Some Scents

Ever hug somebody and then smell like them all day?


I can't figure out if I actually smell like her or if she was so potent that I just can't forget her.


I'm not creating the scent, I actually smell it. I think.


I'm wondering what she's doing right now.


The scent or the memory of the scent had me thinking about her specifically.


After I grew tired of that, because I realized I'm not that interested in what she's doing, I started thinking about other scents.


Vinegar, leather, chalk, gin, gyms and my father's aftershave (I haven't smelled that in years). I strongly like and dislike all of the scents I just listed. It depends on the moment. When I was thinking about them tonight I disliked them. Strongly. I quickly moved on to a scent I always like.


My mother.


My mother has never worn perfume. At least I don't remember ever smelling any on her. I do know what she smells like when she's been in America and what she smells like when she's just returned from Africa. Right now, more than the difference in scent, I am interested in how long it takes for one scent to fade and the other to become dominant.


I hope I have an opportunity to calculate that at some point. My guess is three months.