Answered prayers

On May 11, the first weekday of Phase 1 of TT’s reopening of services, I went for an early-morning drive searching for a lost dog – the family pet of friends who had been grieving since her mysterious disappearance at 5.30 pm the day before. Location: upper Scarborough, in the environs of the fort and Hope Cottage.

That morning more people than usual were out exercising – walking and jogging, mainly in mask-free pairs. Some walked with bodies almost touching, while others practised "distancing" a la the width of the narrow sidewalk. The perceived chains of lockdown had finally started to fall from their too-long-sedentary-while-eating-more-than-usual-at-home bodies...and I could sense a “finally we are free” energy emanating from them.

I too looked forward to once again taking long "non-essential" early-morning walks or bike rides, but that could wait for another day. Right now, finding my friends’ beloved dog was priority.

The highway was quite empty, which seemed to give too many of the few cars and trucks the impression that they could use it for their personal Tobago Grand Prix. They zoomed so perilously close to my vehicle (NB: no "auto-distancing") that another coat of paint would have caused collisions.

Upon reaching upper Scarborough, I cruised around the "lost dog" area, eyes peeled for a flash of white on four legs. Clearly not an area where people seemed exercise-prone: there were no walkers and joggers for me to ask about canine sightings.

After an unsuccessful half-hour search, I headed for downtown Scarborough. The sight of people walking around wearing masks outdoors (as opposed to en masse indoors, in groceries and other essential establishments) was like a scene from a sci-fi movie. Seeing so many masked faces together has an increasingly eerie, somewhat jarring effect on me. With mouths and eyes removed from the visual presentation, the average human begins to look like a robot – a body moving around without a face, without a smile or frown, without eyes (if shades are on), without the external expressions that indicate inner life and feelings. The very features that connect us and provide valuable information about those who confront us are no longer visible in a world of masks.

The sight made me wonder: “How do the hearing-impaired lipread when people are wearing masks? Will anyone start making see-through or transparent masks to afford them the opportunity?”

(I have since googled this and discovered that some deaf associations around the world are calling for their governments to make transparent facemasks available for their benefit. The concept of transparent facemasks has also appealed to people who simply want to once again be able to see more of the faces of those with whom they interact).

That Monday I noted the signs of life stirring in what had, for weeks, been a veritable Crown Point ghost town...food service owners and employees bustling around outside their establishments in preparation for long-awaited reopening...people flocking hungrily around a doubles vendor, like chickens around suddenly-tossed corn.

Later that evening I witnessed a larger flock, congregated outside Church’s, Crown Point – cars lined up for the drive-through to fast-food heaven, or packing the car park while the pedestrian faithful gathered in front of the door. Prayers had been answered.

May other prayers be answered too. May my friends’ dog soon be found and safely returned to them. In case anyone reading this would like to join the search party, she is a slim, mixed-breed hound (aka "pothound"), spayed, all white, with a brown left ear and a brown right eye patch and ear. Her bright-red, tagged collar had unfortunately fallen off a day or two before her disappearance, so she is currently collarless and, therefore, may not look "owned."

If a dog of this description is sighted, please (if possible) get her into your vehicle and take her to the TTSPCA animal shelter on Friendsfield Road, Bacolet. She is a friendly, non-aggressive family pet, and will allow herself to be handled if you approach her with good intentions.

Alternatively, please secure her and call the animal shelter (639-2567 – please store this in your phone) so they can come and collect her in their van. They will contact her family members, who are grieving, longing to have her back...perhaps more than so many grieved and longed for their doubles and fried chicken.