Lizette’s life settled into a comfortable routine—in spite of or because of the pandemic . She was able to get out of the house more than most people, and saw Lawrence on a regular basis. For such a long time, she looked for love. She had a huge crush on Rufus but her feelings were unrequited, even while Rufus pursued Ellowyne’s unattainable affection. Lizette was happy that Rufus and Ellowyne were in a strong, loving relationship. She was ecstatic and optimistic about her romance with Lawrence, who was both irked and relieved that Rufus was oblivious to Lizette’s overtures. Most importantly, he was as enthusiastic and overjoyed as she, and he talked about a future together when they started at UC Davis. 

Still, she wished that they could do normal couple things, like go dancing or to a movie or a nice dinner in a place that didn’t serve its food in paper bags. It would be so much fun to double date with Ellowyne and Rufus or Amber and Penn. She dated Penn once in a while, casually, of course. Lizette harbored no illusions that she would have a grand romance with Penn, and long ago, she figured out that Penn was secretly seeing Amber. Just looking at the way they interacted and the sparkle in their eyes convinced Lizette that they were far more than just friends, more than friends with benefits. To her delight, Lizette saw that sparkle in Lawrence’s eyes.

She wondered how Prudence was. Lizette had been so caught up with her relationship with Lawrence that she didn’t have time to text or FaceTime her. She figured that Pru, usually so unflappable and serene, would rely on her inner strengths to weather the pandemic. Still, she decided to call Prudence the next morning before she was to leave for the bird sanctuary. 

Pru didn’t answer her phone when Lizette called—not the first time, not the second, not the third. Lizette was worried and sent a text. There was no answer. Then she texted Amber and Ellowyne to see if either of them heard from Prudence. They, too, were troubled and they all made plans to FaceTime her later that day. 

Naturally, Lawrence was concerned about Prudence, even though he only knew her through Lizette. He noted how Liz was always empathetic toward her friends, and what a caring soul she was. He knew that Lizette would always have his back and support him to achieve his dreams. Lawrence envisioned Lizette and he starting a mobile avian veterinary practice so people wouldn’t have to take their birds out to an office setting. Maybe someday…

Maybe someday he would find the right time, the right place, and enough courage to tell Lizette that he loved her. 

To be continued…