“No, Mom, wait till Christmas,” he told her gently. “I want it to be a surprise.” Lisa, a 50-year-old single mom, was insistent. She had bought her only son new clothing repping his favorite football team, the Las Vegas Raiders, and she wanted to watch as he opened it. Manny gave in to his mother’s wishes. That same day, Lisa, my friend, sent me a text message: I’m scared my fever won’t break. Advertisement She had tested positive for COVID-19 a few days earlier. She didn’t want to go to the hospital. I don’t want to leave my Manny, she wrote.