“It’s So Good To See Your Face”

By itself, this statement would be a joyous and welcome thing to hear no matter whether you know the speaker or not. It would be particularly wonderful to hear if you could actually see the speakers face and fully hear the words.

Howard was shopping for food at a supposedly sterile and immune ‘big box store’ last week, and declining to engage with the emaciated and rumpled young security health advisor as to whether or not he could, should or would wear a medical device even though the device has proven to be useless against the transmission and acquisition of a fictitious virus. Howard was also allergic to his own bacteria and deeply addicted to oxygen and breathing. The security health advisor went back to his urgent cell phone work. Howard went about his business of shopping for food…and cat litter. He also declined the offer of slathering parts of the most sensitive and largest organ of his body with the toxic gel that listed only 72% of it’s ingredients.

Howard went about his shop, getting only a few above mask looks and muffled mutterings. Children were shoo’d and shielded to make way for the modern age leper in the age of hysterical, existential fear. Masked adults pressed against the shelves and tried to hide behind their carts or pallet displays of Coke products as Howard tried to keep the approved and mandated distance from them. Bananas, green onions, turnip, bacon, 2% milk, beef and chicken stock, carrot, stewing beef and the cat litter of course were placed in the cart. He passed on the liverwurst. In the last two months, 350 grams of liverwurst went from $3.98 to $6.98. A package of 8 bratwurst increased from $7.98 to $16.98. Cured meats aren’t good for the body anyway but certainly healthier than depriving the body of oxygen or ingesting and inhaling ones own waste and CO2.

Howard survives the actual shop, avoiding any unpleasant acts and makes it to the checkout. After swiping for points and declining the muffled offer of the ‘deal of the week’ – “Mud do uk na na ee ub na eek?” Howard pays and starts packing having declined another offer of “ehnee ags”. As he does so he sees a young lady, high teens probably, approach him. He expects a confrontation but is gobsmacked when the girl says “It’s so good to see your face!”. He tries to think fast. Does he know the girl? “How do I look?” He says, ‘Oh hi there. Yeah, it’s good to see you too! Um…may I see yours?” She says, “Oh yeah, sorry” and pulls her mask down. She had an angels face and a bright smile with stress lines around her eyes and on her forehead. There were noticeable lines burned into her face from the mask restraints. She says, “I wear mine because I promised my mom – It’s so hard to see all this stupid but it’s good to see some people that know – Can I give you a hug?”. Howard misted up as they hugged. A bearded, rather stern looking man walked up. I think the girl’ saw my eyes pop. She looked over her shoulder. The girls says, “Don’t worry, My dad”. Howard says, “Wow” and shakes dad’s hand.

They waved as they walked away. Howard’s heart broke a little bit that this sweet and aware young person and her dad were not afraid to be human in a world that has been terrified by tyranny and ghosts and frightened masked monsters.

Now, whenever Howard goes out in the world and he passes the unmasked who may still be worried about standing up for sanity and humanity, he greets them with an ‘Excuse me, I just want to say, it’s so good to see your face!’ There is a brief moment of confusion that a strange man would speak to them but once the statement kicks in, the response is immediate. They smile, show their teeth, they breathe, and often laugh. Howard sees the relief in their faces and sometimes there is a conversation. Humanity between people is briefly restored.

Humans have engaged in a brief social contract to the mutual benefit of both parties.

Win win.

Try it.

Pay it forward.

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