Flashback

Ruth strategically angled herself to avoid her own reflection. Clearing her throat, she said, “Yeah, just a little stressed.”

Sharon watched her own reflection in the mirror while adjusting her hairnet. Then turning to Ruth, “Is it because of the scary things being said about the virus?” Ruth nodded.

“We’re probably in one of the safest places. Toni has done a lot to protect us. I have friends who are about to graduate from college with no job prospects and a mountain of debt. This job pays well. We’ve got it pretty good compared to a lot of people.”

Ruth leaned against the row of sinks. “The fact that we are still working is good. The pay is better than many jobs. Even the shift hours are decent. But there isn’t enough PPE, it’s of shoddy quality, and no face shields.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself.

Sharon asked, “Aren’t you able to retire? You’ve got a lot of years. I know older people are more susceptible.”

Ruth bristled at the words of her twenty-one-year old coworker. She sighed again. “Yes, I’ve got thirty-one years, but I’m still too young to retire. Even if I was old enough, my savings account would rule it out right now. With the high cost of health insurance and medical bills, I can’t afford to retire.

“This reminds me too much of the AIDS scare. Few people took it seriously.”

Sharon frowned. “Most people live a long time with AIDS. There’s medicine for it. As for the virus, I’ve heard it really isn’t much worse than a bad case of the flu.”

Ruth finally looked at her. “There didn’t used to be any treatment for AIDS. If you got it, you died. I was about your age when people thought they couldn’t get it because they were female, weren’t a gay man, or a drug abuser. There was a lot of stigma if you caught it.

“Fiona, a co-worker who was five years older than me was scrapping the used trays before putting them in the dish machine. A used needle had been mistakenly left on a tray and got stuck in her finger. Two years later, she was dead because there few treatments available. People avoided her like she was a leper and she died alone at the age of twenty-seven.”

Sharon shrugged. “That sucks. Hopefully, she was at peace before dying.” She continued washing her hands, never looking at the older woman.

Ruth’s jaw hung open for a moment before she banged the heel of her hand on the edge of a sink. “Don’t you understand? A lot of people are dying from this virus. There isn’t enough information about it yet. We need better equipment.”

Sharon looked at her. “Ruth, you are a sweet old lady. I mean that in the nicest way. You’ve got to be around the same age as my grandma. If you’re that scared, you should retire.” Sharon threw her paper towel away.

Then she paused and said, “I’m not worried. If I die of the virus, so be it. I think it’s being overblown.” She stormed out the door, leaving Ruth alone again.