Just got back from the grocery store. I did not wear a mask. "Foolhardy!" you say? The brave always face such calumny.
As I strode into the Safeway, a wealthy couple was exiting. The wife glared contempt at her mask-wearing husband. Then stared intently at me as she made a "call me" sign with her free hand.
I shrugged this off like usual.
"Wha ... what are you doing, Mr. Gabriel?" the lanky courtesy clerk exclaimed. "Shall I fetch you a mask?"
"Not this time, Hunter," I grinned. "I'm done with masks. Hand me a sanitized cart, lad."
"He's SO cool," said his fellow bag boys as I rolled away with one cart-wheel sticking. "I hear he's a great writer."
I hardly entered the produce section when a Colombian supermodel rushed toward me.
"You are so very brave, man without mask. My boyfriend very handsome but alway stay en la casa, crying in fear. Only time he leave, he have mask and glove ... like ... how you say ... 'cuck.'"
"Esmeralda," (her name was Esmeralda), "don't criticize su novio. Not everyone is yet ready to purchase groceries without a mask. This is only for the bold."
She swooned toward my arms, but I still practice social distancing. Her limp body landed betwixt the cantaloupes and bananas with a thud.
Each time I started down an aisle, a hush fell. Some looked with disdain. Others, admiration. Children scurried away. A dog howled in the distance.
A middle-aged man in a Vikings jersey grabbed his phone (Android, of course) and threatened to report me. "Please do," I uttered. "Say that you would like to report someone not living in fear!" (I saw that on a Facebook meme last week and gave it one of these👍)
He returned the phone to his pocket glumly as I headed for the cashier.
"Made quite a stir today, chief," Curtis said. "Some things never change," I laughed. Good old Curtis.
"I feel like ripping off this dumb mask," Curtis said, "but The Man says he'll fire me if I do."
"Keep it on, my brother. I know you're with me in spirit." I offered a kindly smile since people like that sort of thing.
(damn, i gotta wrap this up)
As I was about to leave, Curtis yelled. "Wait!" He clambered atop his cashier stand. Then slowly, ever so slowly, he removed his mask.
Lulu climbed upon her cashier stand. Other cashiers followed. First one, then another. The masks fell that day. Not just physical, but the masks we use to hide, one from another.
Customers began a slow clap and thence flowed the tears. Especially from that jerk wearing the Vikings jersey.
-- fin --
In story form. ricochet.com/754089/the-mas…
