Death is something that happens to other people.

Today I made a stop at a pawn shop. No, I’m not telling why. And it wasn’t to buy artillery! Lol!

I’d not left the house for weeks and needed to see people. All masked up and armed with hand sanitizer I went in. To my horror, I saw the owner unmasked, shaking hands with an unmasked man then grabbing an empty bottle of CORONA!!! beer from his wife, I guess, to throw in the trash. They were nice enough, since the guy complimented me on my choice of footwear, but clearly they couldn’t give a damn about others around them, and their own health, which didn’t strike me as being in top form.

My daughter who was with me was apoplectic with disbelief and anger. Our governor has made it mandatory to wear masks in public places but these people didn’t seem to care. The trump effect. Is it hubris or utter ignorance? Malevolence? Or do they not watch the news? It’s beyond me. I did what I needed to do and left the shop stunned.

I’ve known the owner for decades and I could’ve said something, but the maddeningly cultural polite subcontinental in me triumphed. I’m not American enough after 30+ years here! The ability to be forthright and vocally self-righteous I’ve yet to master, something I reluctantly admire about Americans.