How to live (4)

Soap is an item both perfect and imperfect at the same time because although it is easy to use, easy to carry, and absolutely effective, it is limited by its physical form and is forever condemned to be in a solid state.

When you wash yourself with soap, even with just a regular one, something amazing happens on your body on a really really small scale. The soap molecules take away the dirt particles alongside the bacterias that are on your body. That is how soap fundamentally works.

But soap has a very different strategy when it comes to viruses. As viruses spread by photocopying the building blocks of itself, the soap molecules try and fight against one of the construction materials of a virus.

A virus is usually made out of RNA, Proteins and Lipids. RNA is very similar to DNA, so just think of it as a single helix instead of a double helix. The proteins are the ones that attacks the cells but they also help in the replication process of the virus, it is basically the bricks in a house. The lipids are basically the fences of the virus as it coats around the virus for protection and helps with the spreading of the virus.

These three work together and form a connection with each other which makes them a whole virus. And the soap's strategy is to break that connection.

Soap molecules 'fight' against the lipids of the virus and other connections within, effectively destroying the circle and dissolving the 'special glue' that makes the three building blocks stick together.

But since soap is a solid item, one needs to apply it to oneself and/or to objects in order to clean it.

But of course, Rando doesn't know that yet.

'Will this really work?'

Thought Rando as he scrubbed the soap all over his body. From his hair, to his neck, to his arms and chest, to his back, and to his legs and everything in between. The soap-covered Rando continued to shower in the bathroom as loud splashing noises came whenever he pours water onto himself with the plastic tabo.

*Splash splash*

Rando did not feel anything special after he washed himself. He just simply felt fresh, as he always does whenever he finishes taking a shower.

Not clean, just fresh.

'This doesn't feel right.'

He thought.

'There's something wrong.'

The fully clothed Rando walked into his living room and felt something off. He wasn't quite sure as to what was off.

'But I definitely missed an important point.'

"Woof woof."

That was when Browney barked.

Rando immediately turned towards his dog and the pieces fell together.

"Fuck, why did I run around."

Browney stayed completely still at the corner far away from Rando, looking extremely afraid, as he barked at her owner.

"Woof woof!"

It was the only spot in the room where Rando hasn't been to yet since he came back.

And currently, it was the only safe space left uncontaminated by the disease.

"I knew it was airborne, but I never thought it's this bad!"

Rando realized the pressing situation that he was currently in.

When he was still running away from the slime collector, there were several occasions where he was nearly killed. First was when he tripped and the collector got as close as to reach for Rando's jacket, and the second was when his shoe was stolen.

The existence was very near him during both of those times, and it seemed like the disease lingered around the collector as Rando became infected after that. Rando knew that he was infected after his dog, Browney, who would usually run to him whenever he comes home, stayed as far as possible from Rando and barked at him, as if saying that Rando was a danger to it's life.

Later, Browney brought an unopened box of soap to Rando, and ran away immediately to avoid her owner, which confirmed Rando's doubts. And after seeing the the soap his dog brought to him, he thought of using soap to disinfect himself.

He still didn't know whether the soap worked on himself, but he now knows that wherever he passed by earlier, the disease cloud that covered Rando spread on his path.

And the disease is probably still there right now.

Rando was no scientist, he doesn't know how long a virus or bacteria can stay in one place, and he also doesn't know if room temperature can destroy the disease, so although he is pretty sure room temperature won't do the trick, he still went back to his bathroom, put soap and then water on an empty spray, and went back in on the living room.

Rando soon began to spray the entire room with soapy water, thinking that it would solve the current problem.

'Browney brought me a soap after she refused to come close to me, the soap must be effective. I hope this works.'

Starting from just outside the bathroom, Rando sprayed and sprayed everything that is inside the living room.

His apartment is shaped like a square divided into three inner rectangles or rooms. The smallest room is the bathroom, which is right by the front door situated on the southwest side of his room. It has a toilet, a sink, and a shower, but Rando added a big drum of water inside of it as Rando thought that showering takes too much time. Bug he does use it from time to time, especially for cleaning.

The next door after the bathroom is Rando's bedroom situated on the northwest side of the apartment, which just has a cabinet full of clothes, a night stand, an old desktop, and a small bed. The bed was clean and neat, there was no trash that can be found anywhere on the floor, and the cabinets were full of perfectly neat and folded clothes, showing the neat freak side of Rando.

The biggest room which takes about half of the apartment is Rando's living room. It has a small sofa placed in front of an old television. There is a small table in between the sofa and the old TV, which had a small bowl on top of it. That was where Rando puts his apartment keys, wallet, and other important things that he brings every day.

There was also a small cabinet beside the sofa where Rando stored important files and papers. There were three picture frames faced down on top of the small cabinet that has collected dust over time. Clearly, Rando hasn't cleaned this cabinet for a long while now.

The kitchen was also in the living room situated on the northeast side of Rando's apartment. It was a small kitchen with just a stove and some pots placed neatly on the side. Rando's plates, spoons, and other utensils were stored inside small cabinets.

Lastly, Rando's dog Browney—who is sitting very still—sat down far away from all the doors and the kitchen. Browney is now sitting frozen on the southeast side of the room, just opposite of the bathroom door. As the apartment was quite large, there was still a 2 or 3-meter distance in between Browney and the front door.

Although the apartment was large, the rent was quite small. The war just ended and everybody is quite literally poor. Even after six months, the total wealth of the Philippines couldn't hold a candle against its rich history.

With a spray on his right hand and a towel on his left, Rando swiftly cleaned most areas in his living room. He wiped the cabinets of the dust, he sprayed his mirror wet, his table and sofa is now drenched and clean, and his kitchen has small bubbles forming on top of them.

Rando even went inside his bedroom and sprayed soapy water on his bed, cabinets, and everything else inside.

Of course, worrying that what happened earlier might repeat, Rando sprayed himself, too.

"Just in case."

The moment Rando exited his bedroom, he was met with the excited Browney running around in the livingroom.

"Woof woof woof!"

Browney even barked at Rando as she rolled on the ground. But it looks like Rando and his bedroom is still not fully clean as Browney still stayed away from Rando and the bedroom.

'It might be because I just sprayed myself and it the soap hasn't worked yet. I should go take a shower again.'

And so, Rando went inside the bathroom to take a shower once again. Of course, he cleaned the bathroom first, just in case the disease still lingered inside, before taking a shower.

This time, he finally felt clean. Fresh and clean.

Finally, he got rid of the disease.

"Looks like there are still a heck of a lot left to do."