My Return to Masks

BREAKING NEWS:  A recent study finds that masks prevented as many as 450,000 cases of COVID-19 in the United States in states that enacted the requirement between April 8 and May 15.                                           – Journal of Health Affairs, June 25, 2020.

************************************************************************

Dear Ms. “What’s your name?”

Okay, you don’t know me and I don’t know you. And maybe that’s a good thing because you may not like what I’m about to say to you Ms. “What’s your name?”

You see, I pulled up in my SUV the other week, parked, put on my mask and was about to head into the grocery store when I saw you and your three young kids – two in car seats if I remember correctly – in the parking space next to me. And by the way, your kids – all less than five years old I’d guess – are absolutely beautiful. You must be one proud momma. 

Now there was nothing out of the ordinary for me until I saw you roll down your window and pluck out a still smoldering cigarette you’d been puffing on. Hey, I thought (and wanted to shout) “hey lady, haven’t you heard about the dangers of second-hand smoke on children?” as I walked towards the store.

About ten minutes later while inside the store I saw you and your crew – as cute as ever -again from a distance. But to my dismay, you nor they had on masks that, as the experts tells us almost daily, can minimize the spread of COVID-19. 

Now I want you to know Ms. “What’s your name?” that although your smoking with the windows up with kids in your car sickened me, the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back” for me was the sight of your kids excitedly running about the store without masks and not practicing recommended social distancing they were too young to understand.

So, Ms. “What’s your name,” I don’t know if you can be moved by common sense or data, but the death toll now stands at over 120,000. And the United States, with roughly 4 percent of the world’s population, accounts for about 25 percent of its COVID-19 deaths. Plus, things are predicted to get much, much worse over the coming months.

Once my shopping was over, I thought about your behavior on the way back to my SUV Ms. “What’s your name?” A tugging part of me wanted to wait for you in the lot and call you out on your selfish behavior. However, you may have told me to mind my own business (accompanied with a “middle finger salute”) that the choice to mask or not is your unalienable right, which would been within your right. I get that.

Or you may have phoned someone 50 pounds heavier, stronger and 20 years younger than yours truly to “settle” my meddling with a one punch “knuckle sandwich.” That too would have been your right. I get that too.

Or you could have called the police on me, still another threatening Black man in America, for “mask harassment,” and that too would have been your right. Yes, I get that as well. So, considering those three unattractive options, I bit my tongue and decided to just keep my mouth shut. 

So Ms. “What’s your name?” back at the mask wearing, the pandemic. Allow me one more try to get through to you (and other mask wearing deniers).

I remind you that people are dying. So now would be an excellent time for you to put on the mask. And stand 6 feet apart. And listen to the experts. And decide which inconvenience you’d rather put up with; wearing a protective mask or being hooked up to a ventilator quarantined away from those three beautiful kids, or worse? And if you don’t care enough about yourself, at least care about those three beautiful kids. 

So I’m asking, no, begging you Ms. (and Mr.)  “What’s your name?” ….put on that damn mask!

© Terry Howard is an award-winning writer and storyteller. He is also a contributing writer with the Chattanooga News Chronicle, The American Diversity Report, The Douglas County Sentinel, The Atlanta Business Journal, The Echo World, co-founder of the “26 Tiny Paint Brushes” writers’ guild, and recipient of the 2019 Dr. Martin Luther King Leadership Award. He can be reached at wwhoward3@gmail.com

Share:

5 thoughts on “My Return to Masks

  1. I must show thanks to this writer just for rescuing me from this particular matter. Right after scouting through the world-wide-web and meeting things which are not powerful, I figured my life was over. Existing minus the approaches to the problems you have solved by way of this report is a serious case, as well as ones that might have negatively damaged my entire career if I hadn’t encountered the blog. Your actual know-how and kindness in controlling a lot of stuff was invaluable. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t come upon such a thing like this. I am able to at this time look ahead to my future. Thank you very much for this skilled and result oriented help. I won’t be reluctant to endorse your site to anybody who needs guide on this topic.

  2. Thank you a lot for giving everyone an extraordinarily terrific chance to read critical reviews from this website. It is usually very cool and as well , jam-packed with a good time for me personally and my office peers to visit your blog at the least thrice in a week to find out the latest items you will have. And lastly, we’re certainly motivated with your mind-boggling creative ideas you give. Some 1 points on this page are in truth the most efficient we have had.

  3. I wanted to write a brief comment so as to express gratitude to you for all the superb secrets you are posting on this site. My considerable internet investigation has finally been recognized with good quality knowledge to exchange with my best friends. I ‘d tell you that many of us visitors are unequivocally blessed to be in a great community with so many lovely professionals with insightful strategies. I feel quite fortunate to have come across the web page and look forward to so many more enjoyable moments reading here. Thanks a lot once again for all the details.

  4. I am just commenting to let you be aware of of the notable experience my friend’s girl encountered visiting your web site. She learned so many things, with the inclusion of how it is like to possess an excellent helping heart to make other people very easily know just exactly chosen problematic matters. You really did more than visitors’ expectations. Thank you for showing such necessary, dependable, explanatory as well as unique thoughts on that topic to Emily.

Leave a Reply to jordan shoes Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.