Could Use a Little Magic Here

Part 3 of a photo series on life after 2020. There was one week in 2021 when even San Francisco let us forgo masks entirely if we were vaccinated. We were like nocturnal animals plunged into summer sun, blinking and wondering why we felt so raw and exposed. When I stood and mingled in large groups of people (more than five people), the dynamics of conversation were clumsy and unfamiliar. When I offered sunscreen to a friend at a party, it felt illicit, like the sunscreen was contaminated. The DJs returned to their turntables to urge on the dancers, and we loosened our limbs and wondered if it would last.