110 to 1

Through a chance spotting of a Facebook post on the CoFepow charity site, two people, D and J, met for the first time in person at the Brighton Centre while attending the Labour Party Conference in September 2019. Their brief connection lead to being at a CoFepow event at the Cenotaph 6 weeks later, in London. Cut forward to February and March 2020 D and J were having days out in London together,; weather was clement and walks along the Southbank and around the West End, revealed many compatible links from the past. There was lots in common not least their two fathers were POWs in the Far East hence their membership of Cofepow. A valentines day lunch was arranged in an Italian restaurant. They had so many theatre visits, cafes and meals out, including a museum visit to Greenwich before March 15th and first lockdown. Oh no it sounded disastrous. But they continued., to talk every day. They lived 110 miles apart. One night D travelled to see J at beginning of April in the middle of the night, they missed each other so much. Empty motorways were an incredible sight. They met outside in places halfway over the next few weeks, they felt their love and emerging bubble was safe. It was. Lockdown finished on June 15 2020, and they sped to the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter where D committed to her, his love with a beautiful ring. The summer was free, but they kept their bubble intact, not to go anywhere to become infected. The distance was debilitating though. In early July, D had a blood donors appointment in a village hall near his home, and across the road was a cottage for rent. J now rents that cottage. The 110 miles became 1.10 miles distant and they live side by side happily ever after.