“…and how long has it been since you’ve come out to your family?” Justin said, slightly inaudible, but he could be heard well.

Justing was sitting on his second-floor, Juliana style balcony, overlooking the green grass in the courtyard opposite the four story flats. Identical in layout, each balcony was separated from the next one by a large concrete pillar in order to afford the tenants their privacy. No matter how much you leaned over the bars, you could not see your neighbours on either side of you.

“You mean when was I reborn? Tomorrow marks three months. I buy myself a chocolate EVERY SINGLE TIME. Justin, mark your calendar 26 September, and don’t you ever forget that!” Ty responded, shouting to the emptiness that filled the courtyard, but not even the pigeons were startled by his voice bouncing off the walls.

No one would have ever known of him if it was not for his “Gooooooood Moooorning!” shouts when he opened his balcony during lockdown level five. Now, seven months into it, it had become a custom for many to shout it out while having their coffee, exercising, or smoking weed, and the beauty of it all was that there would always be at least one person shouting back.

Kevin and Ty had grown to know each other more during the lockdown. Their busy lives had kept their conversations to a bare minimum, and sometimes they would just wave at each other from the parking when they left for work in the dark winter mornings of Johannesburg, rushing to beat the traffic. But working from home had become a norm, and so were their daily balcony chats.

In the beginning, it was challenging for both of them. Ty would get irritated by having to repeat things to Kevin, especially when he was telling a joke, but when he finally learnt that Kevin wore a cochlear implant, he began to speak louder and more audibly. Some tenants would hear their conversations, but neither of them minded. He called it “Ty’s joke of the Day”, and he always waited for Kevin to say, “Go on”.

“So, I’ll stop by the grocery store to get a few other things after my dentist appointment. I want to cook snoek. It reminds me of home. Is there something you need?” Ty asked.

“Nope, all good this side,” Kevin responded.

“Even toilet paper?” Ty asked, chuckling.

“Lollest,” Kevin responded. “My girlfriend is coming over tomorrow, so I bought groceries during the week.”

“Alright then, let me get to work,” Ty said. “My Zoom session with these kids begins in 15 minutes. I will tell you something, Kevin, the best thing about teaching from home is that I spend less time shouting at the kids and more time teaching. It has kind of brought back my love of teaching.”

“After this joint, I’ll watch one more episode of “How to Get Away with Murder”, then and only then will I attend to my branding projects,” Kevin responded.

Kevin worked as a branding consultant. Fortunately, they both could still do their work from home, and they did not suffer any job loss or pay-cuts.

***

Tell us: How has the lockdown affected your life?