Modern love. The podcast is supported by produced by the island, W B war, Boston. Oh the from the New York Times and W B. You are Boston. This is modern love, the stories of love, loss and redemption. I'm your host! in the Chakrabarti, the modern listeners, we're thinking about all of you in this moment. Are you doing We are now well into quarantine, and I know it's been a huge adjustment for you. It's definitely been a huge adjustment for us

it's incredible how much and how quickly life has changed, and that includes our love lives I'll. Give you a little example from my own. Just let I I decided that before dinner, my kids, my husband and I would sit together and one by one just say I love you and here's. Why to each of us? It's something we do, but not often enough. So I thought it would be a sweet, quick little thing like a fast squeeze of the hand when you're feeling a bit low. Well, it wasn't quick. All of us ended up talking a lot about each other, long lists of we love each other, everything from being soul fully connected to ILO, you data because you're a nice job and you let me eat brownies. That was the honest, pure expression of love from our five year old

Well, we ask you to send us voice memos telling us how this pandemic is changing your relationships, and we heard from so many of you from all over the world, and you had a lot of stories to share so we're going to play some of those stories for you today. Starting with this story from listener, clear, my very good friend and I confess our feelings for each other. On Sunday night we had our free state on the next day, which is a Monday and then the day after that, a Tuesday refund out that we have both been exposed to correct a virus, and so we weren't in together in zones around forty eight hours. We went from being friends to being in love with each other openly to dating to spending every waking moment yet every two weeks, and it feels inappropriate to be this happy.

but really and here's a voice memo from Corey, weeks ago and that a woman on hinge- and she is a beverage rector for a pretty well known, New York City, restaurant video director for a food brand It'd be decided that it'd be fun to go on a date at a brand new New York Wine BAR and then all of this happened and everything shut down, including pretty much all of her work. We kept text and I said well- maybe we should still go on, Indeed. Let's just do it ever faced time, so she hold me. A wine store to go bottle of wine at tormented. I tell her what I was buying and said that she would walk me through the taste in Europe, the wine and then she would try to guess what in wine. It was where it was from, so we did a facetime call and that was the

first time we'd ever met, and we just talked. We talked about how things are play the wine game and she was able to guess the wine within one year, EJ and country that it was from so she's a total pro and then we more and then said goodbye and we cheers their glasses to the screen and said you know. This is a really weird time, and this is tough for everyone, but we will get through this and Definitely the most interesting date I've ever been on, and it was a really great way to meet somebody and a great way to connect during a time like this, so. I actually my current boyfriend Ballantine Day, and it was just my luck that we start dating to data for our university tourists. A big hit, the campus

Y O Y because of the current fire situation and were received their email. I just felt my heart shot because I thought of the moments of intimacy. You have at the beginning of a relationship and that we will lose that and we were packing away or things his large cardboard boxes and just rushing to share everything with each other and at first I thought it'd be difficult because he lives in Munich, Germany, which is four thousand miles from where I live in Princeton, but it's actually been pretty rewarding building a relationship around where we're from and having the opportunity to share these photos are faced times of foods, habits and cultures. We have apart from college and just appreciate, each other more because of this. For some of you, it wasn't that you were starting new relationships. Your relationships were changing during this moment. That was the case for odd. in mark. They had been in a long distance relationship for years, but on March, fourteenth Audrey

to New York City where Mark lives. That was right when New York City was beginning, drastic quarantine measures to contain covered nineteen. So we went from almost five years of a long distance relationship to a mandatory quarantine spent a week, it feels like longer it's been a strange time to celebrate a new stage of our relationship while being completely uncertain of the future, but that's our story: four and a half years of long distance to quarantine, and if this is the universe's weird way of rewarding us, we get the point. The pattern down, I'm in Paris, France,

