I tested positive first, locking myself in my bedroom for a day, trading notes with my kids under my door.
When they tested positive, they cheered like they had won a contest, like hugging was the prize.
There was a fever and a scary rash, but there was also dancing and tie-dye and ice cream with sprinkles and our house got so messy we barely noticed the fort.
My kids slept in there on the last day of quarantine, stayed up late giggling about bums, and I lay awake too, thinking of all the people over the last ten days who had called and emailed to see how we were, to thank us for sharing our results, to make us laugh.
My daughter turned eight in the middle of it all, and a friend dropped off cupcakes, many made cards, and two even came to the front lawn dressed as clowns.
It all made me realize now that we’re better that we focused on the scariest one, but we tested many things about our little life and it turns out they’d been positive all along.
By Samantha Reynolds
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