Ear Trouble

A while back I did what ear doctors always say not to do - I put something smaller than my elbow in my ear, my left ear. I was scratching in there with a temple of my glasses (the part that goes over the ear), and maybe my beloved wife banged me or maybe I just jerked - it happened so fast I didn't know what had happened. There was a little painful pop and an ouch. Then there was clear liquid dripping out of my ear. THT doc here (ear nose and through) do here put my perforated ear drum on a screen and said to keep it dry till it heals over. I got some silicone ear plugs which fit in there fine for when I take a shower, running very little water past that ear. After six weeks went back to the doc. The hole had shrunk but still had to keep dry. She said I could use my ear plugs with a swimming cap. Went to a diving store. Got a diving hood for about thirty bucks.
Tried it out. Great to swim again inside the reef. Turns out they let in water, are for insulation, not keeping dry. Learned that from Diving in Indonesia Sarah who dropped by. So at her suggestion, Nyoman took me way far away via congested streets with creeping traffic to the Galeria Kuta where I entered the cavernous mall and got a proper swimming cap that covers my ears and won't let water in. And had a salmon bento with hot sencha at Ryoshi. Went back to the diving store to return the hood and nice Balinese salesman said no returns and I said I told the nice young woman it had to keep water out so it's the store's mistake. He asked if I'd used it. It was all clean and smelled good so I said no. He called the manager who said if I came back the next day between eleven and twelve he'd refund it. That time has come and gone. I could not stand that I'd lied to the nice clerk. I'll give the diving hood to a poor deserving local diver. Tomorrow back in the water with my silicone ear plugs and silver swimming cap.