Despite the limited windows, we could see the surrounding horizon. Even without the bars, however, hospital windows look more like prison windows, as discharge is like proof of freedom.
Through the windows, I perceive changes in brightness, and now, as night falls, the sky becomes more opaque with mist, a sensation that increases the level of drowsiness and fatigue if possible. Today, all day long, the sun did justice and the heat wave didn’t give us a truce.
A few days later, despite her advanced age, she recovered quickly and satisfactorily from her third COVID-19 infection. Meanwhile, by his side, we spent these tedious days in the hospital, powerless to do anything, letting time pass, in sleep, listening to the stories he told us a thousand times.
One of those afternoons, I went to the cafeteria for a snack before nightfall, and I wasn’t surprised when I noticed my friend Manolo was there. We instinctively surprised and greeted each other when we met, and in the face of such coincidences, we talked about relatives who were hospitalized.
Manolo told me his father had been in the hospital for a week, and he was getting worse because apparently he had pneumonia. Even so, I don’t think he’s overly concerned. Manolo told me that he firmly believed that his father would progress, that we all affirmed that our elders belonged to a generation that clings to life, in what way; made of paste.
We have all listed many friends and acquaintances who have been in this situation, caught between parents, children and even grandchildren who care for us. Welcome to the “sandwich generation,” he told me sarcastically. We all crave a short getaway, even if it’s a trip to Benidorm or Torremolinos to unwind from family stress.
While we were on the topic of breaks and holidays, he asked me if there would be a new chapter of “Tinto de verano” this year. He referred to my usual article summarizing these summers and vacations.
I don’t need to think too much about the answer, so, let me tell you right away, I don’t have the guts to write about travel and beach excursions in this situation. More importantly, I affirm that the readings and rereads I have chosen to read and reread this summer have not only helped me, but have frustrated me.
A few days ago I read Ernesto Sábato’s classic “El Túnel”, which I linked to the tragic backlash of victims of gender-based violence in my country. Although I don’t know if this is a cliché or the norm, the reality is that when the heat rises, the number of sexist crimes increases.
Another book I’m rereading these days is George Orwell’s 1984, and among its many prophecies, I’m disturbed by this effort to rewrite history to suit our interests, and in what ways Way. Of course, publicity can also be considered information. In addition, attempts to reduce language with terms like “Newspeak” and “doublethink,” a means of hindering citizens’ free thinking, also concern me.
But perhaps most worrisome is the use of war as a permanent social conflict to create fear. There are no debates about race, religion, or borders these days, and if there were, they were just excuses. Currently, war is the perfect excuse for commerce and control of water or raw materials. Rereading Orwell’s Vision< Even if weapons weren’t destroyed, their manufacture was still a very practical way of using labor without producing anything that could be expended. For example, building a floating fortress requires investing in a job that can build multiple merchant ships. When one became obsolete, it was thrown away without yielding the slightest benefit to anyone, and the other took much more painstaking effort to build.>> At that point I had no choice but to relate the current Russia-Ukraine conflict to my summer reading. Despite much media coverage, the confrontation is as opaque to citizens as any other contest. Commentary on the battles and attacks that appear in the news is based on their impact on our economy and nothing else.
Amid those summer headlines about crowded beaches and a hotel boom, there was news of a resurgence of COVID-19 cases with new variants that, according to experts, are especially affecting the elderly and the most vulnerable citizens. But after being busy in the hospital these days, I already know that history.
From now on and when she recovers, Mom will present her third infection like a medal in front of her co-workers at the daycare. Jokes aside, we all celebrated his speedy recovery and realized there was nothing wrong with this statement: sick woman, eternal woman.
However, I never got used to the fatigue caused by being in the hospital, waiting, neglect and long periods of inactivity. What’s the comment on that slimy feeling when you get home that you urgently need a shower, as if you’re force sanitizing a liquid element.
If we add to these unforeseen events the haze that accompanies us, I dare suggest the word “haze” as a synonym for depression or apathy. or even simpler: “Kalima days, low days. “
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