I’ve been spending a lot of time with Halla tending to the gardens. We’ve grown pretty close, which is funny to me since we don’t talk much outside of the few phrases we’ve both picked up. Most of our time is spent in silence, like old friends that have said everything they’ve needed to. It’s not awkward. More comfortable than anything. I’ve asked Aldan a few questions about her past, but he didn’t answer them. Only mumbled stuff then changed topics. I can’t tell if he’s doing it because he’s difficult to talk to, or if he knows Halla wouldn’t want it discussed. It was frustrating.
A couple days ago, the town set up a farmer’s market. A place where people could gather and talk about what they needed and what they had to offer. Given the current situation, I’m quite lucky to be where I am right now. The town as a whole is self-sufficient. There are herds of sheep and to the north. Next to the garden that I work in is a large green-house that has geothermal heating in the winter. And the marina is busy every day from sunrise to sunset. We’ve had to give up certain things, like desserts, which are my favorite. But now that Finnr and Aldan have their boat working, we’ve been able to increase our rations. I’m much more relaxed when I’m not hungry all the time.
Toward sunset, Anna came over and we chatted for a while about home. She moved to Reykjavik about 15 years ago to attend the University, and ended up staying there. She worked a few different jobs in unrelated fields before settling on one in real estate. She said she didn’t hate her job, but it seems like when you have to say that you don’t hate your job, you don’t love it either. I told her about my family and showed her some photos of Oki and Azami that I had in my wallet. We talked about the future, and what it might look like. How uncertain everything felt. We both still refuse to accept that this will go on forever, but maybe we’re placing too much faith in the government. Who knows? It was nice actually having a conversation with someone who speaks English. There are only a few people in town that do, and most of them keep to themselves.
Early this morning I spoke with Aldan and he said they might need my help on the boat soon. Right now they have a neighbor helping out, but they think he’s hiding some joint pain. The neighbor won’t admit it, but they’re keeping an eye on him and might have me trade jobs with him later this week. When I heard all this, my heart sank. I was hoping to avoid getting out on the ocean, but I guess I can’t avoid it forever. I’m sure there are benefits to facing ones fears, but at this point, I could do without the added stress.