"Spinach, Song & A Stranger: How COVID-19 Brought Me Love"

In 2020, like many others, I was hit hard when our country went into lockdown on March 26th. I had just started a new job-something I was truly grateful for, even though it came with its own set of challenges. I had previously worked in a travel agency, which naturally came to a standstill. My former boss couldn't understand why I left, but the truth was-I needed to keep moving, just like life always does.

We met in late 2019, just before COVID, when the world shut down, we were stuck in separate provinces. There was no way to see each other, but somehow, that didn't stop our connection from growing. Every day, we talked. We shared laughter, worries, grief- and food.

I lost my best friend to COVID. I got infected myself, and so did he. There were days when we both were weak, scared, and uncertain. I remember a painful conversation we had, wondering if ever get to see each other in person. But somehow, in all the chaos, he became my strength.

The most difficult time it was when, I lost my friend, got infected, and during locked down for some reason I felt like I was suffocated in my own home everything seems so small, they were days where I spend more time in the bathroom trying to recap on life itself as everything felt was locked all together with my life, Funeral day for my friend came it was most difficult time raining, freezing cold but I didn't feel any of it everything was just numb, I looked at life differently my best friend who knew me ,understood me, saw the real me was gone ,it felt like a dream that didn't want to end but I remember the last visit as she called me to come and see her off in one of the bus station, that happened a month ago before the COVID diagnoses, we spoke a little bit about her late mom and the last words are I remember was "Friend I'm not coping I miss my mom so badly that I don't know how to leave or breath without her" We said our goodbyes and our eyes locked to each other she gave a look that will forever remain as a main memory of our friendship. Nonhlanhla was her name. Which means luck.

But one day, during those difficult times, my new best friend, a stranger that became my pillar of strength in a short period of time, he cooked spinach with mash potatoes and sent a me a video. The food was so vibrant, full of life and colour. He played Jennifer Hudson's "I Believe" as he cooked. That moment healed something in me. That song has been my favourite ever since.

Cooking became our love language. I got to know his favourite meals and had few chances to cook for him some of his favourite dishes, through music, we stayed connected. And Through faith, we survived. He still remains my best friend made possible for me to understand meaning of happiness, get to know and apologise to the younger me that I kept supressed because of grief, fear.

he got to be luckiest person who got the chance to get to know the really me not the version of what other people wanted me to be.

And Five years later, the story continues. We are no longer strangers. We are each other's second chance, we relate in so many ways one particular Grief, healing, and taking time in our grief and remembering all the loved one we lost by celebrating their lives in different ways.

" Sometimes, the most beautiful love stories are born in the most uncertain times- with pots on the stove and songs in the background."