Lessons

While enjoying my coffee this morning, I overheard my sister-in-law speak of the scent of perfume and the fact that the aroma is linked to our memories about the person who wears it.  The statement brought to mind an incident from my earlier days when a friend learned a valuable lesson in the use of alluring smells.

My friend and I were young men (around 26).  He was married at the time.  It was the weekend and it was summer, so we decided to drive south to Dewey Beach where my friend quickly found a young lady at a bar who sparked his interest.  Several hours later, I was seated outside of a hotel during the wee hours of the morning awaiting my friend's departure from the tryst that had formed.

He finally snuck into my parked car and I started to drive north.  I was immediately struck by a pungent aroma.  My friend carried with him the potent smell of cheap perfume.  When I told him about it, he said he was all too aware.  He explained to me that his newly found amor had rubbed him down with scented oils during their time together.  The man reeked and as a young husband he voiced his concerns about his wife's discovery of the obnoxious scent.

When we arrived at his house, I dropped him off and quickly sped away so I would not be viewed as a conspirator in his misdeeds.

I caught up with my friend a few days later and asked him if he was discovered by his wife.  He said that he was not, but confided in me that he had learned a valuable lesson and would never repeat his actions again.

I was relieved to hear those words come from him and I expressed to him that I was happy in knowing that he would never break his marital vows again.

My friend looked at me with a confused look.
He told me that I had misunderstood.  The lesson he had learned was when you have an affair, never let the woman you stepped out with rub you down with perfume and scented oils.  He said that even after several showers he still had to hide from his wife the entire next day.

My friend has since divorced.