(So this was supposed to go up on Monday, right after it happened, then got delayed to Wednesday, then was delayed because of the obvious reason. So, now I’m a week late with this one. Whoops!)
Once a month, I go inside the grocery store. Most of the time I use drive up pick up, as I find it safer because it minimizes the amount of potential contact with others to basically zero. But once a month, I have to go inside for a few things I need that I have to enter the store, as they are either brand specific or just not offered for pick up.
So, like I said, I planned on going into the store last Monday. I masked up and headed inside. Here’s what my mask looked like, because it is actually important to the damn story.
Please ignore the fact I look completely exhausted. I have anxiety, and it always ramps up when I have to go around crowds. (And yes, this comes from the girl that used to love to go to theme parks and conventions. It’s gonna be a nightmare when it’s safe to go back to Disneyland…)
Anyway, I was standing at the deli, waiting for the employee to finish with my order when I heard someone yelling. I wasn’t really paying attention, I was chatting on the Immortal Disasters Discord (which is the best Old Guard discord, if anyone is curious. Which you’re probably not. I’m stalling. Ignore this). And then I realized this lovely person, this woman, was yelling and focused on me.
So I turned my head and saw this woman standing about eight feet away, pointing at me. I gave her a glare and went to go back to my phone (the discord is too much fun I swear). She started shouting again, gesturing to my mask. I pulled out my headphones (which I totally forgot I had in, whoops).
She was screaming that I was an adult, and I should be wearing a plain mask. I’m not some stupid kid, how dare I wear something like that.
Guys, my mask isn’t vulgar. It’s the silhouette shot of the Old Guard before the Kill Floor scene. It’s basically plain. And it’s fun to support my favorite film of 2020.
I just glared and said, “Who hurt you? Go away.”
She got bitchier. How my mask is inappropriate, I should be setting an example for all the little kids around… Basically having a cow. I told her to go away. If she continued to bother me, I’d call the cops and report this as harassment. The store’s security, called by the deli employee, came up and told her to leave me alone.
All in all, it was a five minute waste of my time. And honestly, it shouldn’t even be worth thinking about it. We both had masks on, we were distanced enough, it should have never happened. But I guess wearing a mask from a film makes me a bad person? I don’t know anymore.
But honestly, with anxiety, the whole incident was a bit of a nightmare. I’m anxious whenever I leave the house these days. My town is filled with people who defy the mask order, and yet we’re right next door to Los Angelus County, which is currently topping the country in COVID-19 infections and deaths (unless Florida has overtaken us again).
It’s just an annoyance that left me feeling off the rest of the day. I honestly have never shopped faster, even though I had a large list. I don’t know why it made me shut down when I got home, but it did.
The best thing that came out of this was the reactions. My family thought it was hilarious (and said I should have told the woman to F Off). My friends on Discord thought it was hilarious, and also where did I get my mask, which was Redbubble if you’re curious. But the pièce de résistance was that I put a pic on Twitter and talked about what happened, and Gina Prince-Bythewood, the director of The Old Guard, liked the tweet with fist bump.
Dude, if I ever run into this woman again, I’ll thank her for helping me get noticed by one of my favorite directors. Because I may have screamed. A lot.
So that’s what happened. A five minute encounter that both screwed my head, and set up my feelings for Wednesday’s nightmare, which I’m not going into. At least not right this moment.
I’m off to finish up some projects. I’ll see you all Wednesday!
Until next time!
