Jogging on a Sunday morning Rio heard the news anchor shouting at top of their voices in the nearby homes. The news of the coronavirus has reached every nook & corner of the city & Covid-19 is the talk of the town now. Not to exaggerate but the last time something that got global panic was perhaps the last world war, but not such a large population was locked down in their homes. Rio was just out of the shower & looking forward to meeting his friend when he received a phone call. “Hey Rio, did you just see the news? Everything has been closed”, shouted Micky. “Oh no! It's disappointing!”, exclaimed Rio. “Disappointing? It is brutal! I had so many plans for this week, its all ruined”, complained Micky. “But it's better to be indoors & safe now,” explained Rio. “Yeah you are right!” replied a pacified Micky, “Anyways, I am starving! Let me order something to eat since no more brunch outing now.” “Yeah, me too,” replied Rio before hanging up. By afternoon Rio received communication from office & was asked to & work from home starting Monday. “It is only going to be a couple of days, I can manage “, thought Rio to himself! It was initially difficult to adjust & manage it all, with the added restrictions of imposed lockdown, reduced social interaction; but in about a fortnight Rio was getting used to the new way of work & leisure! Weeks passed by without seeing someone face to face but only virtual facetime & calls with family, friends & colleagues. Once the working day starts, it can get erratic; with no option to order from his nearest eateries, or simply walking out to grab some quick hot lunch, it became more than necessary to meal prep in advance to avoid starvation, instead of stocking on junk food; years of living alone had honed his culinary skills but it was the first time in years it was brought to a full-fledged test! April came in & it was time for annual incentives, the company decided to cut on the incentives. Rio although disappointed but didn't let it deter him from researching & investing in some promising stocks which were at their lowest. Eliminated travel time added another hour for personal use, Rio started yoga for 30 mins every day. By the fifth week, Rio started to get impatient; there was more he needed to do to fill out the gaps on the weekends & hence started working on his book he had been trying to write since ages but could never carve out the time. In over 4 months, Rio lost most of the extra fat he had accumulated around his waistline in the last couple of years, got healthier, won the employee of the quarter award, been working on multiple projects which earlier he had only been thinking of, improved his culinary skills & so much more. It is almost end of 6 months now, he ended up writing his first-ever cookery book & published his ebook online via one the most popular self-publishers, all of his own recipes & is working on writing another book already. It was this rather sunny Sunday when he got this call from Micky, while he was baking his 30th multigrain bread this year. “Hey Bro, wassup?”, said Rio. “It's been such a pathetic year”, complained Micky,” I have put on so much weight & even having trouble sleeping in the night”, he continued, “It is the worst phase of my life. I simply can't wait to go to the local pub & get drunk to relieve myself of the misery”, said an almost sobbing Micky, “the only silver lining is the Chinese restaurant & that bakery across the corner of my street is delivering take away! I would starve w/o it.” Micky continued his criticism, “You remember the Xbox Series X I was dreaming, I finally bought it! the bonus payout was so meagre I had to add the other amount which I was saving for that certification my manager was pushing me to get done. It's been my best buddy, “ continued Micky, sounding a bit happier & excited now,“& I can't get over it, I play it all !“ “You want to join us online tonight for a game? We usually start at 11pm until 4 in the morning”, asked Micky. “Ahhh, no but thanks for asking”, Rio quickly replied. “You got a night shift? You can be online on your office computer & join us for a game. I do that all the time”, boasted Micky! “Nah, not night shift, but its bedtime you know, since I need to get up early, but thanks for asking, maybe some other time”, replied Rio. Micky was bemused & could not help but let out a cackle! Rio started to get uncomfortable & understood that it was difficult to explain to Micky about his daily schedule but he tried to keep him calm & bridged in, “by the way how's the new job, You had just joined in right before the lockdown?” “Oh yes! the manager is cool & a fool! I am having a rather fun time. I wish you could join us; it would be awesome but oh you got to go to sleep,” Micky speaking hysterically. “Yeah, “brushed off Rio, trying to cut short the conversation,‘I will give you a call later sometime buddy, you stay safe”, told Rio. “Sure! Take care, bye,” replied Rio.