The 522 by George Harar

The 522 by George Harar won Story Magazine's Carson McCullers Prize and was published in the Best American Short Stories 1999. The protagonist today is a middle-aged researcher at MIT named Walter who really lives in his head. He would never have known of the deformity if a gust of wind one afternoon had not whipped the scarf suddenly free of her head. She dropped her purse and shopping bag and fumbled to secure the fine silk under her chin. Then she looked up and saw his rude stare.