Platonic Love During the Present Times

Ronnie drove his Mustang to the officer's mess. He stopped under the porch and asked the guard on duty, "Hey chappie, do me a favor please drive this car to the parking lot" As the NCO walked towards him, he left the ignition key in the car and jumped out and entered inside.

As he entered the lounge, he found a few bachelor officers having gathered there. They were waiting for the mess secretary. The secretary a senior Major soon entered and without waiting for any intro said, " gentleman, I hope you are aware as to what is happening. The government has declared a state of emergency and everybody is to practice social distancing, which means nobody will leave the premises of the officers' mess. All of you will remain confined to your respective quarters, except during mealtimes when you will be informed when to come to the dining hall. You all will not congregate together and the meals will be staggered as per the timings."

He didn't wait for any reaction but turned on his heels and walked off. It was an order and had to be obeyed. Ronnie was a little perturbed as he had planned a date in the afternoon with a girlfriend. So he thought it best to ring her up. He dialed her number and his girlfriend came on the line.

"Look," she said, " I have already told you, I'll meet you at 4 o'clock so why are you ringing me now?"

"Hey Kavita, that's not why I rang you up. You know what's going on. The government has declared lockdown and I don't think I'll be able to come at 4 o'clock"

"Why?"

"You know why. there is a quarantine declared by the mess secretary and he has told us to remain confined to the quarters in the mess."

"Bullshit, you just want to avoid meeting me. Anyway, I also don't want to meet you, so don't come any time again."

She cut the line abruptly and Ronnie wondered how she could be so silly.

Ronnie went to his room and switched on the TV. The news was not very happy with more than 1000 dead in China another four hundred dead in Italy and so forth. He was a little perturbed and wondered why his friend didn't see the light of reason. It would have been great to fondle her and dine at the Hyatt but now perforce he would remain confined to his room.

He decided to go online and switched on his laptop. He had just purchased an Apple MacBook Pro and when he saw the rear of the laptop, he was dismayed to read the words 'made in China'. He had a feeling that the Chinese made good products but also exported viruses like the one which is spread in the world.

As he was surfing he found that someone was looking for him. He pressed the button and soon the face of a lovely girl came online. "Who are you?" he asked.

The girl just smiled. Ronnie continued, "I am Captain Ronnie and now I am confined to my quarters here and I am not going to go out for the next few days except to the dining hall to have my meals, even we have been forbidden to go to the bar so I have to take a peg of whiskey in my room."

The girl replied, " Fine, my name is Sonia and I am also quarantined."

Ronnie wanted to keep the conversation going, "Maybe we could meet after this virus goes away."

"Who knows what will happen, the future is always a mystery."

They began to chat on some sundry topics and Ronnie realized that he and the girl were getting along well together though they were miles away.

After about half an hour of chatting the girl said:" Listen, Ronnie, I'm going to go off line now but maybe after midnight, I will come back because I hardly can sleep."

Ronnie waited the whole night but the girl did not come online. Early morning he was wondering what to do. He got up and with the electric kettle prepared a cup of coffee. There was an eerie silence all around and he was wondering why all this must happen. He now thought of sending a message to her online. He hoped she would read it. He typed

"Dear Sonia, I tracked your ISP and I know you are from Italy. I also am aware that terrible things are happening there and I hope you are safe. I had a dream, a strange dream yesterday.

I know you could not sleep, Sonia. Even I could not sleep at all; do you want to hear my dream? It was a terrific dream. I saw you in the jungle all alone. Yes, you were all alone in that savage forest, but you stood totally naked, yes totally naked; not a stitch of cloth on your body. I saw you standing alone under a massive tree, naked and beautiful with a spear in your hand; your hair flowing with the wind and your lovely breasts swaying gently with the movement of your arms and shoulders. I wanted to come closer but you motioned me not to. I looked at you and could see that you looked like a celestial being from paradise. And then something weird and erotic happened. I saw a massive lion emerge from a cave behind you. A magnificent animal that appeared to be your slave, your pet, your worshipper. The lion came close to you and bowed before you. You mounted the lion and disappeared."

Ronnie signed off and put on the TV. He wondered if he would get a reply. The next day Ronnie opened his laptop and straightaway zeroed on to a message which had come. He could make out that it was from Sonia. The message was short and crisp. It read, "I liked your email but we are so apart and I am in a land where tens are dying every day. I do not know what will happen, yesterday my father bid us adieu for the afterworld but do come online as soon as you can."

Ronnie logged on to the computer and sure enough, Sonia came online. Ronnie could make out that she looked beautiful though she was pensive. Ronnie began the conversation by stating, " I'm sorry Sonia to hear about...."

She cut him short immediately and said, " please, I do not wish to talk of any death and I would like to talk of something which is beautiful and lovely. Can you suggest anything?"

Ronnie was non-plussed but only for a moment and replied, "We could talk of beautiful gardens and dreams but I do feel that the best dream is to see you the way God has made you..."

Sonia smiled and for the first time, her eyes sparkled. She looked at him square in the face and replied, "maybe you are correct because if I die, my body will wither into the earth."

Ronnie waited expectantly and then Sonia in one swift movement pulled her T-shirt over her head. He was witness to something that was esoteric, dreamy and sophomoric. It lasted just for a few seconds before Sonia once more covered her bust.

They chatted many times after that but Sonia never came on the video again. Many a time Ronnie requested but Sonia would not come on the video. Once she told him, " I feel shy of coming on the video because you have seen me and I do not know what came over me that I pulled my T-shirt over my head."

They chatted for nearly two weeks and exchanged many intimate notes. Ronnie was keeping a track and he observed that every day the death toll in Italy was going up. He had a great desire to go to Italy and meet Sonia and reassure her but he was stuck as all travel has been banned and he could just communicate with Sonia via the email.

The emails then stopped. Ronnie was wondering what happened but he kept on sending messages to Sonia. After a few days, he was delighted when he received a message from Sonia. It stated, " Dear Ronnie I'm sorry I did not reply to you earlier but the fact is I tested positive for the virus and am now in hospital. Doctors are telling me that I am young and I will survive but I have seen so many young people going away, so nothing can be sure. You take care of yourself because if we are to meet we shall meet if God wills it."

Well, friends, this is the end of this short story of platonic love. Did Sonia recover or did she pass away? and we do not know when the current social distancing will end and Ronnie will ever go to Italy and meet the woman he had met online. It's all in the hands of the Lord who stated that "not a leaf moves without my will."