nothing says love in the time of kroner virus, quite like dashing out in the middle of the work day on our last day before the big locked down to the main reason is that I can be legally certified, as my french Boyfriends concubine reaches, concubine is neutral status that you can hear it is different connotations in French than it does in English. It's not married, but it's two people who lived together for an exclusive relationship and it affords you certain rights under the law. So it allows me to be on his health care, for example, which didn't necessarily seemed super important. Until we were some late in the midst of global pandemic, I figure. If we can, for a relationship, can survive. Quarantine can survive just about anything

and here's listener Debbie she and her fiance Patrick, were Having to get married at the courthouse Santa Barbara California, later this spring, they went to go, make a reservation for their ceremony, but it didn't work out the way they planned when we got to the courthouse. They were taping off areas and putting up signs the clerk. Look. Sadly, in San due to covered nineteen, they were closing up the courthouse for weddings and there would be no more reservations indefinitely. I started to leave and Patrick, took my hand and asked what about now. What about right? Now we went back to the clerk asking if today would work answer was yes from her and me Patrick married on Friday, the thirteenth we wore genes. sweatshirts John

in accounting was our witness and photographer and Armando was our officiant. It was perfect. The are going to take a quick break, we'll be back with more of your stories in the I love spelling, If I find- and I often place telling me together by together, I mean sitting next to each other of playing individually and not cheating. Sometimes when I open up scowling d- and I see that you have completed a few words on your own, I feel a little betrayed in ferry may have happened. I have one friend

I will send screenshots from spelling bee of inappropriate words that I was getting nervous. I sent it to my parents or something like that me and my dad. We like to play fun together and I wish the out I forgot to see it. J, a c k, p o t jack Yeah yeah now run nice. I'm same as earth's sky, the digital puzzles editor for the New York Times. You can try spelling bee and all our games at N Y Times dot com, slash games, I love spelling my boyfriend and I often play spelling bee together by together I mean sitting next to each other playing individually and not cheating. Sometimes when I open up spelling bee- and I see that you have completed a few words on your own, I feel a little betrayed. Sorry, it may have happened again I have one friend

I will send screenshots from spelling bee of inappropriate words. Then I was getting nervous. I sent it to my parents or something like that me and my dad. We like to play fun together and I wish the out I forgot to see it. J, a c k, p o t Jack, Yeah yeah now run nice. I'm same as earth's the digital puzzles editor for the New York Times. You can try, spelling bee and all our games at N times, dot com, slash games. We're back with your stories of how Covid nineteen is impacting your relationships, and we heard from some of you that your quarantine is causing breakups or coinciding with one

I my name is Alison and I'm a canadian living in Doha, Qatar. My partner was a pilot and he broke up with me two days ago, because he anticipates that he will potentially lose his job and, of course, I've been very devastated. it's difficult at this time I actually downloaded tinder just for emotional support, not as if I would ever meet up with these people and the irresponsible, but I'm experiencing a break up right now. During a global pandemic, and it's not easy and I'm thinking of all the other people. who are experiencing the same. Hang in there The there? My name is Jenna, my

well, the actually that my marriage is ending at this exact time. So it's kind of the story of morning love once was, and its really cool timing and- and it's hard this point in time, because we can't go anywhere right. We're stuck at home, together, and so I'm trying to. I create my life from this man in a non typical way, which is really painful, and I think someone from the outside might say like why. Why would you go through with the straighten out the worst possible time? like. I said it was all happening before all of this and then Dybala drawing and I couldn't stop it in the so it's truly sad

That's my story and done a couple of minutes. Just pull over on the side of the road. Actually, before I got home to face the reality, that leaves us with We received this next voice memo as an email attachment the email that came with it said

was a quote middle of the night insomnia recording from Seattle. Let's just say we understand my name's earlier. It's been over two weeks and I have touched anyone. I live alone. I have no partner. I have no pets and have been trying my best practice physical distancing, to help people both safe and healthy, but its lonely I'll. Know what dating looks like the idea of doing zoom dates like I do zoom everything else in my life from work meetings.

