Another relative has arrived, this one staying with us on her way to Lahore. It is a relative I am fond of, but she is undoubtedly a bit of a trial and I have to remember each time I see her that one doesn’t need to engage with the stream of consciousness.
She is a pleasure in other ways, though: very enthusiastic and open minded about a lot of things, very caring, and loves Istanbul so that my own current feeling of being trapped is alleviated. She is also independent, so will happily take the tram to her beloved Grand Bazaar and navigate the city’s ways without my assistance.
Still, I’m rather tired of people. It’s one more thing to have on one’s mind – aside from work and our venture into property purchasing plus its associated concerns. Then there is the ever present worry about going to Pakistan and seeing my father and grandmother: when it will be possible and how, given my current entanglements.
Another thing that has landed on me – not a huge hassle but something more to weigh on one: yet another relative who was visiting Istanbul, and whom I had thought I had managed to avoid meeting is still here. I will still manage to avoid meeting him, as he is down with the coronavirus and is in strict quarantine, but I do have to check on him regularly, bring him food, etc. He is feeling very well, so unlikely to become worse than this, but a complication is that this relative has to be kept far away from the one staying with me for various historical reasons, so there is a slightly farcical element to my having to sneak around to take bags of chocolate cereal (as requested). The farce is compounded by the fact that the only reason I even know about this cousin being trapped here is through her so I have to maintain an air of indifference without seeming uncaring.