“Clearly, I'm sick of seeing it. “More than a year after the start of the coronavirus epidemic, Olympe no longer hides her weariness. Five children, four of whom are in secondary school with their share of distance learning, and a husband who never goes to the office again, have finished using his patience. "When he left at 8 o'clock to return only at 8 o'clock, I was also complaining, that's for sure," admits the mother of Seine-et-Marne. But now he is there without really being. He comes down to lunch in a quarter of an hour and comes back down just for dinner. And we all have to not make too much noise. It's kind of a pervasive absence. "
Martin remotely manages IT teams and video meetings are linked all day long in the couple's bedroom, which has been transformed into a makeshift office.
Even if it means making Olympe lose some of her privacy: “It sometimes goes on in the evening also for associative activities, so you have to be skillful to go to bed in your pajamas without going in front of the camera.
I can't wait for all of this to stop ”.
"We don't have much to tell each other at the table"
The relaxation of teleworking rules from June 9, announced by Emmanuel Macron, still seems a long way off for those who have been subject to it for very long months. Yacine and Chloé work four days a week in their Toulouse apartment. "We're lucky, we were able to set up our offices in two separate rooms," confides this employee of an aeronautical subcontracting company. But life becomes really monotonous, we don't have much to tell each other at the table. Obviously, we see each other all day and we do the same things. I'm really fed up, I want to see friends or colleagues and have some activities for myself. We've been together for seven years and for the first time, I tell myself that I'm saturating him. Even though I know it's related to the health situation,this necessarily weighs on our relationship ”.
Read also Jean-Claude Kaufmann: "Confinement is not good for married life"
The enchanted parenthesis of the first confinement has also closed for Sébastien and Virginie. Last spring, the couple were delighted to share a large table in their living room, to work in casual clothes and not to waste time on public transport. A year later, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. “The weather was fine, we went out a bit and played sports,” recalls the young thirty-something. But since the start of the year with the cold and the rain, we are no longer very motivated. Working face to face is fun, but with each meeting or phone call, we have to go. There are periods of unusual tension here. All it takes is a small, trivial thing to make things go crazy. I'm a little lucky, I can go to the office once a week and have had a few business trips.But ten days ago, we really messed up. We went to spend the weekend near the sea to get some fresh air. We defrauded but it was essential. Ultimately, I hope that teleworking will continue. But we will choose it alternately ”.
Anne, she did not really have the choice to stay cloistered at home.
After the end of pregnancy to see her husband wrap up his files in the middle of the living room, the new mother is satisfied to have him on hand to share the household chores: "It was a little horrifying to be all day with him. when I couldn't move from the couch with my big belly, but now he's the one who can't do the short nights and meetings interrupted by crying, she laughs.
But it's true that after months of sharing the same space without seeing anyone else, I'll be happy to see him return to the office.
And to enjoy the terraces with my stroller ”.
"We live in hell"
The Covid pandemic will remain a special moment for all couples. If he has sometimes strengthened ties or accelerated love stories, he will also have caused breakups. “The first confinement was very difficult, we argued all the time. He showed that we had reached a point of no return, testifies Frida. We decided to separate this summer but between the return of the children and the sale of the apartment which takes time, we find ourselves living with our two children. We live in hell. I sometimes sleep with friends but most of the time we spend our evenings together. The atmosphere is freezing. I feel like it's an endless tunnel. The only positive point is that we did not catch the Covid. But between succeeding in getting vaccinated and finding a new apartment, my choice will be quickly made ”.
Does this article appeal to you? Does your sentimental or sex life question you or do you simply want to share your personal experiences? Write to me at
bmetayer@leparisien.fr
or on Twitter:
@BertrandMetayer
