THE “VAC”

Mariela was looking at the calendar to plan her vacation.  Today is Monday, January 10, 2028, she thought. In fifteen days baby Daniel will be three months old. According to the latest health regulations, he cannot leave the house before that. She was deep in those thoughts when she heard Caco's voice.
 
“Do you hear sister?  They are getting closer."
"No, I didn't hear, what is it?"
"But listen, pay attention, it’s the vac, don’t you hear the whistle?"
 

Mariela paid attention, and yes, now she heard it. There was no doubt, it was them, the whistle was clear. She remembered the stories her grandmother used to tell her. In her grandparents’ time, there were street vendors who passed by selling their products. The milkman in the mornings, for example. Way back when, he would come with a large jug of milk, from where he would pour it into the bottles which people had in their homes; later on, he came with bottles full of milk, and if you bought two, for example, you had to return two empty bottles, or else you would be charged for them, and in some places they charged for the bottles the same or more than they charge for the milk, so people were careful with the bottles. In this system, the bottles were recycled naturally, without the need for any special process. He remembered Grandma mentioning the knife sharpener, who usually came by in the afternoon, although it varied by neighborhood. His whistle was powerful and special, like that of a large wild bird, quite identifiable. He would bring a stone wheel that he would turn and with it he sharpened his clients' knives. There was also the seller of hot chestnuts. His appearance and his call sometimes frightened the children, but his product was tasty. Like them, there were others.

"Hurry up sister, grab your cell phone and your driver’s license, let’s not miss them, they pass through this neighborhood only once a week."

 
The whistle, with its unmistakable identifying melody, was heard again. Now even the voices began to stand out above the other noises of the street and be understood in part.

  “...iiines... adies... tlemen...”

“Oh, darn it, my cell phone is running out of juice. What do I do?

“You can use mine, it's just a matter of getting online, with your Social Security number and your unique password”.

The sisters grabbed their driver’s licenses and the keys of their apartment, they put on their shoes and went down the stairs. When they were on the first floor, the shouting voices were clearer:

“Vaccines, vacciiiineees, the vaccines have arrived, ladies, gentlemen, come get your vaccines.”

The line had already formed at the corner, but it wasn't that large yet when the vaccinators arrived with their cart, so Caco and Mariela didn't have to wait for long.

“Let's see, ladies, one by one please. Please take your temperature, put gel on your hands and sit down” - the vaccinator told them, showing them the portable chair. Caco sat down. She was the eldest and out of habit she took the seat ahead of her sister. The vaccinators prepared the injection. The man and woman carrying the cart shared their work, some days she would do the vaccination, other days it would be him.

“Do you have experience in this? - asked Caco, who was suspicious of this kind of thing.

“Yes, miss”, he replied, I have been a vaccinator for four years now. Tell me, which is the dose that you need?

"I'm on the 42^nd," replied Caco, and from behind Mariela was heard shouting, "and I'm on the 37^th."

The vaccinators were stunned, they looked at Mariela. “Why are you so much behind?”

"Well, it's just that I was pregnant last year, and I have a tendency to catch a cold, they've put me off several times." Mariela, despite being the youngest, was already a mother.

“Sorry, but that is a very lame excuse. You know we have Recuperation Kits, all you need to do is go online and schedule one for your address, and the vaccinators on turn will bring them to you when they go by. We don’t have one now because you never asked for one, and because you are so much behind, we need to inject you a Strong Complementary”.

“Oh no, I've been told that Strong Complementary has side effects. Menstruation becomes abundant and longer in women, there are people who have had nausea and chills for more than a week, and they say one cannot have sex for 30 days. It is rumored that there have even been people who have gone into a coma.

“Yes, there is a chance that those effects could happen, but it is mandatory to have it when you are so much behind. If you chose not to, I have to report you, and the Sanitary Police will come get you and put you in isolation until you complete the Recovery Kit, which you could otherwise complete at home. You might be two months or more in isolation. And indeed, it’s true, you can't have sex or kiss on the mouth for 30 days."

How horrible, Mariela thought, to be locked up with my baby. She was not happy about the need to have the Strong Complementary.

"Hey, and what about my breastfeeding, won't it be affected by the Complementary?"

"That's how it is. The Simple Complementary does not affect lactation, but with the Strong Complementary you must stop breastfeeding for two months. If you don't and the baby has problems, the State could take it away from you."

In a minute, Caco already had the 42^nd dose on, it was ready. Mariela sat down and signed the form stating that she was aware of the risks and agreed to have injected the Strong Complementary. After she did, the vaccinator injected her twice, once with the 37^th dose and once with the Complementary dose.

"You did it for your own good" - explained the vaccinator. "The two new variants are extremely contagious, and there is one that could leave you paralyzed."

The sisters thanked them and sat on the sidewalk a meter and a half away from the other neighbors who had been vaccinated, to wait the required ten minutes, according to protocol. If anything went wrong, they would have to dial 911. After waiting, they returned to their apartment.

Mariela sat on the balcony drinking tea. Little Daniel slept peacefully in his crib, which was to be expected, because the device to monitor the baby's sleep, which the mother carried at all times, had not shown any alarm. From there she watched the cart lift anchors, so to speak, and head for the next corner. Soon the whistle and the typical humming were heard again,

“Vaccines, vaaaaaccines. Ladies, gentlemen, the vaccines have arrived.”

Mariela watched the vaccinators moving on, with their light blue cart, the one everybody called “the vac”.

(A casa de Jorge)