Jessica Fiske: Birthday Parade Along With a New Companion

Once winter came around, this time Covid came with it. As I looked forward to “going back to normal” around the end of fall, it became clear that this was not going to happen. This made me upset knowing this was my last year to spend with the people I loved before I went to college.

“Jessie, I found a kitten, and we are leaving in an hour to pick her up. Oh yeah, by the way, it is your kitten!” my older sister Rylee told me.

My heart dropped, all I have wanted since covid started was a cat for companionship.

As we were on our way to get my new kitten I began to feel anxious. The feeling of becoming a fur mother was overwhelming me in the best way possible.

This moment I had waited for what felt like forever.

After a 35-minute drive, we arrived at a library. There she was.

When I first saw, her she gave me every ounce of happiness I needed. She was an extremely curious little girl, ready to get used to her new surroundings.

“What are you going to name her?” said Rylee.

I knew I had to come up with something very meaningful.

“Athena. I am going to name her Athena,” I said. The name Athena is the name of the female Goddess of War. I thought this was perfect because I am an Aries; Aries is the male God of War. Her name also means wisdom which, fits her perfectly since she is very curious and sneaky.

If it were not for my new kitten Athena, I would have no idea where my mental health would be today. She has brought me an immense amount of joy which I will be forever grateful for.

It was April 3, 2020, time for my birthday. Honestly one of the best birthdays I have ever had. My birthday poster was the best part of this day.

For a traditional birthday in my family, there is normally a celebration or adventure of some kind. Most people want to spend this day for themselves doing something they want.

This year, I was not able to have a normal birthday.

In the last year of childhood at 17 years old, something fun had to be done. Covid hit the U.S. with rocketing numbers about a month prior to my birthday. This meant 17 was going to be the year of quarantine.

“It is a bummer I have to stay quarantined today, but my family tried to make it the weirdest, most memorable birthday for me,” I said.

My dad had made me two awesome posters that we put out in the front yard. Little did I know this was for a drive-by!

My step-mom, Meaghan, planned for our friends and family to get together around two o’clock in the afternoon down by the church on Main Street. Everyone was supposed to line up and get ready to drive down the street and perform a car parade.

“I honestly had no idea how this was going to play out. But once everyone came, everything went smooth,” Meaghan said. There were about 12 different cars strolling down Clark Street to wish me a very happy birthday.

If it weren’t for the posters, most people would have been confused about what was going on.

As of today, I still have my Covid birthday posters, and I could not be more grateful for experiencing such a unique event.