Everyone has a story: personal articles sacrificed as face masks are removed, flinging said article to oblivion. Friends’ stories of lost hearing aids remind me to attend when demasking.
My ears prop eyeglass frames and hearing aids with shades to go outdoors. There is little room to accommodate the elastic of the mask. I abandoned wearing earrings during the pandemic either because I was at home with no need to impress, or was reluctant to risk the loss. Occasionally I place a pair in my lobes just to keep the holes viable, a demonstration of hope.
This past week a friend took me out for a birthday lunch. Feeling festive, I donned one of my favorite pairs of dress earrings. “Dress” describes the style, not the value.
That afternoon, serving as pseudo-wife to my hospitalized cousin, I donned the required N95 mask, catching one earring, slinging it to . . . where? I felt it strike my blouse. A discreete search of said blouse and bra uncovered neither the precious metal nor its bullet clutch. The outdoor patio where I was dressing was covered with rough concrete surrounded by lightly maintained plant borders perfect for hiding small objects. With each successive visit, I scanned the area with little hope of recovering the earring. This was my third earring surrendered to Covid.
I contemplated throwing the survivor away but chose to place it on my dresser. And voila! Today as I did a final load of laundry before leaving for the holidays, the lost earring announced its appearance, clanging in the washing machine as I transferred clothes to the dryer. It felt like Christmas!!
Nice!