It's on you

 Ari made appointments for the vaccines online. Ari did have to wonder if the drugstore was having issues with its site. It felt like he was in a loop of some kind that brought him back to the beginning, but he did his best to get the appointments set for him and Jade. Afterward, they would go to breakfast. 

Of course, when they got there, he noticed they were taking walk-ins. Still, the weight wasn't long.

"I should spread them out, at least a week," Jade said about the Covid and flu shots.

"It'll be fine," he smirked. "It's best to get it out of the way."

There had been some issues at the hospital about the availability of the Covid vaccine. They acted as if he needed to go somewhere else to get the shot. Now it seemed they could have gotten their vaccinations there. Of course, everyone he talked to was tired of shots. They weren't going to get one. Even Jade said it would make her arm hurt, but since she was around children and parents a good portion of the day, she was up for getting her vaccinations.

It seemed the waiting took so long. Maybe it was the anticipation. But they'd watched an older couple go into the room for the shot. They held hands.

"Aww," Jade bit a grin and looked at Ari, who smiled back. Perhaps, he took her hand for good measure, or maybe he wanted to hold her hand too. Or have her hold his because deep down, he hated shots.

At least ten minutes later, it was over, and they were at the diner for the grand slam.

"I guess I should have given blood or something before ordering this," Jade said when the meal came. It was a huge meal and it came with a price.. Ari wanted to tell her they wouldn't be back here for a while. Even so, he knew everything was getting so expensive. So they ate like royalty.

"Oh, why did I eat so much?" Jade said later as they refreshed their coffee and drank more.

"Because we didn't want it to go to waste, and pancakes just don't taste the same after they have been microwaved."  Ari shrugged. Jade agreed with a nod.

She looked at the time. They would both be a little late. "I'm just glad we can both agree to be proactive about Covid and the flu." She mentioned then that Justin (Ari's friend) wouldn't get it. 

"He won't?" Ari winced. "Really?"

"Well, maybe its his insurance, but even so, he says its risky and a waste of time."

Ari shook his head, "He works in a hospital."

"Carmen said he wasn't going to get it. She got his brother and Randy to get it. She got hers."

"It's amazing we're even friends," Ari wondered if he had anything in common with him anymore. They used to text each other daily. Well, he was going to text him right now and ask  him why he wasn't getting vaccinated.