It was at that moment that I checked the calendar on the top-right corner of my computer screen. For the first time since second grade, I had managed to forget that it was February 14th.

Almost two long decades in which every aspect of my being, from background details I can barely remember to the day-to-day routines at the forefront of my current life, revolves around education and the school system. And now it’s all about to grind to a sudden halt.

New Yorkers don’t want to talk about the reason why city entertainment centers have been all but abandoned, as they’d rather quietly change their habits and get it out of their heads. They’d rather pretend the COVID-19 pandemic is over… and pretend that they are over COVID-19.