Post #35: And Just Like That

Lots of Cooper time for Nana and Papa in Fiji

I must apologize to my devoted FinallyNana readers about how long it has taken Nana to write you off the precipice of Post #34’s cliffhanger, although many of you may have guessed the unfortunate development from my final clue. More recently, a busy life of relocating households has interfered with my writing time allocation. But Finally! this post creation is completed, having been prioritized to the top of my constantly evolving To Do list.

I am returning you to where I left off in Post #34, in Fiji on Friday, December 31, 2021, when Jesse and I accompanied Stacy to Fiji’s capital city Suva. It’s about an hour’s drive from their new home in Pacific Harbor, traveling along the island’s main perimeter road which is mostly two lanes and intermittently scenic with Fijian coastal life and commerce. To recap from the prior post, on New Year’s Eve day, we dropped Cooper off at a friend’s house for a playdate, and proceeded to enjoy a pleasant restaurant lunch, followed by pre-holiday errands in town. We stopped at a large grocery store to re-supply the house. I added a box of granola, even though we had only a couple more days at their house, as I was missing some of my usual breakfast food. Of course, we picked up more wine, beer and bubbly, as we would be counting down the end of 2021, and good riddance to the second year of pandemic problems. And of course, Chef Jason would be preparing another excellent supper to ring in the New Year.

Our last afternoon stop was retrieving Cooper as we visited Stacy's friends in their architecturally modern home situated on a hilltop in the outskirts of Suva, strikingly designed with an open floor plan, incorporating a swimming pool centerpiece within the enclosed courtyard. We stayed for coffee and a chat before returning home.

On the drive back, however, Stacy noticed that she was developing a headache and a scratchy throat. She requested a Werther’s hard candy from me, as she knows they are a typical staple in my handbag. By the time we arrived home, Stacy needed to take a rest, thinking she might have just worn herself out negotiating lots of pre-holiday traffic in Suva. Fortunately, our plans for New Year’s Eve were rather low-key, mainly to dine and celebrate among ourselves at Chez Jason.

By early evening, I was ready to get this party started. Stacy roused up, still not feeling quite right. But I was ready to crack open some bubbly. Delicious roasted lamb and vegetables à la Jason were on the New Year’s Eve menu, with a separate fish dish for pescatarian Stacy (and the lamb replayed well as part of charcuterie appetizers on the weekend).

I refilled my sparkling wine multiple times. It was New Year’s Eve, after all. We heard some pre-midnight fireworks in the neighborhood, but only Jason stayed awake, making phone calls to Australian family and friends, to welcome the arrival of 2022, which comes before most of the world in Fiji, being slightly west of the international date line.

By New Year’s morning Stacy was feeling no better, with symptoms that included a sore throat, back ache, and overall tiredness. That combination seemed to be indicative of Covid-19, as Stacy had researched online overnight. I had a headache, which Stacy initially attributed to my over-imbibing. But I thought otherwise. I also had a scratchy throat and developed a low-grade fever.

So early on Stacy realized they had to cancel their plans to host a New Year’s Day gathering with accompanying Jason feast. Checking in with her friends, many of whom Stacy had been sociably hosting in their home during the past holiday week, she learned that some were not feeling too well either. Germs could have been spreading between all of them. But what kind of germs?

Had we all caught some Fijian tropical bug? It seemed the Jupiter/Allport family were frequently laid low by circulating viruses from Cooper’s school or from their general island habitat. But Stacy had been hearing that the Covid-19 incidence in Fiji, which had been kept to a minimum for most of the pandemic, was swiftly on the rise, as the Fiji government had loosened restrictions and resumed entry for international tourists, like us! (albeit with many entry requirements, as I had explained in my prior blog post) just when the highly contagious Omicron variant was infiltrating Fiji and spreading.

“We should all go get tested,” Stacy pronounced. That would require a repeat hour-long trip to Suva to a hospital testing clinic. And it was the New Year’s Day holiday. Certainly, not what I was inclined to do on January 1. Stacy gave us all a reprieve to wait until the next day.

By the afternoon of New Year’s Day, Cooper started feeling quite sick. But he melted our hearts when he told us, “I have very strong red blood cells. My blood cells are gonna fight and beat the virus.” Overnight Cooper was feverish with alternating bouts of diarrhea and vomiting. That kept Stacy and Jason up much of the night, in addition to whatever viral symptoms they were personally experiencing. Jesse started to succumb to the illness overnight as well, feeling feverish and not sleeping well.

