By Ethan Dhadly IV
It seemed a typical Sunday, around six in the morning. I was walking from Boston College on a dimly lit street back to my house. Annie, my golden retriever puppy, her warm brown eyes scanning the surroundings, bounded around happily, exploring favorite territory in dew covered grass, sniffing the fresh morning air and chasing rabbits. My puppy selflessly wagged her tail, exhibiting only happiness and joy, with the sole purpose of pleasing me. Yet, something was wrong. There were too many signs of life during such an unearthly hour.
There were not the usual birds and squirrels, but people on a Sunday at 6 A.M. leaving in their cars! More and more adults started leaving their homes in the short duration of fifteen minutes that it took for me to walk up the street. The reality of the situation dawned on me; I realized that even on Sundays when society halts, doctors were still working grueling hours due to the coronavirus pandemic. I saw cardiologists, intensivists, and nurses sleepily walking to their cars. But this seemingly unusual sighting was not fear-inducing like many other present day events. Instead, these doctors were purposeful and inspiring, displaying grit and determination on their stoic faces and illuminating hope in the darkness of the pandemic. Though each individual face was shadowed in darkness, I could note the presence of a unified resolve. Their shadows, augmented by the early morning sun, made these doctors seem bigger than they are (showing how they are part of a world effort), like soldiers leaving for war. The coronavirus pandemic is a world war, but you cannot see your enemy. And these doctors, following duty and their calling to heal, lead the path into a battle between life and death.
And as I finally reached my house, I saw my father’s silver car pulling out, purposeful and into the sunrise. As I saw that, a new window opened for me and I realized what every other family whose relatives had to risk their lives to help in this pandemic were feeling. Emptiness engulfed me as I saw my father leave to battle between the lives and deaths of others, but I knew that my dad and many others would give hope and happiness to the thousands suffering from the coronavirus pandemic.
