I've made it home in Stuff

I almost talked myself out of catching the flight home from Sydney. I got to the airport literally 5 hours too early and spent time wandering around in sunny areas outside and drinking lots of powerade and water to try and keep feeling normal. Covid is a bitch.

I had to lie on the pre-screening test to be allowed on the flight. The current laws around Covid travel is there are no laws anymore (trust me, I did my research) but naturally, the airlines themselves still don’t want positive cases on their flights, so include a simple questionaire upon check-in. The hospital discharge form had also stated to delay my flight until I was negative. Who knows how long that’s gonna be?
It was a lot of umming and ahhing if I was to go ahead with this. I was looking up trains (a 14.5 hr trip), buses (only one per day and I had missed that day’s), and even hotels for another week in Sydney, which would have been a good idea except for the amount of money I’d already spent this trip and the fact I was meant to be back at work the next day (today). I was also really concerned about the atmospheric pressure the plane ride would have on me, although I thankfully haven’t had a headache symptom (touch wood).
In the end, I wore my mask and got on that flight, which I had already delayed twice, at a cost of $100 each time. At the airport, I heard the announcement that the flight was a full flight, and people should check in their bags if they wanted them guaranteed on their flight. Fucking great. Who the hell is travelling on a Wednesday afternoon? It was a 3:30pm flight! Don’t people WORK!? Ergh. I was feeling more and more guilty.

What made it even worse was the chick who was seated next to me on the flight coughed the entire flight. The poor thing kept apologising to me (obviously noting that I was in a mask) and I kept saying, “It’s totally okay!” What blows my mind is that I think there was only one other person on the ENTIRE flight wearing a mask. No-one gives a shit anymore. The reason I went ahead with this despite knowing that I have Covid is that I’m not only legally allowed to now, but that heaps of other probably have Covid too on that flight and just don’t know it! I sure as hell wore a mask on the trip down. I’m not getting in a confined box for 1.5hrs. Anyway, I wore my mask and needed to get home and that’s all I could do. This is the new normal.

My ASM at work was kind and gave me an extra day off, so I took today off. I’m still dreading having to go back tomorrow. I managed to mostly stifle my cough on the flight, and the takeoff was thankfully okay (I thought I would drop my guts, as I usually feel sick even when healthy) but the pilot didn’t accend too quickly thank God. I was so relieved when the plane landed. I had made it home. I hadn’t dropped thousands more on staying stuck in Sydney. I now will be going back to work despite having Covid, as again, this is the new normal - working while having a disease that can potentially kill people. I mean, Lord, it nearly did me on Sunday. Since no-one else wants to wear a damn mask, it’s just as well I’m not an asshole and will wear one to try and protect customers. I feel horrid given that I have to touch so much stock at work all the time, but am reminded that it’s not like my workmates haven’t been coming to work with Covid. I’m still stuck on how Covid rules used to be and not this ‘new normal’.

My housemate said he isn’t too concerned about me having it (which is nice) but I’m still barely leaving my room at all until this bitch fucks off. It’ll be just like during the pandemic, where I work and come straight home again.