Covid-19 and The Stupid Bet

Willy Arman was extra careful when Covid-19 reared its ugly head in Toronto. Willy worked as an architect and took every precaution possible to avoid people and putting himself in harm’s way.

Michael Winslow was Willy’s best friend and believed in throwing caution to the wind. He and Willy were complete opposites, but had been best friends for as long as he could remember.

One evening Willy was watching a rerun of The Big Bang Theory when he looked at his ringing cellphone. It was his friend Michael ‘’Dude, it’s a beautiful evening. Come join me on the outdoor patio of Le Cinquo de Flavour, I made a reservation for eight o’clock.

Willy rejected the offer, explaining that he didn’t want to catch Covid. Michael was not impressed. ‘’Dude, Dude, Dude, you have lost it. There’s nothing wrong eating outside. The air circulates around and you don’t catch anything. They are using disposable cutlery. Don’t be a pussy.’’

Once again Willy tried to explain that he preferred to be safe not sorry. ‘’Nobody is a hundred percent sure, how Covid is being spread, but seriously I don’t want to take unnecessary risks. I like my place, I don’t mind eating in. If I get bored of making food, I order Uber Eats or Skip The Dishes. I microwave the food when it comes and I’m good to go. I seriously don’t need to be sociable and I like cocooning, it doesn’t bother my clients, and I feel good.’’

There was a long pause at the other end of the line ‘’One Thousand bucks’’ Willy wasn’t sure what he was hearing. ‘’What are you saying Mike, it sounded like a thousand bucks.’’ Michael took a deep breath before he continued. ‘’I’ll bet a thousand dollars that I can live my normal routine and not catch Covid-19. It will coincide with you staying in your little bubble. If I haven’t caught Corona after one month of not changing my routine, you have to donate a thousand bucks to the charity of my choice. If I catch it, I’ll donate the thou to your favourite charity.’’

Willy really believed his best friend had lost his marbles. ‘’I don’t want to bet that you’re going to get sick. That is fucking ridiculous. I am not making any kind of stupid bet like that.’’ Michael started laughing. ‘’Not only have you become a paranoid neurotic, you have lost your balls. I am not betting against myself…