August 3, 2020

     My local supermarket in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, thoughtfully set up shopping times for seniors, 6:00 - 7:30 A.M., every day. I have been grateful, and impressed by the obvious work ethic and kindness of the understaffed staff. Recently, I got to the store as the doors were opening. Everyone was properly masked and social distancing. I began filling my cart. All was peaceful, nice. (Since retiring, I often find shopping a Zen-like experience, but I am also aware how fortunate I am. So many don't know where the next meal is coming from!) Suddenly, I heard a man raise his voice several aisles over. He was yelling at someone. I just knew. He was angrily shouting at the manager, refusing to wear a mask. Sure enough, the yelling stopped, and he turned the corner of my aisle. He was a big guy, a Brooklyn Paul Bunyan. He was without a mask, not even one dangling from his neck. He came towards me. Carefully, quietly, I requested, "Please, wear a mask." He stopped short, looked at me with contempt, and repeatedly declared, "I do not belong to a cult! I do not belong to a cult!" “Okay. Please wear a mask."  Angrily, he turned and stormed out. The man shelving cans next to me said the manager had asked him to leave. I am, as I often am now, verklempt. How does one go from "A" to a "B" that signifies "cult?"