A photographer in Brooklyn, New York asked a girl out on a date during quarantine, using a drone. And, all this unfolded over social media.
They say love has no boundaries. In ancient times, a lover would sail across the seven seas to meet his partner, or slay a dragon to win her heart.
Well, times have changed, and so have the circumstances. We are battling a health pandemic that has not only brought the world down to its knees and forced people to stay indoors, but also affected the global financial order.
New York City has become the epicentre of the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States, with the death toll well over 1,000. The city is currently under quarantine.
But, during this time of stress, anxiety and despair, love has bloomed and managed to brighten the hearts of many on social media. And, we have Brooklyn, New York-based photographer Jeremy Cohen to thank for it.
Using modern technology and a bit of good old courage, Cohen brought ‘The Girl Next Door’ trope alive, but with a twist. It was love in the time of quarantine.
It all began when he saw a girl dancing on a neighbouring rooftop. He says, in a video posted on his Instagram profile, “I looked out of my window and saw this girl dancing, perhaps, to a TikTok song…”
Cohen felt the need to say ‘hi’ to this girl, so he moved to his balcony and waved at her, and she waved back. This was all the encouragement he needed. He went inside, taped his mobile number on a drone and flew it towards the roof where she was dancing.
While taping the number, he says, “Flirting is normally daunting for me, but since I’ve been quarantined in my apartment for a week now, I was screaming for social interaction.”
An hour later, the girl messaged him.
The girl, Tori, told Time magazine, “I like meeting new people, so if someone’s going to wave to me, I’ll gladly wave back, I’m not going to ignore it.”
In the second video, we see that Cohen has asked Tori out for dinner. But how does one do that when social distancing is mandatory. Well, the two had a socially distant date.
Cohen and Tori sat on tables, he was in his balcony and she was on her roof. The two had microwaved food and wine, and chatted over FaceTime. How did this happen? Well, Cohen had sneakily asked Tori's roommate to set the table half an hour before the date.
The best part of the date: His voiceover in the Instagram video, where he said, “Depending on how long this quarantine was, I might be in a long-distance relationship with someone who lives across the street from me.”
It was now time to meet face-to-face and Cohen came up with a special trick to make it possible. He knew the importance of social distancing. So, he put himself inside a Zorb ball and went for a walk with her.
They were even stopped by cops, who just wanted a selfie with them because they’d seen the two on Channel 4 the previous night.
Cohen’s video ends with this, “Just because we have to be socially distant doesn’t mean we have to be socially distant.”
This cute little love story sure has brought some much-needed relief during this health crisis we’re all going through together. On his TikTok and Instagram, the drone video has already amassed 30.40 million and over eight lakh views, respectively.
Top publications like Insider, Time Magazine and the New York Times have also covered the duo.
While this love story didn’t see dragons being slayed, or seas that were conquered, it came in at the right time and the right place, as if it was meant to be. It surely was love in the time of quarantine.
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