The Mask Can’t Hide Her Eyes

I once wrote a blog piece a few years ago, February 1, 2016, to be exact. It wasn’t that long ago, but it is still fresh in my mind, and I remember that I had a lot of fun writing it.  It was complete and absolute fiction. I’m not sure what inspired me, but I do remember being at a gym on a boring treadmill machine, staring straight ahead at the empty treadmill in front of me.  Just a TV above it, but no runner in front of me.  So, I created a runner, in my mind, to occupy that treadmill and help me pass my monotonous running time away.

Of course, the runner I created was a goddess.

But, maybe I’ve lost a little of my creativity with all the stress of taking care of patients with this evil virus — social distancing, wearing masks, searching for toilet paper and staying at home isolated, but then, I am lucky because my home is often the hospital, where I work, and others are not that blessed.  But that is all I will say about that, and this is not the time to write about that evil virus —that will come at another time.

I was lucky to be off work today, so after a weight workout, I closed my eyes and meditated for a short time, and guess what?  My creativity returned and a story popped in to my mind and it had to be written.

All of us wear masks in the hospital now, everywhere we go, and when we go into infected patient’s rooms, we wear personal protective equipment with goggles, face shields, gowns and gloves etc. But despite all this protective equipment, nothing can hide the eyes.  They may be protected, but they are not hidden, thankfully, or we would just be bulky walking protected robots. There are bright blues, sultry browns and tantalizing greens, but nevertheless, all of them are capable of a type of communication that borders on telepathy to the soul.

We don’t see mouths move anymore, don’t see smiles or frowns, but we see eyes.  If it is a soft surgical mask that is tight fitting, I love watching the mask get sucked in a little to her mouth as she giggles a little, or takes a deep breath. And then it goes out again, anxious to be sucked in again.  I imagine what her mouth looks like and the shape and contour of her lips as the mask moves in and out, and I hope some day to see the lips and mouth for real, to prove that my mental image is correct.

So, as the day went on, I could see the staff needed an energy boost, so I bought all my heroes their favorite Starbucks brew —a small token of my appreciation.

And then she sauntered by me with merciless hips—displaying an athletic and purely feminine grace and it was obvious to me that her lucky blue scrubs were clearly happy to be hugging her shapely hips and lean legs.  Thankfully, she decided to sit next to me, although it was a distant six feet away from me and the other staff.  And then, she crossed her legs and looked at me with her sultry but genuine brown eyes and said, “Thank you Carson for the coffee.  I appreciate it.”

“My pleasure,” I said as I watched her lucky mask move in and out.

Then, she talked to the other staff about what movies she watched during her boredom when at home, and of course, I was naively unfamiliar with some of them, and that was a bit awkward.  So, I said, “Do you like to read non – medical books when you have time?”

“Of course!”

“Well, if that’s the case, here’s my card.  I write novels and short stories on Amazon.  Look them up if you are bored.”

She said she liked romance and adventure, and I told her all of that I write about in one way or another. Well, not really romance, but it always seems to get woven into my work somehow.  And then, I couldn’t help but notice her hair.  So full and bouncy and yes, it was black like a Raven, and sure enough, it swished back and forth, just like a pendulum in rhythm, as she walked.

Maybe I found the goddess I wrote about in the gym, and she actually exists?

When I came home late that night, exhausted, I went to my blog site and looked up that post, reviewed some of the details and sure enough, it was her.  She exists.

Here it is:  https://srcarson.com/inspired-by-the-bouncy-raven-haired-pendulum/#comments

© SRCarson  2020