A kent it wis afa strange fan heard the car draw up in the close. I wis in the byre, fixin ma al neep hasher.
‘Now I wonder fa that wid be?’ A said te Bess ma collie.
A kent it couldna be the postie, for he’d been past a half oor ago.
Onyways, I wandered oot o the byre and saw Mrs Dow getting oot o’er her car. Mrs Dow is the wifee fae the social services and she’s Avril’s boss. Avril’s the quine fa checks in on me every Thursday forenoon te mak sure I’m lookin aifter masel. On Friday afternoon Avril taks me o’er te the village fer the Friendship Club. I afa look forward te that cause I meet up wi some o ma ald pals and we play cards or dominoes. Aifter that we hae a fly cup and then she brings me back hame. I didna ken fit why Mrs Dow wid be payin me a visit but I wis aboot tae find oot.
‘Hello, Mr Sim’ she said, ‘I thought I’d better pop over to have a word with you.’
I could hardly mak oot fit she wis sayin fer she hed ane a that masks across her nose and mooth. She looked like ane a thon surgeons fae the hospital.
‘Fits a dae wi ye, Mrs Dow?’ I said. ‘Hev ye hed an accident? Fit hev ye dane te yer face?’
‘Oh no,’ she replied, ‘it’s the new regulations. We all have to wear a mask when we meet up with clients.’
‘Weel ye dinna need tae bother fer me. Besides I can hardly tell fit yer sayin fan yer wearing that thing.’
‘I’m sorry, Mr Sim, but I don’t have any choice in the matter. Can we go inside and have a chat.
‘Nae bother ava,’ I said. ‘But a hevna pit on the fire yet.’
Mrs Dow followed me ben the hoose. The place wis a bit o a redup as I wisna expectin company and a hedna washed the dishes since Monday. I hed to clear awa the papers fae the sofa so she could hae a seat.
‘Sit yersel doon, Mrs Dow. Now fit is it yer needin te tell me? It’s nae aboot Avril is it? She does a great job ye ken.’
I wis jist awa te fill the kettle te mak the tea but she telt me she wisna needin ony. She said it wis naething a dae wi Avril but fit she hed te say wis real important and it wid be better if I sat doon. She sounded kinda serious so I thocht I’d better pay attention.
‘You know about this Coronavirus?’ she asked.
‘Yes I’ve heard o it. Is it nae some kind o bug fae China? I hev seen something on the
TV aboot it but I da ken fit it hes te dae wi me!’
‘Well I’m afraid it does have to do with you, Mr Sim. The virus has spread all over the country and it’s very harmful to old people like yourself.’
‘Fit de ye mean? I mebee eighty four but I’ve nivver hed a day’s illness. I’ve nivver been in the hospital neither. That Coronavirus winna touch me, dinna worry!’
Mrs Dow sat there lookin at me o’er yon mask. I could only mak oot her een but as far as I could tell she wisna that pleased wi me.
‘The thing is, Mr Sim – you have to take precautions. The Prime Minister has said that if you are over seventy, then you should stay indoors for the next eight weeks to stop you getting the virus.’
Foo could a virus get in aboot this place? I’m a half mile doon a track!
‘Well fer a start,’ I telt her, ‘if I bide in the hoose fa’s gan te feed the hens? Fa’s gan te look aifter ma sheep? Fa’s gan te mend the fences fan they escape? The place winna look aifter itsel!’
Mrs Dow didna hae ony answers. She jist said she’d mak arrangements fer someone te come in aboot every day tae help me wi the chores. I telt her I thocht it wisna a good idea some ither body comin in aboot and fit if they brocht this virus wi them?
Fit wis worst, Mrs Dow said that the Friendship Club wid hae te stop fer noo because folks wisna allowed te congregate the gither ony mair.
‘Fit!!? Ye mean te say I canna meet ma pals? I’ll hae naibody te spik till fae ane wik te the next!’
This wis beginning te sound real serious.
‘We’re going to put some activities for people like yourself online. Do you have the internet Mr Sim?’
I kent aboot the internet because my neighbour hed it for registering his beasts but I wisna thinkin I wid need it on account o nae haein ony beasts.
‘No Mrs Dow, I dinna hae an internet and I’ll nae be getting ony internet noo!’
She hedna thocht aboot that either!
‘Well fits goin te happen if a dinna bide in the hoose, Mrs Dow?’
‘The police can fine you if you don’t do as I’m asking.’
‘That’s a lach – foo aften hev ye seen a bobby in aboot here? Foo would a bobby ken if I bade in my house or nae?’
‘This is for your own good,’ she said. ‘Surely you don’t want to expose yourself to this virus?’
‘Weel I think I’ll tak my chances. If my future is like yon I micht as weel be deid, Mrs Dow.’
She kent she wis talkin til a brick wall an I thocht she micht a smiled underneath that mask.
‘Well I’d better be going,’ she said. ‘I thought this might be your response, Mr Sim.’
Mrs Dow got in her motor and gied me a cheery wave as she drove awa.
‘Come on Bess,’ I said. ‘awa back oot te the byre.’