This story was originally published in our July/August 2022 issue as "Out of Touch." Click here to subscribe to read more stories like this one.
I heard a new timbre in my old friend’s voice. “So sorry to bother on a Sunday night,” Mary said over the phone. The most stoic person I know, she hesitantly described her symptoms. “I’m out of breath, I think. Worse when I walk. Tonight it got annoying.”
“You’re vaccinated, right?” I asked.
“Yes. Pfizer.”