I open the door and my boyfriend walks into the house, we do not touch hands for obvious reasons. He takes off his shoes and drops his socks right where he stands. He takes off his mask and throws it on the table. He is an employee at a hotel in my town, Mombasa. The hotel has suffered quite a lot due to the effect of the Pandemic on the Kenyan economy. Up to eighty percent of the workforce was fired and all of the managerial positions slammed with pay cuts. He was one of them, working at the security department. I on the other hand got fired and now stay home trying to find whichever talents I could possibly have. Going back to my sister's is He goes to the bathroom as I prepare tea, serve it in cups and place them on the table. I take the masks and put them away then I sit down and wait for him. He joins me and we drink the tea together. There are, as usual, very disheartening reports on the news; more people are reported positive even as testing is afoot in my town. not an option since all the county borders were closed to aid in reducing the spread. ‘You need to really take care of yourself,' he says ‘Of course, moreover, I have no reason to go outside, unlike you,' ‘I keep safe and carry my sanitizer everywhere but…' raising one eyebrow and pursing his lips in a smile, ‘I have a pretty high immunity.' neither of us can remember the last time he got sick, in fact he has never been sick in the last three years I have been with him. I shrug my shoulders and keep silent, knowing very well that this is a new disease, one never knows how a new virus works in regard to immunity, though it is safe to say when one catches the virus, it is a battle between their body's immunity and the intruder. We live in a small village, very communal. People go out to find their daily bread; it is not uncommon to find gatherings of people, some with masks and some without, while working manual jobs or trading. Our government is not in a position to cushion every individual household hence it is impossible for people to stay in especially where the breadwinner is either fired or absent. Friday 08:30 AM I feel a tingle in my nose. I pinch the upper part and shake it a little. The tingle still remains then I feel a little pressure in my nasal cavity, the sensation lingers for a while as I open my mouth to enable a sneeze but it doesn't come out. I prepare warm lemon water and drink. This is to help me warm up my nose to make the tickle go away. It actually does. Later in the day there is a slight headache and I am sneezing hard. My boyfriend comes in again, removes his shoes and throws mask on the table. I prepare a snack and put the mask away. After eating for a while I go to rest. I cannot remember how long it took to fall asleep but I usually binge watch episodes of Family Guy before drifting off to sleep. I did not do that and waking up feels exhausting to say the least. I keep lying on my bed, my head is warm and I cannot tell if I have a fever but I feel very uncomfortable. We do not own a thermometer. Up to 75% of households in developing countries do not have thermometers. As I watch my boyfriend get ready my eyes water, I am not sad so I am not crying. It is the tingling feeling in my nose causing a reflective effect in my eyes. He comes over to me and kisses me goodbye. I sneeze on him mistakably just as his face moves inches away from my forehead. We laugh about it as I apologize and he leaves. The exhausting sickly feeling goes away a little and I carry on my day as usual. My boyfriend arrives home, takes off his shoes, throws mask on the table and goes to take a shower. I put the mask away and get us some snacks. My sickness comes back and I feel worn out. My boyfriend asks me what is wrong and I tell him about how I have been feeling the past few days. He says we will go to a clinic on the next day. As we wait for the nurse I keep sneezing and everyone in the waiting room gives me the side eye. It reminds me of the family from Central Kenya who were shunned by their neighbors because of having the virus. A nurse passes us by and disappears into another room, a few minutes pass and she comes back with a doctor. They call me in. ‘Were you told that if you experience any symptoms of COVID-19 you should only call a health centre and not visit unless told so?' the doctor asks, I nod and apologize. I didn't think I had the virus, I don't think I have it. It should be the regular flu. He collects a sample from me and sends us to the testing centre where we get tested. They tell us to go home and wait for the result after a week. The end of that week we receive a call. My boyfriend was COVID-19 free. I guess he was boasting rightfully while I was there handling his mask for him.