Love
in the time of Covid BY SANDRA BAHBAH
LIAM AND I HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER SINCE 2015. WE CONNECTED IMMEDIATELY, HAVING BOTH STUDIED JOURNALISM AND WITH A SHARED LOVE OF TRAVEL. However, I had just started a food truck business in Perth and Liam was facing a messy divorce in Ireland - the timing wasn’t right. I was also going through my own terrible breakup and was very resistant to making any grand gestures for a relationship, no matter how wonderful the man. We put aside our mutual attraction and became each other’s longdistance confidantes over the years, sharing dating disasters, relationship woes and general chit chat about the rollercoaster of life. Liam was dating someone on and off for some of those years and I had (mostly) pushed aside any hope we would ever be anything other than friends. Fast forward to 2019 and as serendipity would have it, I was making a pit stop to Galway as part of a round-the-world trip I was embarking on. I contacted Liam to catch up, and as he was still in a relationship at that time, I invited his then-girlfriend along. We shared brunch and coffee together, my mind still 16 | THE IRISH SCENE
convinced we would always be platonic friends. His girlfriend excused herself and Liam became my tour guide around Galway city. It was a lovely day, spent chatting about anything and everything. When the time came to part ways - a wave of sadness swept over me. Liam hugged me goodbye, chatted to me for a few more minutes, and then hugged me again. It was that second hug that gave me momentary pause – “maybe he still did have feelings for me?” I dared not dwell on it and continued my trip. Life continued as normal back in Perth, I was working non-stop running myself to the ground mentally and physically. I was starting to question if working this hard was worth it. Was I somehow using my business as an avoidance tactic for other areas of my life that had been neglected over the years? My answer came in March 2020 as the PM announced lockdown due to Covid-19. I was forced to stop and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I had to sit with myself and
