Four New Friends

Actually, not exactly new friends, but four new folks that I’ve been able to converse with, while all masked up.

I wrote, a few weeks ago, about my homemade, folded-up type of mask. I had two of them, and they were sort of warm, and, as summer approached, I looked for another option. I’d seen, on Facebook, a mask that I wanted. I ordered two of them.

I was grateful for the instructions, which included helpful illustrations. There were those two barrel-shaped things that I could attach to the elastic loops to make those loops fit my face. And, thank goodness, they included the very important paper clip, which I could use to pull the elastic through those barrels. I guess there are people who don’t have paper clips on hand. I have scores and scores of them. Of course, once you unbend one, they’re a little difficult to bend back into shape. I was, however, able to use the first paper clip to also adjust the second mask, so, at this point, I’m a paper clip ahead.

On Thursday, I met the fourth person who pointed to my mask and said, “University of Hawaii.” Not a questioning, “University of Hawaii?” But an assured, “University of Hawaii.”

The first person who said, “University of Hawaii,” was a pharmacist’s assistant at the Target pharmacy. “Yes,” I said, surprised, as it’s not a logo that most Central Texans easily identify.

He said that he’d lived there for a few years, when he was growing up. His dad was a career Air Force member. I said that my husband had also been in the Air Force, and that’s where I had finished college.

“You must have lived some interesting places,” I said.

“I was born in Iceland,” he said.

The next place that the mask got recognized was at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I was removing a cart from the row outside the door and was watching a little kid who was playing by the carts.

“It looks like you’re having fun today,” I said (as I cannot stop myself from talking to little kids, but when I do, I’m careful to keep my distance and keep my hands on my cart’s handle). A man with him (who I thought was his dad), said, “University of Hawaii.”

“Yes,” I said. And then a friend of theirs walked up, and I didn’t have an opportunity to talk more.

A couple of weeks ago, Jeremy came for a visit. We weren’t able to visit the restaurants that we might have chosen, in a less pandemic-type time, but we could order things and go, all masked, and pick them up. As we were leaving a sandwich place, to take our lunch home, a young man walked by and said, “University of Hawaii!”

I said, “Yes. How did you know?”

“My sister has just enrolled,” he said. “I went with my family to take her there.”

“That’s where I finished school,” I said.

And, then, the most recent recognizer, a guy at Wal-Mart.

“University of Hawaii,”  he said, as I walked by him. “Rainbow Warriors.”

“Yes,” I said. “How did you know?”

“I follow college sports,” he said.

“You must follow lots of teams,” I said.

“Well,” he said, “I’m from Los Angeles,” which explains why he might be well-versed in West Coast teams.

“I grew up here in Waco,” I said.  “My husband was in the Air Force when we were first married, and he was stationed at Hickam Air Force Base. Our two years in Honolulu were so very interesting. It broadened my horizons considerably. And I finished school there. So, yes, I am a Rainbow Warrior.”

He was now the local Coca-Cola distributor guy, and was checking on all the Coke products, which are numerous.

“Thanks for talking with me,” I said, after we chatted a few more minutes. “Welcome to the area.”

I realize that, in Texas, people may be a little chattier than in some other places. But a nod and a smile aren’t difficult ways to make a brief connection. And, these days, it seems as though most folks are feeling a rather “we’re all in this together” sort of kinship. (Smile big, since it’s only your eyes that are showing.)

Shortly after I got the masks, grandson Peter came for a visit. After we’d run a few errands one afternoon, he said, “What’s that ‘H’ for, on your mask?” I said, “It’s where I went to college. Where I graduated from.” I held it up and said, “University of . . . . ” (I thought he might know, since his dad was born in Hawaii, right before we came back to Texas, and he knew that’s where Kevin was born.) Peter thought a moment, and said, “University of Hillsboro?” (Hillsboro, for you non-Texans, is a small town between Fort Worth and Waco, where we sometimes stop if we need gas or a bathroom break. Reasonable guess.)