By Sunday morning Cooper looked like a sick puppy. A picture of rare horizontal immobility on a couch, he forlornly told us, “Nana, Papa, I can’t play with you today. I’m sick.” If we were worried about any of us, it was Cooper, being the only one who had not been vaccinated, as Fiji had not yet brought in vaccines for his age group.

I was feeling much improved except for some lingering sniffles and thought that whatever illness I had was quite minor. Stacy felt better too except for the loss of overnight sleep. Jason was feeling somewhat flu-ish, but in his usual stoic way downplayed whatever was bothering him.

So just Stacy, Jesse and I went to get Covid tests on Sunday, with the assumption that Cooper and Jason had whatever the rest of us had. And “just like that” (borrowing from the recent "Sex in the City" re-boot), to Jesse’s and my surprise, all three of us, having been fully vaccinated and boosted, tested positive for Covid-19, presumably Omicron. But we certainly and fortunately did not have a horrible kind of Covid illness like earlier versions. Curiously, Jesse and I had managed to be Covid-free for 21 months of the pandemic in the United States, and ironically caught the disease in Fiji where Covid had been kept to a minimum for so long. And we know we did not bring Covid-19 with us to our Fiji family, because we had tested negative to board our December 13th flight to Fiji, as did everyone else who took that flight, and we re-tested negative after two days at a CareFiji approved hotel. Furthermore, we had been in Fiji more than two weeks, much longer than the usual Covid Omicron incubation period, before any of us got sick, with Stacy having come down with the illness first among all of us. We could not definitively track the contagion to any one local person or group, as various friends had visited the house since we had been there as well some service people. We had gone to Fiji shops masked, and restaurants, primarily outdoors, unmasked.

Regardless of how we were infected, the positive tests had serious logistical repercussions. Stacy informed us that Fiji regulations dictated a 10-day self-isolating quarantine for anyone testing positive. Since all of us were sick, at least we would not have to isolate in their house from each other. But we couldn’t even leave their property, not even to the public beach or for neighborhood walks or runs. We were at the tail-end of a wonderful three-week, family immersion trip, but by New Year’s weekend Jesse and I were quite ready to return home to resume our own routines in our own house. Our original plans were to depart Fiji on Tuesday night, January 4, upon fulfilling Fiji Airways and US international entry requirements for testing Covid negative within one-day of departure. We definitely had to postpone our return. Since we weren’t feeling particularly ill, I optimistically hoped a Saturday test might clear us to leave Sunday night, Jan. 9. I spent a lengthy amount of time re-booking our flights to Los Angeles, with coordinating domestic flights for ultimate Florida arrival. Stacy thought my re-booking was premature and a waste of time, but I was hoping to avoid prolonging our trip much more, which would involve making more dog sitting arrangements, cancelling or re-scheduling more stateside plans and appointments, and overstaying our Fiji welcome (although Stacy and Jason insisted that our extended stay was not a problem for them).

Fortunately, Cooper was much improved by later Sunday. His Covid experience had presented much like a 24-hour stomach bug. We were all relieved to see how well he bounced back. And Cooper had been right. He had “very strong blood cells” that fought off the virus. That reminded me of a photo Stacy took early in the pandemic of Cooper dressed as a superhero with weapon in hand to fight off the coronavirus.

And now that Cooper, having recovered from Covid, had developed his own antibodies against the dreaded virus, his parents would be much less worried about his contracting this frightening disease going forward.

So how did we manage and occupy our time for the next week with our Fiji family? First of all, Stacy and Jason created a comprehensive grocery list which was kindly shopped by their neighboring friend Helen and left at their property gate for contact-less delivery. Thus meals would not be a problem, especially with an in-house chef. And of course, I had my granola for a whole extra week of breakfasts. We had Wi-Fi so all electronic communications with friends, family, and transportation sites remained possible, more books could be downloaded to our Kindles, and Stacy could work from home. During Zoom work meetings, she asked us to keep Cooper occupied, for which we certainly obliged. Cooper had no lack of ideas for creative play for which we were either participant or spectator. To the point, Cooper told us, “I feel sad if no one is playing with me.”

Fortunately, our quarantine facility was a large tropical property with swimming pool and riverside dock. The best way for me to stay outside any length of time was to be wet. So Jesse and I spent many hours, between the tropical downpours, entertaining Cooper in or by the pool, or perhaps it was the other way around, Cooper entertaining us.

