When I first got married I used to commute from Lakewood to NYC. I would sit on the bus for 2 hours and since I was not used to my shaitel – it was very uncomfortable. So the minute I got home I used to quickly change into an alternate head convering.
One day (about 3 weeks after I got married and not so used to having my hair covered all the time) I got home – threw off the shaitel and went to get a tichel. My husband had done the laundry – so the tichels were not in their regular place. I went to get one and got distracted by the raw chicken waiting on the counter and started making supper. I realized I didn’t have veggies – so decided to go to Shoprite. I went to the car – and while I was openning the door – I saw my reflection in the window and totally freaked out. I had left without anything on my head. Luckily there were only a few little boys outside who saw me shrieking and pulling my coat over my head.
I can laugh now (its been 20 years!) – but I was literally shaking for hours and convinced that everybody must have seen me from the windows.