Love In The Time Of COVID

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 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

It was that second hug that gave me momentary pause – “maybe he still did have feelings for me?”

Clockwise from top left: Sandra and Liam, the happy couple. Facing lockdown and quarantine in Ireland. A lovely day spent touring Galway city together

ask what I really wanted out of life. I decided would give dating in Perth one more go, as I was becoming more open to the idea of being in a relationship again. Thankfully that idea didn’t work out and I know deep down it’s because Liam was always in the back of my mind. I recall one conversation with a friend, discussing having children. I told her it hadn’t been on my mind for years, but if I was looking to raise a child with someone it would be Liam. I pottered along for a few months, having sold my food trailer, doing less work and focusing on my mental health. One day in May I posted a silly photo on Facebook and Liam commented on it. From then on, our communication became more frequent. He had broken up with his girlfriend not long after I left Galway and we were constantly joking about me coming to Ireland to help with his garden. I had a dream one night in July where we were together and I sent Liam a message telling him about it. He said, “it’s funny how the mind works”. Something inside me told me the time was now right for us to be together. I asked him if all the jokes he made about me coming to Ireland had some truth to them. He said yes. We had a four hour long chat and decided it was about time we stopped fighting our feelings and give a relationship a red hot go.

I had made the decision to move to Ireland as my work was more flexible and I enjoyed living in other countries, having previously lived in London and Singapore. I was keeping an eye on travel restrictions to see if I could get an exemption for December. We were both set on being together so while the distance was difficult, we knew we would be uniting eventually. I managed to get the exemption but there was the other hurdle of how would I be allowed to stay in Ireland for a year. I managed to find a visa called Stamp 0 and after much paperwork and nail biting, it came through on my arrival to Ireland. I flew over on Boxing Day 2020 and as I landed, Ireland had gone into the highest level of lockdown. Liam had to wait outside the airport to pick me up and we couldn’t even hug when we first locked eyes on each other. I had to isolate for two weeks at Liam’s house and I was unable to meet his family for a few weeks after that. New Year’s Eve was spent on the couch on Zoom with his family. I had no complaints though - we were finally together after all these years of uncertainty. Liam was still working and I was finding myself home organising drawers, cupboards, you name it. We spent the time renovating the rooms and after four months, we were finally able to travel outside County Galway. It was only then I got to see the magnificent sights Ireland had to offer. We realised if we could get through lockdown together we could get through anything. In June, Liam proposed at Dún Aonghasa ruins atop a cliff on Inishmore, Aran Islands. While we knew we wanted to get married, I had no idea when he was going to propose. Due to Covid restrictions, we’ll be having a small wedding in Ireland with Liam’s family and, if we can

Engagement celebrations I said yes! get back into Australia permanently in December, a big party with my family in Perth. We won’t know if everything can go ahead until the last minute or if Australia will allow us back in. There’s also the potential huge expense of hotel quarantine. Long distance love is not an easy or inexpensive feat. I wouldn’t change anything for the world. When they say everything in its time, our relationship is a prime example of that. Liam has always felt like my person, he makes me feel safe and cared for like no one else. I don’t need to pretend to be happy all the time and he loves me even on my bad days. It was absolutely worth moving to Ireland in the middle of a pandemic. I came from a state that at the time had no Covid cases to a country in full lockdown. Those who don’t know me as intimately as my family thought I had a few screws loose. However, my mum knew about Liam back in 2015 and when she saw a photo of us together in 2019 she commented he had kind eyes and I should be with someone like him. I told her we were friends, and at that point I truly believed it. Little did any of us know what the future would hold. Love is a funny thing. ☘