Post-unlockdown 1.0, how will we behave at a party

Kevin LoboWe played music every day with a Bluetooth speaker for our neighbours for close to eight weeks during the lockdown in Madrid It was glorious While the world flooded with news of death and sickness in Spain we saw waves of love and hope outside our balcony Some of our neighbours would crack open a window to let the music stream in Others were more effusive They would join us dancing with abandon like they were a few drinks down at a party This was at noon every afternoon so inebriation was most probably not a motivation but you never knowWed like to think we made some people happy It was our only sense of community during the lockdown During our darkest times when 900 people were dying every day in the country it was this sixsong playlist that helped us out of our collective anxietyMy partner and I have had to be more cautious than others You see I have bronchitis and I come in the high risk category for the COVID19 virus So trips to the market were reduced to once in 10 days And when we did go they were shamelessly short No chitchat in and out trips with bags and backs drooping heavily under the weight of daily itemsOver 8500 people have died in Madrid due to the infection and the lockdown was one of the most stringent in the worldWhen it was announced that Madrid can go for a walk after two months of being cooped up at home people ran out On the first day of the unlockdown pictures emerged of streets crowded with peopleLike a Madrid version of Dadar station I wasnt one of them The very thought of being in the slipstream of someone running with the virus made me nervousBut confidence to coexist with the rest of the world has been returning slowly I have gone for a couple of walks but not nearly as much as I shouldMy biggest test was a couple of weekends ago I was invited to a house party and the thought of meeting friends for the first time in months put a skip in my stepAfter a couple of steps though the dread of dying on a ventilator with no one to sit next to my bed would returnIf being in the slipstream of a runner made me nervous being in a house with seven people without social distancing gave me palpitationsHow does one socialise anyway in a postCOVID world Do you you do the customary Spanish greetingmdasha kiss on each cheek Do you wear masks inside the house My partner was nervous for me as well and we decided that masks at home were too silly but kisses were out of bounds We set off confidently Not by metro like we usually would have because we were being confident not foolish We decided to walk bravely about five kilometres to my friends placeKevin LoboWith the sun beating down on us we walked along the Madrid Rio promenade Sweaty and spent we reached the residence and were immediately aware of the imaginary bubbles of distance that separated us We air kissed a few feet away from each other and did an awkward hand movement that was a combination of a pat on the back and a royal wave from the balcony of a palace We smiled at each other like on a first date Knowing that you want to be around each other right now but not sure whether you will feel the same in 10 minutesWe were second to arrive in a party of seven so the house was still comfortably empty But with every bell that rang came the same mix of excitement and fear The awkwardness of knowing that we cannot hello each other like we usually do the excitement of seeing familiar faces again and to feel a connection with other people outside of Zoom and Skype callsIt took me almost 15 minutes to get my first beer Very unlike me It took me even longer to ask for a refill after I chugged the first glass for confidence For my first social challenge I was up against a conversation with a friends boyfriend who owns a restaurant We had a lot to talk about in these semipostlockdown times Its amazing how aware you can be of little things I noticed his nose was red like a beacon of the virus I noticed a little spittle that flew from his mouth when he spoke passionately about his business He had a tissue in his hand It was drenched He told us later much later he had spring allergiesWhen we started the conversation he was behind the threshold between the kitchen and the balcony We were in the balcony with our backs towards the railing During our 45minute conversation he trespassed across the threshold We tried to match his step in an excruciatingly slow waltz but our efforts were in vain He was less than half a metre from our facesThen the door bell rang and the last of the seven arrived My closest friend entered and decided social distancing was not for him He hugged everyone and then everyone hugged everyone else They did the Spanish greeting My partner and I exchanged glances and when he approached to hug us I was glad that my partner took the lead in telling him that we dont do that anymore A couple of awkward elbow taps later we realised that we had suddenly strayed from the herd We had become the bison calf that was going to be consumed by our new social rulesI decided it was time to let go The food was exquisite It was communal like a lot of Mediterranean food Dipsmdashthe bane of social distancing I observed very closely for a while for double dipping and eventually gave up The night progressed with lots of alcohol At some point in a fit of love I hugged a friend In complete horror we looked at each other Then everyone laughed I was mocked We returned home buzzed on alcohol and the experience of meeting each other again I have another invite this weekend I feel more confident My first house party in months makes me realise that everyone is probably going to get the virus if they are social I just hope the vaccine comes out beforeThe writer is a journalist cultural manager and an English teacherCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay 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