He could be playing with a pool full of plastic lizards, filling his construction vehicles with water, or pretending to be a baby seal. We were all eager to watch the “growth” of the water-inflating lizard that I had bought for Cooper that was purported to triple in size when immersed. It eventually transformed in the pool from small lizard to large iguana, and was not slimy like Stacy, the ultimate nature lady, had surprisingly feared it would become.

And then there were more attempts to catch fish from the dock. None were caught while we stayed with them but Cooper was getting very proficient at casting his rod. Watch out!

We engaged in river activities, with the unlikelihood of any close contact with others. Stacy exercised by stand-up paddle boarding. I joined by kayak on a paddling excursion to their self-named Crab Island, a low-tide sandbar densely populated with tiny mud crabs, while life-jacketed Cooper was transported at the front of Stacy’s board. Their two ever-ready dogs, Charlie and Pineapple, accompanied us by swimming or running along the riverbanks.

Upon arrival, Cooper first collected crabs in a plastic bucket. Then Stacy and Cooper went snorkeling in the shallow murky river water. Since I had no interest in the muddy water snorkel tour, I was tasked with the job of watching after the captured crabs (at least the lesser of two evils for me).

And there was certainly plenty of cooking and eating. Stacy and Cooper baked yummy cookies from homemade dough pressed into sea creature cookie cutters.

Jason’s meals were varied and superb, which included a Thai coconut curry dish and his southwestern chili bowl.

Chef Jason's Thai coconut curry dish

Enjoying Chef Jason's southwestern chili dinner

Jason even prepared homemade lasagna from scratch, kneading the dough and rolling out all the lasagna pasta layers.

“Delicious!” was the consensus of all the adults. But to Jason’s great dismay, Cooper refused to eat any. The toddler who had eaten most of Jason’s varied culinary preparations, had evolved into a picky eater, a common childhood condition. “When I was a baby, I ate everything, right?” said Cooper, as he was often reminded by his parents of his prior diverse diet when he refused different foods lately.

“Your dad will be very sad,” I told Cooper, “if you won’t just try his lasagna.” And Cooper realized his dilemma: he didn’t want to make his dad sad, but he still didn’t want to eat the lasagna. So he came up with an exquisite five-year-old explanation: “You know why I don’t want lasagna, Dad?” Cooper offered. “When I was three, I liked lasagna, but no one gave it to me. But now my taste buds have changed.” Enough said!

Fortunately, Cooper loves his Dad’s homemade pizza, but only the plain Margarita type, no fancy toppings favored by adults. And Cooper especially enjoys helping Dad roll out the pizza dough.

When Jason needed a cooking break, sous chef Stacy, inspired by the best, came up with more tasty dishes, including shrimp and quinoa salad and Asian stir fry fish.

Stacy provided lots of materials for creative activities, such as for Cooper’s preoccupation with drawing fish. That inspired me to write a limerick:

There once was a boy named Cooper

Who was drawing a fish called a grouper

But his mother had found

That it should be more round

And then the drawing was super

Cooper's imaginative playtime varied each day, such as making a dry aquarium, creating snails from shells and Play Doh, and dressing as a pirate complete with captive falcon on his shoulder.

There were more activities outside too, sometimes just hanging out by the dock and watching any river activity.

I enjoyed viewing the tropical flowers and appreciating the happy hour sunset after tropical storms.

Cooper was more into searching for reptiles at night. Despite my reluctance, I was encouraged by Cooper, wielding a flashlight, to accompany him on toad and lizard searches. Catching a baby gecko, Cooper exclaimed, “It’s so cute!” OK, if you say so, Cooper.

The longer we stayed, we heard more funny and poignant comments from Cooper, which often put a smile on my face. After he asked his mom her age and she replied, Cooper said, “That’s old. How can you be 46 when you look so young?”

And to me Cooper asked with a child's inquisitivenes and no filter, while pointing at the loose skin below my upper arms, "What's that?" So I honestly replied, "I have flabby arms. It's just what happens to older women when skin and muscles sag."

"You have that too mom, right?" added Cooper, as he flexed his bicep to show there was no flab on him.

Yet another time Cooper said, “I want to be a marine biologist, I’m going to save sea cucumbers.” Sounds like his mother’s positive influence is certainly taking hold.

