Pandemic buddies

Let me take you to a trip down the memory lane. This is the story of pandemic buddies.

In 2020, COVID-19 pandemic began. The world came to a standstill. Lockdowns were imposed. As a corporate employee, I was asked to start working from home. During this time, the human face-to-face interactions became rare and unsafe. All were isolated. Disconnected.

During these testing times, many sought solace from the nature. People started reconnecting with plants and animals. Hobbies like planting hit the rooftops. Animal enthusiasts and lovers (so called) ventured on a mission to find the perfect pet.

I was staying with my family and we had no pets. During that unsettling eerie period of lockdowns, I found a buddy. I noticed that a pair of pigeons resided near our home's bathroom window. They would often fly and sit near our balcony.

Everyday I would take a coffee break around 4 PM. During this time, I would prefer to stay away from screens (no laptop, phone, or tab). I would sit in the balcony and look around to see a sign of life. As soon as I sat, the pigeons would come to our balcony too. They would sit at a safe distance from me. I used to feel that they are observing me, watching my every move, or judging me. Once I finish my coffee, they would leave too. If any day I was late for coffee, they would still sit near the balcony and wait for me to be there. This has become our routine.

One day, I noticed that the male pigeon was an impaired eye. The right eye would look abnormal. Sometimes that eye would not open. But still that did not bother him. He was fearless. He would fly around. He would scare other pigeons who would enter his territory. The female appeared to be healthy.

Our routine continued for 2 years. Time passed, restrictions were eased, and everything normalized by 2022. The pigeons were still there. However, one day I noticed that both pigeons were not sitting at their usual spot. They were not there throughout the day. I would check if they had returned each day and each day I would get disappointed.

Those pigeons made the lockdowns tolerable and now they are gone. Disappeared in the thin air. Despite all that, I still remember them each day. No other pigeons will ever replace them, because they were my "Pandemic buddies".

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