The Blight Of The Boomerang Boo

The loneliness and uncertainty of quarantine might have some of you itching to text that ex; here’s why you shouldn’t

- Jennifer Stavros

“Are you up?”

In the age of COVID-19, the reality of being alone is coming to the surface for all of us. Those missed connections that quickly faded into the recesses of our memories suddenly evoke warmer times. And we want warmer times. We want familiarity. We want to text that ex and forget about the disasters outside. Quarantine has brought about an era of “boomerang boos” on hyperdrive.

It’s one a.m. Thirty minutes have passed since I sent the above message to a man I’ve had an ongoing semi-casual romantic relationship with for nearly two years. Every time things nearly develop beyond that, something comes between us. It’s been a few weeks since we last spoke; as he’s done many times before, he said he wouldn’t speak to me again.

My heart sinks a bit when I look at my phone — staring, waiting for a reply. As my anxiety builds, I text again. We’ve been through this several times, but this time is different. It’s more pressing. He’s close and, well, he has cannabis.

“Hey, I know that you’re likely mad at me but.…”

He probably won’t answer. Deep down I sense it’s for the best, though it doesn’t feel that way right now. Maybe he hasn’t felt the crunch of corona yet or doesn’t know I’m now talking to someone else. Either way, if the world doesn’t end, history indicates I’ll likely hear from him again. He’s the ultimate boomerang boo anyway.