The letter

The pharmacy CCTV was recording the whole time.

The first time they heard the news from China. The Christmas party. The growing looks of concern. The news from Italy. The lockdown.

The shielding. The self-isolating. The queue outside. The gloves. The masks. The aprons. The visors. The screens. The spitting. The shouting. The threats of violence. The relief of locking the doors. The clapping. The MP visits. The regulars off sick. The good locums. The bad locums. The pre-reg. The pro-reg. The new normal.

The flu vaccines. The winter pressures. The second wave. The town on lockdown. The third wave. The political resignations. The clinical trial results. The expressions of hope. The vaccine. The day the world had waited for. The letter that came through the letterbox. The hand written words: ‘Thank you’.