It’s January 2020 and “coronavirus” is not yet even a meme. I’m just out of a yearlong relationship and come February, I’m doing what I do best: going on so-so dates and occasionally getting oral sex from random guys from Tinder. I’m back on the scene, ready to return to the familiar groove of online dating. 

But soon, it’s March. Life is put on pause. Panic sets in. A deadly virus has rendered us housebound, and less severe but still worth noting, my dating life has been majorly disrupted. We can’t see our closest friends or family, so a date with a stranger is completely out of the question. 

The loneliness crept in fast. Normally I could fill the void by seeing friends, going out, or even connecting with a hookup from my past, but not now. For a few short weeks, I consider getting back with my ex. I power through that, knowing it would be a decision borne out of fear and scarcity-thinking more than out of genuine regret we broke up.

So, I stay single and on…