Do you have the Corona? (London)

 

I was waiting for a bus in Stamford Hill in north London when I was seized by a sneezing fit.

    I’m allergic to almost everything under the sun, except (thankfully) dogs and cats.  It is mid-April now, so the pollens are out (flower pollen now, later tree and grass).

   There was just one other person at the bus stop: a man in his 40s (I think), in side ringlets and a big furry hat.  He asked me, “Do you have the Corona?”  (Yes, those were his very words.)

    Apart from the fact that he ought to know it’s the pollen season, did he actually think I’d be physically well enough to be running around if I had Covid, never mind so irresponsible?

    I was so taken aback I could only say it was the chill in the air, forgetting even the hay fever bit.  (My brain is very slow when it comes to potential confrontation, unless it’s friendly repartee.)

    When he got on the bus after me, the man stayed by the driver, close to the front door, after I’d moved right inside.

    In hindsight, I should’ve replied, “Yes!”, just to see his reaction. 

(London, 2025)