Just about everyday, someone comes in and says they’d like to find a bra where the straps don’t fall down. One woman who came in recently was adamant about it.
“What about a racerback?” she asked in a monotone voice that told me that perhaps she might be hearing-impaired. “Do you think we I can try a racerback?” she repeated. “I need a bra where the straps don’t fall down.”
It was clear that this woman was serious about those straps staying up. Every bra she tried on was put to a test. She would move around her arms, dip to the side, and repeat how the straps needed to stay up. We laughed as she did some of her tests, but I could tell she was very serious.
“You know… it’s just confusing to the kids if I have to keep reaching over to pull my bra strap up.” As she said this, she did the left arm reaching over to the right and simulated pulling a bra strap up.
“Confusing to the kids?” I asked.
“I’m a teacher,” she answered in her monotone tone and in a matter-of-fact way; as if she was telling me something that I already should have known.
“Wait…do you teach sign language? …Wait…do you teach in sign language?”
“Yes!” she said with infliction. “That’s why I can’t have my straps fall down!”
Oh God – finding this woman the right bra became the most important thing in my life. Straps falling down are annoying, but can you imagine you teach in sign language and every move you make means something…and these stupid bra straps falling down cause you to make moves that are just confusing to the kids in your classroom?
(I told this story to a friend who said, “Yeah, isn’t algebra confusing enough? You add this extra “sign” in the there and now no one really knows what you are talking about…”)
We found her a bra that passed all of her tests – it didn’t end up being the racerback, but she said it was perfect. I asked her if she wanted to wear it home. She said she wanted to save it for back to school.
She then held her hands about six inches from her chest with her palms toward her body, but tilted out slightly. She made a circular motion with them from her heart towards mine.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
She smiled and translated for me, “It’s the sign for joy.”
Right back at you, my friend.
Awed, inspired, and amazed by teachers… and so many things about this bra shop.
(signing for joy)
– Joy
