From the desk of Patrick Walsh
TO: Walsh Associates-ALL
FROM: Patrick Walsh
RE: Coronavirus
All —
Effective immediately, the Derne Street office is closed and all staff are directed to work from home. Please do not come until the office unless otherwise cleared by me and then coordinated with Dylan and Lissa.
Work on properties in Boston proper has been halted as per Mayor’s orders but work outside the city is still permissible within new safety guidelines. Timelines will require substantial overhaul. Work with Tom to calibrate. Please manage budgets and client expectations accordingly.
We’ll check in on Monday morning as usual. Details to come.
– Patrick
FROM: Matthew Walsh
Finally. An email instead of a meeting.
FROM: Samuel Walsh
It only required a global outbreak.
TO: Walsh Associates-ALL
FROM: Andy Asani-Walsh
RE:RE: Coronavirus
In other words, don’t expect it to happen again once this is over.
FROM: Patrick Walsh
I’m sitting right next to you. Did you have to email the entire office to say that?
FROM: Tom Esbeck
I’m touching base with all our contractors now. I’ll have timeline updates by property tomorrow.
FROM: Patrick Walsh
Finally. Someone getting actual work done.
FROM: Samuel Walsh
Tell me we won’t resort to videoconferencing. I cannot.
FROM: Patrick Walsh
….because that insults your delicate sensibilities how?
FROM: Matthew Walsh
He doesn’t want to wear real pants.
FROM: Samuel Walsh
Like you’re intending to suit up every day.
FROM: Matthew Walsh
I’m wearing more than last season’s Burberry boxers.
FROM: Samuel Walsh
For shame! I don’t wear anything from last season.
FROM: Riley Walsh
And there you have it.
FROM: Samuel Walsh
My primary concern, if you must know, is keeping eyes on Danger Baby Dave. Tiel is running video violin lessons for all of her regular Bayside School classes plus her therapy students, and I’m trying to keep my child from literally climbing walls and base jumping off the beams while she’s busy.
We found him on top of the refrigerator with an awl last night, and that was after we’d watched him fall asleep in his bed. He slipped under the baby monitor motion sensors and disabled the latch on the baby gate at the top of the stairs. How he got into my workshop to fetch an awl out of a locked tool box and then climb on top of the refrigerator remains a mystery.
It’s easier to keep him from killing himself if I can pop in some earbuds and follow him around rather than parking myself in front of a screen, okay?
FROM: Patrick Walsh
What do you mean he slipped under the motion sensor? That’s not a normal thing. Is your kid one of the X-Men?
FROM: Matthew Walsh
It’s a good thing we have to keep the babies apart for a while. I really don’t want my daughter learning any of your son’s tricks.
FROM: Andy Asani-Walsh
An awl? Has he taken up leatherwork?
FROM: Tom Esbeck
So thrilled our child is an elderly lady dog whose wild streak is confined to lunging at the occasional squirrel.
FROM: Patrick Walsh
I seriously believed Shannon’s kids would be the daredevils. And they’re totally not.
FROM: Riley Walsh
That boy has some shenanigans in his blood. I do believe your youthful misadventures have officially caught up with you, sir.
FROM: Samuel Walsh
MY misadventures? If that’s the case, I can’t wait to meet your devil spawn children.
FROM: Riley Walsh
Well, lucky for you, I can’t be in the same room as my wife so there won’t be any devil spawn children this year.
TO: Riley Walsh
FROM: Shannon Halsted
Are you okay?
TO: Shannon Halsted
FROM: Riley Walsh
Yeah. Fine. But would it be okay if I stayed with you for a few weeks? I’m the only non doc in the joint and Stremmel said he doesn’t want Alex worrying about bringing the virus home to me even if we are staying apart.
He also wants to keep the apartment building as “vector neutral” as possible, whatever that means. I seriously want to dislike the guy but he’s busy running the hospital’s outbreak response and being a hard ass about protecting everyone and screaming at anyone who tries to endanger his staff. It would be so much easier if he could go back to being a jerk.
TO: Riley Walsh
FROM: Shannon Halsted
Of course you can stay with us. Are you sure you’re okay?
TO: Shannon Halsted
FROM: Riley Walsh
No. I hate this so much and I can’t breathe when I think about Alex going to work and being in the middle of it all. I don’t want her to go to work at all.
TO: Riley Walsh
FROM: Shannon Halsted
I know, honey.
TO: Shannon Halsted
FROM: Riley Walsh
At least Erin and Nick get to see each other. He sits on the deck and she sits on the other side of the sliding glass door every night. They talk and eat dinner together.
I knew I should’ve bought a house with a garage I could turn into a quarantine bunker.
TO: Riley Walsh
FROM: Shannon Halsted
Do not start blaming yourself for anything. There was no way you could’ve known you’d need a quarantine bunker or that Alex would volunteer to work in critical care during this…whatever we’re living through. Just grab your things and come to my place.
TO: Shannon Halsted
FROM: Riley Walsh
Will you help me find a house for me and Alex?
TO: Riley Walsh
FROM: Shannon Halsted
There’s nothing I’d love more.
Read the book
