Quirky. That’s the first word that comes to mind. Or maybe genuine, if I really think about it. You were always the one who started the conversation when “paper or plastic” was an option. I never knew your name, only your face. Gifted at polite conversation with each guest while the cashier rang up each item, streaming products toward you for bagging. I last saw you last month. You were wearing your mask, of course, and I could tell, in your eyes, you were smiling. You made the day better.
When I entered the store that day, I was anything but happy. I saw a woman in a puffy orange coat in the first aisle, not wearing a mask. Assuming it was an honest oversight, I politely reminded her she had forgotten it. She looked at me and said she hadn’t forgotten it, and she was “all set.” Not at all surprised, given the “politicization of mask-wearing” but disgusted by her response, I said, “Fuck you,” and turned toward the next aisle, adding, “Asshole,” as I turned. Tired of being one of the few to follow the rules, you know, adhering to the arrows at the beginning and end of each aisle, and always wearing a mask, I stopped at the front of the store and asked a bored cashier if masks were mandatory. She said, “Mandatory? I’m not sure, let me ask.” She talked to another woman at the front who came over to say that they were mandatory and that when they saw someone without a mask, a manager would tell them to put one on. I told them a woman wearing a puffy orange coat in produce did not have a mask, thanked them, and continued shopping.
Unfortunately, throughout the store, while I dodged (mostly) elderly shoppers oblivious or defiant of the arrows on the floor, I saw the woman in the puffy orange coat shopping without her mask. So much for the manager managing!
But you made the day better with your hidden smile and pleasant conversation. We talked about the Patriots, the recent snowstorm, and how thin the paper bags were. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the woman in the puffy orange coat get in line, two customers behind me.
Today they buried you. A victim of COVID-19. But not really. Yes, the virus is listed on your death certificate, but ignorance and selfishness killed you. The woman in the puffy orange coat is probably still out there shopping without a mask, similar to how the drunk driver survives the accident that kills the family. I’m sorry. I’m angry. And I’m sad.
Thoughts at Large 