A few days ago, my friend Holly came over to drop her daughter off for a play date. (No worries. Each child was handed a yardstick and cautioned to whack the other with it should she enter a three-foot radius. Promise.)
I noticed when I opened the door that Holly lingered in the doorway. She had a mask dangling from one ear.
“Come on in,” I beckoned.
She hesitated, then took a step forward. After a few brief exchanges, I couldn’t hide my curiosity any longer. “Why are you wearing a mask over one ear?” I inquired.
“I don’t know,” she said, a bit dazed. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do anymore.”
“It’s OK,” I reassured. “This is a mask-free zone.”
She removed the mask from her ear, began to put it down, thought the better of it, and hung on to it.
“So what do you think about this school situation?” I asked. “Will you be sending Ivie back?”
“Who? Where?” she asked.
“The schools,” I repeated. “What do you think about the superintendent’s last email?”
“Oh. I don’t know,” was her monotone response. “I don’t know what to think about anything anymore.”
As she left, I waved as I watched her walk back to her car. I think I saw her put the mask back on one ear before pulling out of the driveway.
When I think about the way I feel as August approaches, I think about Holly that day, standing in my doorway with a mask draped across one ear. I think she speaks for all of us.