basics.

it was a few months or so following my mastectomy (january 2004) when i called the hospital "mastectomy boutique" where i had my surgery. i had a no-brainer question (or so i thought) but wanted to make sure my needs could be met before i ventured up to the upper-east side of manhattan from brooklyn. i was ready to acknowledge the quandaries ahead of me. not simply "how will i clothe this body"- but how will i embrace the beauty of my lovely remaining left breast without physically burdening the tender-too sensitive-everything-feels-like-steel-wool-against-my skin-because-of-nerve-damage right side? so i dialed the number to the boutique and the conversation went something like this:

boutique rep: hello.
me: hi. i'm calling to make sure that you carry post-mastectomy bras?
br: um. yes. (sounding confused by my question) that's what we are- a 'post-mastectomy boutique'. did you have your surgery here and how long ago was it? single or bi-lateral?
me: i had surgery in january and i had a single right-side mastect... (i was cut off here)
br: do you already have your prosthesis?
me: oh. what?
br: do you already have a prosthesis? have you been fitted for one?
me: no. i won't be wearing or getting a prosthesis...
br: what? what is it that you need?
me: i'm looking for a single cup bra. you have those right?
br: why would you want that?! NO. we don't carry anything like that.
me: oh. um. thanks. (stunned, embarrassed. jaw now open. feeling naive in a new world that i could not relate to at all)
end of phone call.