where people have left or moved to be with family during this time.
“One thing that I’ll tell is this — most people tell me that they like wearing the masks. Underground utility work is better done with a mask on. Or at least that’s what Aden’s second-in-command, Bambi, says. It’s highly possible that the owners will vote to keep the masks even after this pandemic is over.
“The Marlowe School continues to require masks. The increased HVAC, UV lights, and all of that has been more expensive, especially during the winter, but it’s kept the kids free from illness. When this last wave happened, the school instituted temperature readings for the kids. But not one kid got sick. It’s kind of amazing, really.”
Wondering if this was too boring, Delphie stopped writing.
“Jake said that he would go through it,” Delphie said out loud. Shrugging, she added, “It’s pretty amazing to me that no one has gotten sick.”
Delphie started writing again.
“As you know, we’ve had a lot of sick people here at the Castle,” Delphie said. “Ivan’s treatment for blood cancer continues. Much to his surprise, his energy is starting to return. Of course, he’s had twice-daily treatments from Blane. He’s completed his first round of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. He might still need another round of treatments or even a bone-marrow transplant, but for now, he’s holding his own. He’s fought with his demons in psychotherapy. He’s shockingly different — brighter, happier, better. We’re all shocked by his transformation. He even returned to dancing about six weeks ago. Whenever Jeraine or his crew are not in the ballroom, Ivan is down there — stretching, doing barre work, and even some dancing. He’s there nearly every day now. His strength increases every time he practices. It’s beautiful to see.
“You probably remember that Paddie’s mommy, Julie, had Long Covid. She’s doing much better, too. She changed her diet to an anti-inflammatory diet, and, to all of our surprise, her inflammation is decreasing. She will likely have some symptoms, maybe forever, but, overall, she’s doing really well.
“Burt Matchel? You remember the son of our neighbor Mr. Matchel? You won’t believe it, but Mr. Matchel moved in with his girlfriend — you know, the neighbor who lives in the house next to the Castle? His son, Burt, moved into Mr. Matchel’s house. Mike and Jake are helping him fix up the old house. Burt’s found a job here in Denver. He’s hung in there with therapy and also acupuncture. Honestly, seeing Ivan transform helped Burt feel like it was possible for him.
“And. . . Hmm. . .”
Staring off into the near distance, Delphie wondered what she should write about next.
Denver Cereal continues tomorrow...
Denver Cereal will continue tomorrow. This chapter is a quarterly review of what's going on in Denver Cereal. It is available to everyone. To receive chapters as they come out, please subscribe.