To them by to come will the happy hours just doesn't feel that satisfying. But I don't know what this time of loneliness looks like the indefinite future hello. My name is Katie Ward. I have been married to my husband, Chris Ward, for more than fifty years. He for the last twenty years has had worse, which has been progressive for the last four years he has ban, and memory care center, where I go, to guess him twice each day.

He hasn't known me for a long time and so it was until covered. nineteen came along now I go to visit twice a day, and I stand outside of window. It and in the snow in the song I try to engage, His eyes engage his attention. I do this cause. I dearly love this man. One theme that kept coming up over and over again you're, all relying on each other to get through this. I am a nurse practitioner and I am going to work.

Every day and my mom has come to my house every day to help my husband was working from home with our three kids, who are ten, my four and six Well, I'm I'm up here, though, two days before my son was born, my mom's husband died and she has taken all her love that she had her husband transferred it to us. She brings dinner and she has been amazingly how long and then radio nine when Oracle arguing your clothes. I still have to work and I've been feeding every night and not how binding meaning hi. My name is Mary and I'm calling from Heidelberg in Germany

day eleven of myself and Karen Arrington after having been in contact with a person who is now confirmed to have grown up as I only told my closest friends and my boyfriend and my family about this. But we got around quite quickly through my larger groups of friends and people kept calling people have checking in to make sure. I was ok to make sure that I wasn't feeling too lonely that I kept going through these troubling times. Having so much support gets me going through the day make sure that I'm staying sane, even though I'm not actually talking to anyone in person. I hope that stay, save call your loved ones, coy friends, make sure they're fine lots of love him. How to break.

And we're all trying to find our new normal. In whatever way we can hey modern life, desperately sad Washington D C. My husband are in the IRA to going out on a date night every weekend, and since we can only stay indoors right now, we've decided to bring a restaurant. to our dining room, so we put out a nice table linens and candles, and ah we got my teenage daughter to be our server and hostess. She was excited to do because we told her. We would leave her attempt, so we just invented a restaurant turn out for the night and it worked out great. It was really fun and it was nice to get out of our sweatpants and put real clothes on and everything but sometimes in this moment normal life has to stop for a little. While that was the case for Cassidy. She shared a story of how she

Quarantine in her sister's basement, while her sister was having a baby. I had found out forty eight hours before that I was in contact with a positive case, my own dad and potentially and unknowingly, put my loved ones at risk. As my sister gave birth in the hospital I shut myself off downstairs without any natural light. Food was delivered by her mother mere step sisters, and I only left the house to be tested as they came home with my new baby nephew, I waited below all my loved ones alone for my test results today March. Twenty seventh is my thirty third birthday, and I found out at four dot m mountain standard time today that my test was negative The best birthday present in the world was getting to hold my nephew for the first time. Will that's it for this episode of modern love, stay well and stay safe, and thank you, sir.

To everyone who contributed to this week's episode. You can find a full list of contributors, W b you are dot, org, slash, modern love and may do this again, so keep sending us your voice memos and you can find out how and at W b you are dot, org, slash, modern love. let's go out on a song composed by listener, Holly she's a five fighter and a paramedic in Washington State, and she says she hopes people appreciate. humor in the song reworked for this current moment, written from the boat

with self isolating the EU around that is you keep that matters to me than just stand there. I say that name baby, don't take me down this way, don't touch me! Maybe Giovanna died this way, wash your guy hands wash hey, ooh. Modern love is the production of the New York Times and W B you are Boston. Npr station is produced direct An edited by Caitlin O'Keefe scoring and sound design by Matt Reed,

Adler. Our executive producers were edited by Catherine brewers. Daniel Jones is the editor of modern love for the New York Times and adviser to the show. The idea for the modern love had cast was conceived by these are told it additional thanks to me, Lee Julia Simon, and on your strumming in at the New York Times and to Michael Garth at WB. You are magnate, Chakrabarti, see you next week. The.