We invest meaning in all kinds of things. For me, a bottle of drug store cologne represents a constant connection with my mother. The story is this. When I was maybe eight, I bought this bottle of Can Can cologne for my mother's birthday. She probably gave me the money to buy it, as my father was often working out of town. She probably waited in the car while my siblings and I ran into the store and bought our gifts for her. This was the way it worked sometimes.
Anyway, for some reason (I should ask her one of these days) she kept this bottle, first on her dresser, then on a decorative shelf in the bathroom. I often commented on it: "Hey, you still have the Can Can!" Maybe that's why she kept it.
A few years ago, she gave it to me and I now keep it on my dresser. It smells like I'm not sure what. Roses, cardamom, paper, and alcohol? It doesn't really matter. To me, the smell and the unusual coral-colored liquid simply evoke memory. It smells like the house we lived in when I bought it. It smells like childhood, suntan lotion, and records. I love that it represents a strong, loving, and somewhat humorous link between my mother and me. I'm going to wear a dab on my wrist today.
