Tabatha Deans

SUMMER IN THE CITY
It’s hot! Hotter than it was in Mexico during the summer. Temperatures are reaching the 90’s, and although my little apartment comes with the luxury of window mount air conditioners, they’ve not been installed yet. On a positive note, I live in a corner apartment, so I actually have two windows to open, which creates a nice cross-breeze that at least moves the hot air around. The bad news is, that I have two windows to open, which, in the heat of the afternoon, allows the smells from the dumpsters in the alley way to infiltrate my apartment.
The nights, however, have taken on a magical quality. Or maybe its heat stroke, I can’t be sure. But when the sun goes down and the air outside cools, the breeze that blows through my apartment brings with it the sounds and smells of the city. I lay on my bed and let the cool breeze blow over me, and I’m reminded of summer days of my childhood. I would lay on a blanket in the shade of a tree and read books, lost in the fantasy world they took me to. My only concern being when the next breeze would come along and cool me down.
Of course sleeping with the windows open brings with it the problem of that offending super-bright street light right outside my window, which lights up the entire apartment. But that has actually given me the chance to do something I’ve always wanted to do, but never thought I would do—wear a sleeping mask. Like in the movies, when the lovely leading lady would place the silk mask over her eyes so she could sleep uninterrupted. It always seemed like such a frivolous, decadent thing to do, and I never imagined a time when I would have reason to try it.
Until now. While shopping for souvenirs downtown with my sister, I ran across a delightful little travel package that included a hairband, earplugs and a sleeping mask. They were wrapped up in a pretty little travel bag and priced at a mere $2.99. I had considered purchasing the set for the past month, since I first saw it when I was shopping downtown while Jess was visiting. But I couldn’t justify the expense just to satisfy my little fantasy.
Now, my fantasy had become a necessity. My sleeping mask is a light gray satin, and it’s luxuriously soft. It’s a little hard to get used to, because it mostly prohibits me from opening my eyes at all, but the satin is like a mini-massage for my eyeballs, and I feel incredibly pampered and very city-like when I’m wearing it. I haven’t tried the earplugs yet, they’re bright yellow and not at all attractive, they would completely ruin the glamour of the mask. However, that may change when the apartment next to mine becomes occupied.

June 7, 2011 - Posted by Tabatha Stewart | Uncategorized