Nicholas Quirke was finding more ways to occupy his time on 3 March 2020. He had finally got all of his laundry under control and when he laid it out on the bed in the guest bedroom it seemed such a small amount that he could hardly conceive that it was all he had worn for the past eight weeks, He did remember that he had needed to throw out two favoured shirts that had suffered deterioration through over wear as well as two pairs of socks. Peng made a space in the cupboards for him and he finally stopped, albeit for a short period, living out of a suitcase. It had taken 3 days to get the laundry done as it required sanitising, before a normal wash and his outside clothes were subjected to a purifying ultra violet light. He had time to study the books, and cycling equipment including a hat and glasses collection that almost but not quite put his to shame.that also occupied the Guest room and if the technology in the apartment wasn’t enough of a clue, then the items he discovered confirmed his opinion that he was actually living a geek! Breakfast was Quinoa and Beetroot Granola accompanied by the daily temperature test. Peng also had a phone call from the District police asking about Nicholas and asking if he had registered his presence with the local Police. “You are famous”, Peng announced, still overwhelmed by the attention and the furore his presence in the neighbourhood was causing. Inviting him to stay was also putting Peng under some scrutiny, and he was feeling a little guilty that he had become such a disturbance In his friends life. It was fascinating though, to be learning how the machine worked and how he was something of a spoke in the wheels. Peng announced he hadn’t had a haircut for 6 weeks and Nicholas surprisingly armed with beard trimmer and hair cutting scissors offered to assist. And thus, Day 3 became the day when Nicholas and Peng played hairdressers to while away the time. It was a surprisingly successful endeavour with both parties pleased with the results, though Peng claimed not to have had such short hair since he was 10. Nicholas had made a list of ingredients that could keep them fed over the two weeks, making smoothies and salads and today he was teaching Peng how to make a raw food salad which Peng’s family’s and friends when they saw the photos were convinced had come from a restaurant. Possible career here for him he thought. After again took to the treadmill and managed 6km in the hour and was already pleased with the improvement. To make sure he didn’t suffer, Nicholas once again made use of the foot and calf massager, which was also becomIng part of his daily routine, though he did feel that sometimes it was more torture than relaxing. Peng assured him he would get used to it. Supper was another variation of a smoothie and another evening spent Relaxing and watching TV, something, he was pleased to note, he had avoided doing during the day. He sincerely hoped that their days would not descend into such inertia.
