After the rally two weeks ago and my self imposed isolation. I was time to come back to the real world. I completed a lot of task at home while staying socially distanced.
In my area, businesses that have been shut down for months are slowly starting to open.
If you read previous blogs, you know that I brought a new truck back in February. Buying a vehicle right before the world shuts down creates it own set of unexpected challenges, but I love my new truck.
I live in Pennsylvania, but got a great deal on my truck in Maryland. I never purchased a vehicle out of state before but didn’t expect it would be difficult. It was rather simple. Transaction was easy. I left with a temporary Maryland license plate. I would just need to register the truck in PA and of course pay applicable taxes and the finally get PA inspection stickers.
Trying to be a good citizen, I went within the first week of owning the truck. That was back in February. Unfortunately I needed the title to the truck. I called the dealer and they said that it takes a couple weeks for the tile to be sent. They make sure the check clears, I’m sure. No worries. I’ve got plenty of time!
Well then everything shut down. I didn’t really worry about it. The temporary tag was good for almost 2 months. Those 2 months whizzed by while we were shut down and socially isolated. I tried calling the title office but their message stated they were closed until further notice. Called a local Jeep dealership, they said they could help but not until the reopened. They did assure me that a long grace period has been enacted and I would not get pulled over or cited for an expired out-of-state registration. Comforting to know, but I had no idea if it was actually true.
It was still haunting me every time I got in the truck to go somewhere. Not that I had a lot of traveling planned. My main objective became, keeping my mom from going out. Sounds easy, but that woman is stubborn. I’ll tell you it takes a village to keep Virginia home!
I just by chance went to the title company’s web site while spending these last to weeks at home, and saw that they were reopening. I wondered how this would work in light of our new normal. There is a big exchange of papers and signatures. How do you do all that and stay 6 feet apart. I decided that the lowest risk for me, would be if I were their first customer.
I wasn’t the first customer, but I was their second! They would service one customer at a time. You had to wait outside until it was you turn. Walking in to what looked like a makeshift surgery suite, plastic sheeting enclosing the employees, creating a separate environment for each side. Once inside, the transaction was pretty simple, however the woman told me that it felt like she was starting a new job. Everything was the same but the process and barriers made it also completely different. I finally became legal again, taxes paid, new license plate, and Pa registration.
Now all I had to do was get it inspected get inspected, or at least make an appointment. That was pretty simple, but while making the appointment they asked some questions that seemed new. The new questions were, what county are you coming from. Some counties were not reopening and this dealership would not accommodate anyone that was still in a locked down county.
I went to my appointment today. I couldn’t imagine that it would take long. It’s a brand new truck, with only 1,500 miles, because its been sitting in the driveway with no place to go during shut down. I did worry a little bit about being indoors and in the dealership waiting room. I decided, why risk it, and when they told me it would be an hour I decided to take a walk instead of staying indoors. I think about my surroundings now and everything I may have to touch. I had to touch the entrance door. I had to touch the pen and papers to authorize the work. What struck me as odd was that the customer service desk now had a complete bubble of Plexiglas plastic. All of the Customer Services team was masked, the mechanics that were streaming in and out had no masks. As I stood there exchanging paperwork at least three unmasked shop guys walk way to close for my comfort. The service rep would talk but he would forget that he was now speaking though layers of a mask and Plexiglas. EVERYTHING he said was inaudible, I had to make him repeat. I thought, surely, I’m loosing my hearing, but every customer had the same issue. I sanitized as soon as I walked outside and wondered why there has a hierarchy of employees with masks. Shouldn’t they all wear them?
They told me it would take about an hour, so I took a long leisurely walk around this small town and then through their entire lot of new cars and trucks. When the hour approached I went in, hoping it was ready. It was not. The air conditioning felt so good, I didn’t want to go back outside, it had heated up to one of our first HOT HUMID days. The waiting room had quite a few people, each masked and about 6 feet apart, that left no room for me, so I stood in an open area near the desk hoping I would be checking out in minutes anyway.
As I stood there a woman came in. She reminded me of Norm, from Cheers. Everyone that worked there, knew her and they all yelled out a greeting as she walked in. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but there was with nowhere else to move to. The attendant start asking her how she was and about Gary, I’m assuming it was her significant other (Ive changed the name) She sadly informs him that Gary died. I’m feeling a little uncomfortable. I’m obviously not a participant in this conversation, but I also cant move away… I’m also wondering, “what did Gary die from?”
Yep, you guessed it. Gary was diagnosed and hospitalized with Covid on April 7 and died exactly one month later in the hospital. I’m kind of stunned and embarrassed, but not as stunned as when I look into the waiting room and every other customer is listening, eyes and ears WIDE. She is showing the last pictures of him on her phone and then photos of the funeral. She then drops the second bombshell. She ask the CS Rep if he remembered Gary’s brother. The rep does, and that’s followed by the woman stating that he is dead also. He died a week before Gary also complication of having Covid 19.
At this point this is hitting way to close for me. I just want out of the building. Before I can make my move, she tells the service rep that she had also tested positive. HOLLY BANANAS! Get me out of here!
I honestly felt safer at the rally with thousands, maybe ten thousand of people. He of course asked if she was still positive, she assured him she was not. She said she never had symptoms.
My truck was done and I shot out of that building like it was on fire. I was happy to be finally legal, but by no means did it make me feel comfortable that we were safe to reopen the country and indoor spaces.
I know that we have to keep going and keep our economy from disintegrating, but I’m worried about the cost. I was sad for this woman. She had lost her entire family, through no fault of her own.
I think many of us shrug off the severity of the pandemic, until it strikes some we know, and then it becomes REAL.
What I keep thinking about is that back in the pandemic of 1920, somehow, people made it through. If they were able to weather, a global pandemic back then, with far less technology and available medical care. In some way I think they may have had an advantage. They had far less access to information and unreliable social media so in many instances probably had to rely on common sense.
Protect yourself, and your loved ones. Stay-safe everyone. Chose your outings wisely and base your actions on facts and common sense. My thoughts are with you.
Let's Partner in Great Design 