Cooper often preferred sleeping in his parents’ bed than his own, a subject about which I had predominantly stopped voicing my opinion. So as Jason was putting Cooper to bed one night, he asked Cooper where he wanted to sleep. Surprisingly, Cooper replied, “In my room, sometimes I just need to be alone, Dad.”

Even though we were certainly getting lots of quality Cooper time after such a long separation from each other, and our quarantining accommodations were tropically comfortable, Jesse and I were anxious to get home. I was already disappointed that our extended trip meant missing connecting with my brother David and wife Tracy who were staying at our house and dog sitting for Oliver. They had to leave before our postponed return, and I had to arrange additional Oliver care. Furthermore, in Fiji our supplies of prescription medicines were dwindling.

“If I test negative,” I told Jesse, “even if you’re still positive, I’m going home.” That freaked Jesse out, as I am the one who makes all our travel plans and changes. As I told him, “If the conditions are reversed, then you should go home.” Although that didn’t seem to be very comforting to him.

Having felt well for several days, Stacy, Jesse and I apprehensively but optimistically returned Saturday, January 8, to the Covid testing clinic in Suva. Stacy had decisions to make about returning to work and Cooper’s returning to school for his first week of kindergarten. Stacy’s results arrived first, and she was ... drum roll ... Covid negative. That certainly was promising. Surely Jesse and I would be the same ... but ... we weren’t! How disappointing! With our Sunday night departure flights on the line, Stacy agreed to drive us back to Suva on Sunday morning for another re-test. “You’re back again!” observed the friendly nurse who had administered our previous tests. But our results did not improve, both positive again! We returned despondently to Pacific Harbor. At least Jesse didn’t have to worry about my deserting him.

Ironically, had we tested negative, we still might not have been able to take our Sunday night flight. We were well aware of the cyclone that had stalled off the Fiji coast and had been sending waves of tropical downpours in our direction for days. Our taxi driver informed us that roads to the airport were flooded and impassable. Pestilence and flooding, we were plagued by disasters of biblical proportions!

Back to the drawing board, changing all our flights, connections, ground transportation, extending our dog care, and cancelling scheduled appointments for the week at home. We postponed to a Wednesday night, January 12, Fiji departure, with anticipated re-test on Tuesday, after we truly would have been quarantining for 10 days! Jesse was having trouble sleeping, worrying if he would ever test Covid negative to board a plane. So on January 11, we made another pilgrimage to the Nasese Private Hospital Clinic for yet another Covid rapid test. Even the same administering nurse was rooting for us. And Hallelujah! we both finally tested negative! We were all positively elated! We received the official paperwork that would allow us to board our international flight home. That was cause for a big celebration. We negatively-tested threesome entered Suva shops to re-supply food, liquor and activities for Cooper. I bought him a red plastic rescue helicopter which was a big hit. Stacy found a whiffle ball and bat, which gave Papa Jesse, former college baseball player, the opportunity to start teaching a favorite sport to Cooper.

With our quarantine lifted, and to give Jason a cooking break, we went out to a celebratory supper, dining congenially at the outdoor setting of the nearby Fiji Palms restaurant.

By the time we left Fiji, we had been delayed 8 days, which had seemed much longer, as our already lengthily-planned, three-week trip evolved into a month-long sojourn, with all the uncertainty of when we would test Covid negative to return. We certainly packed in lots more quality Cooper time, considering we had not been together with our grandson for 21 months prior.

On Wednesday morning, I prepared Cooper for our departure, telling him, “Nana and Papa are leaving later today to go back to America.” With a very sad face, he said, “I’m gonna miss you.” Wow, Cooper’s immediate reaction just tugged at my heartstrings.

“Let’s have a big hug” I said, and of course, we did.

Having returned home, we have much better Facetime calls with Cooper, since we can relate better with our grandson based on mutual experiences from our lengthy and loving visit. Although I still tend to think that Cooper’s favorite part of the call is when his mom releases him from paying attention to us and ultimately says, “Say goodbye to Nana and Papa.”

Fortunately, soon Cooper is going to say Hello in person to Nana and Papa in Florida. We are happily expecting our Fiji family in June, and I have been busy making plans for their visit. Cooper’s primary desire is to go to Jurassic World and see his favorite dinosaur wrangler Owen at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Of course, we will also make the obligatory Orlando visit to the Magic Kingdom mecca. Stay tuned for all the details in a future Finally Nana blog post, which will likely include an amusement park meltdown. Whose meltdown? Well, that remains to be seen.