We received the notice about the school closing down, and had to vacate the dorms. I felt this would happen when I read about the outbreak of the virus in China, and its spreading to other countries.
I called my parents to let them know what was happening. My dad told me to be safe, and he and my mom would see me when I got home. It took a couple of days for me to pack up my belongings and load them into my car.
I planned to leave Boston, stop to see my sister in North Carolina, and then head to Florida to stay with my retired parents. My parents lived in a retirement community in central Florida. They bought the condo after selling their business.
Carol, my older sister, still lived in the Raleigh area with her husband. Bill and Carol married when she was nineteen, a year after she graduated from high school. Her husband was two years older than Carol.
I hadn’t seen my sister in over a year because of my schedule. I wanted to finish my MBA as quickly as I could, so I attended school all year and didn’t get home often. While we lived at home, Carol and I didn’t hang around together. She’s three years older than me and had her own friends. We kept in touch, but it was usually by email.
Bill worked for a large IT company. From what my sister said, he was doing well. I knew they bought a home a year after they married. Before heading out, I texted my sister to make sure it was alright for me to visit. Carol said she would never forgive me if I didn’t stop on the way to Florida.
It was almost seven on Monday morning when I left the campus. I wish I’d gotten away earlier to avoid the traffic, but I spent an extra hour having breakfast with my roommate. He was leaving for his home town after we ate.
I checked my GPS, discovering it would take over twelve hours to get to my sister’s house. With stops for gas and food, it would probably take longer. Armed with a large black coffee, I headed out.
At one of my stops, I texted Carol to let her know my ETA. She told me not to worry about what time I arrived, and to drive safely. It was nine o’clock when I pulled into the driveway at my sister’s house.
I knocked on the door, waiting for someone to answer. Carol opened the door, stepped onto the porch, and hugged me. My sister had always been a curvy girl with full hips, busty, and thick thighs. I noticed she was slimmer and firmer. I wondered if she had been working out.
“You look great, Carol,” I said as I released her.
“Thanks, I finally got off my butt and started going to a gym.” Carol smiled. “Thanks for noticing.”
After a moment, she invited me into the house. Bill stood up, extending his hand, and we shook.
“How was your drive?” Bill said.
“It was uneventful, just the way I like it,” I replied.
“Come sit and tell us about it, Matt,” Carol said.
Laughing, I said, “If it’s all the same, I would rather stand for a few minutes. I’ve been sitting for a long time.”
Carol offered me something to drink. I said a soda would be great. Standing in the living room, I drank from the can, enjoying the refreshing cold drink. A few minutes later, my sister insisted she give me a tour of the house.
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