Corona Daily 369: Thank You Covid-19

Bev Boro, 53, was always curious about her disjointed, broken, and dispersed family. While her father was alive, she had managed to extract as much information from him as possible. He had married thrice and fathered ten children. In 1967, his irresponsible behavior had led to the breakup of the family. Her father and mother had left six children without any care for a week. Neighbours had complained to the police. The Social Service had taken all the children away.

The eldest child, Dorris, was 20 years old. According to the father, she was greatly fond of Bev, and had taken care of her in her first year more than her mother. Dorris was sent to live with her biological mother. Bev was put up for adoption. The father had said Bev had to be pulled back, Dorris was not willing to let her go. The men from the agency had forcibly separated them.

Over the next fifty three years, Bev had tried to find her eldest sister. She knew her name: Dorris Crippen. But she did not show up in Facebook, Google, Instagram or any other virtual location. Which was not particularly surprising, since Dorris would be 73 now.

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Dorris Crippen, a widow, lived on her own in an Omaha apartment. In May, she felt feverish and weak. An attempt to pick up a water bottle resulted in a fall. She was taken to the hospital with a broken arm, and diagnosed with Covid-19. She was in that hospital for more than a month.

The doctors sent her to Dunklau Gardens, a rehab center and nursing home. Covid-19 had weakened her. Moreover, Dorris was hard of hearing. It would do her well to spend some time at a rehab center.

*****

Dorris Crippen. Bev Boro, the medication aide at Dunklau Gardens saw the name in the patient list and couldn’t believe it. Could this be a coincidence? But the age mentioned was right.

Bev Boro had been working at Dunklau Gardens for the past 22 years. She read the patient card. It mentioned Dorris Crippen was deaf. Bev took a small whiteboard with her and stood in front of the white-haired lady. She wrote two words in big bold letters on the slate.

“Wendall Hoffman.”

“That’s my daddy”, the old lady said.

“That’s my dad, too”, said Bev. She mimicked rocking a baby to make Doris understand. Bev Boro, she showed her name on the badge. Dorris, despite her weakness, jumped from her chair and burst into tears. She had last held her little sister 53 years ago.

“You have got our daddy’s eyes”, she told Bev.

They both could not sleep that night.

*****

Since their meeting on 27 June, Bev has told Dorris about four more siblings she had found through Facebook. Bev already has three children and five grandchildren. Dorris has three children and 16 grandchildren. The sisters are planning a grand family reunion, once it is safe to do so.

“I have to thank Covid-19”, said Dorris repeatedly. “It sounds crazy, but without Covid-19, we would have never met.”

Ravi