Then someone said something along the lines of, 'people should pray for only important things.'
I disagreed.
I said that you can pray for anything.
(but you can't pray for bad things...I mean you can, but I can't imagine you will get it.)
Do I consider praying about my recent development of becoming allergic to eye-makeup silly?
No.
From a purely vain standpoint it could be,
but if you knew how dependent I am on makeup, you would understand.
I look ill when I don't have eye makeup on.
While I know that it isn't cancer or my litany of worse things in life, it reminds me of a story.
Maybe even two stories.
~~~~~~~~~~
When I was in college, I always wore make up to school.
In fact, my trademark look was dark blue mascara on my eyelashes.
I applied it oh-so-carefully every single day before heading out the door.
I felt quite cute.
There was this guy at school. I normally have a very good memory for names, but this guy's name escapes me--and I think it is because of what happened with him.
We were just starting to get to know each other and it was clear that he thought that I was cute. (must have been the mascara)
He must have been so interested that he asked a common friend where I lived.
One saturday afternoon, I heard someone at the door.
I was surprised to see the guy standing outside my house.
I opened my mouth to say hello as he looked right at my face and spoke to me in tagalog:
"Nan dyan ba si Chesca?" (Is Chesca there?)
I said, "wala!!!" (She isn't here!)
Then I shut the door.
I was so embarrassed that he did not recognize my face without makeup that I distinctly remember leaning behind the closed door with my hand on my chest.
(I also realized that he thought I was a housekeeper, because most English-speaking filipinos address service people in tagalog) <---not there's anything wrong with being hired help.
Anyway just like that I decided that I could not go out with a guy that could not recognize
my face au naturel.
The next monday, he sought me out at school.
He said, "hey, I stopped in to see you last saturday"
I acted like I did not know what he was talking about.
I think I was also unfriendly.
And from that day on I avoided him.
And I conveniently forgot his name too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A couple of years after Steve and I were married, I was here in my house minding my own business, sans makeup when someone knocked on the door.
I opened the door to a man who was looking for Steve.
He said that he had an appointment to see "the good doctor."
Well, Steve forgot to tell me (not unusual) and so I asked politely if he could tell me what it was
about.
The man (who was there to sell life insurance) said to me,
"I don't know how that is any of your business."
So, even if I would have let him sit in my living room while waiting for Steve, I then said to him--
"okay, then you can wait for my husband out on the porch."
The expression on his face confirmed what I had suspected.
He thought that I was Steve's foreign housekeeper. <--not that there's anything wrong with being hired help.
He did not ever get to sell us life insurance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And that my friends, is why I never step out of the house without eye make-up.
And that is why my recent allergic reaction to mascara is not something I am taking lightly.
(yes, I have even prayed about it!)
I've tried switching brands, but each time I end up tearing up and wanting to scratch my eyes raw.
I've not exhausted all brands yet, and I ain't giving up that easy.
Tomorrow I shall post two pictures of myself.
A Before and After.
I am going to do this to help me get over my complex about going out without makeup.
After all, it is the face I was born with exactly 48 years ago.
Steve said: "I hope you never become allergic to shampoo"