My Aviator Grapes: A Short Story

My aviator sunglasses have flimsy gold-coloured frames and the left lens pops out frequently. I throw them in my purse at the end of the day and fish them out in the morning. Usually I dig around in my purse with one hand on the wheel while squinting to see the next bend in the road. Often when I pull my aviators out of my purse, an arm (or both) is bent into an origami shape - the crane, perhaps.
These sunglasses help me to avoid awkward conversations and they cover my tired face, as I walk my dog to the park. The large, sepia lenses hide most of my face, which is especially useful in the wee hours of the day when I have not applied any makeup to mold and shape my face (unless, of course, the left lens pops out…again). Not only have my sunglasses aided my stealthy morning walks, but they've helped me, recently, to hide a swollen eye at work.
It all began with an innocent pimple. (They all begin innocently, don’t they?) This particular pimple sprouted overnight. All day I prodded at it subconsciously. By the time I got home, I was out of patience and did something about it. Two minutes later, there was a bright red mark on my face. I covered it with a band-aid to pretend it didn't exist.

Unfortunately, the next morning, I was all too aware of the atrocity on my face.

I panicked and built up layers of makeup on my face. I could not help but think of Egyptians laying bricks in ancient times, as I troweled on a little more foundation and spread it over the blemish in an attempt to blend the foundation into the rest of my face. At this point, I realized that my right eye looked different - smaller. Underneath my right eye was a hill of puffy skin. All that prodding and pushing had stressed my skin. No amount of foundation was going to hide a swollen eye. There was only one solution: I would wear my trusty aviators all day at

work.
Surprisingly, not too many people commented on them and, eventually, I forgot that I was wearing them. Only one fellow employee inquired.
"Got a headache today?” she asked.
I told her the real source of my woes and she sympathized. Of course, she did mention all the acne she recently developed on her chin due to her pregnancy. I'd have needed a magnifying glass to see her acne, whereas my monstrosity could be seen from space with or without a telescope.
Yes, it was that bad. It was only after the day was over that I realized, to my horror, that my polite coworkers may have assumed that I was hungover. Next time, I'll wear a sign that says, "I'm not drunk. I just have a pimple." That shouldn't raise any eyebrows or questions, at all.
Gucci or Prada didn’t design them, but my aviators have deterred early morning conferences, helped me to drive on the road safely and are the best cosmetic tool I've ever had. Just the other day, I sighed as I pulled the tired frames from my purse to find arms contorted to the point of breaking. I knew then that soon I'll need to replace my favourite accessory. I gently twisted the frames back into their original shape for another day. I don't know how many more days we will share, but each day with my cheap aviators is another day to treasure.