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I Fell In Love At Walmart With The Woman Behind The Mask

She may have been 83 years old but her eyes were mid 20s

By BrianPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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I Fell In Love At Walmart With The Woman Behind The Mask
Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash

All I saw when I was checking out at the Walmart today was a pair of beautiful eyes. The checker was wearing the mandatory mask that was required everyone wear in the store--so was I. And there was no one within 6 feet of us. Mutual use of hand sanitizer. All so intimate.

The lockdowns, the quarinteening, the social distancing, the masks, the hand sanitizing the closing of bars, schools, gyms, reataurants, gathering with our friends and family in numbers under 10. All designed to keep us as isolated as possible--from each other.

Authorities, with all the right intentions, saving us from ourselves.

In fact, possibly, having the opposite affect.

Like well meaning parents hiding the cookie jar only to have the kids break all the rules looking for it. And when they do find it, which inevitably they will, the verboten contents taste all the sweeter.

My lovely cashier at Wallmart may have been hiding 83 years behind that mask but her eyes were mid 20s.

I should know, my mask covered 68 years of intemperate living. I had lines between my nose and mouth I wondered if nature intended to be there. A nasty white spot where the dermatologist dug out a precancerous bump a year ago. Skin seared by countless days working in the sun. All unseen. My mask protected her from this. She saw my eyes only.

But there we were at the register, fantising about each other. Not a soul within 6 feet of us. We locked eyes. We daydreamed for a few more seconds contemplating the possibilities. Then we started working, together packing: zucchini, potatoes,tuna fish,peas, bananas, pork, milk, toothpaste--both of us pretending the flushable wipes were for my grandchildren and the Beano was for a friend.

Is this what love feels like in the year of the coronavirus?

Maybe but:

When I pulled into the driveway of the house I've owned for more than 30 years and unloaded the groceries under the direction of my wife whose been benevalently telling me what to do for 40 years--I recognized a feeling of contentment.

My wife and I were grandparent sitting my son's two girls while he and his wife were of on a trip to Florida he'd won in a sales contest with his company. They were to be under our charge for another couple of days.

The warm glow continued when I cracked a beer and settled in on the couch in front of the television blasting a football game. The two little girls crawling all over me competing for my attention.

Hey, nothing is perfect but some things are close.

Couple of days went by, each as satisfying as the one before.

The kids were as good as their inherited potential allowed them to be.

My son and his wife were due to pick up the girls the following evening when wife announced that she was going to Walmart to pick up some groceries for dinner and beyond.

What made me say, "That's okay honey, I'll go?"

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About the Creator

Brian

A lifetime of being involved psychologically, physically and fiscally.

More, much more when we get to know each other better.

[email protected]

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