I was making my way to work via the Southshore train this past week. I thankfully am able to get my own row to sit in for at least a few stops. It then inevitably starts to fill up once the station reaches East Chicago. As an aside the Southshore has a new project called the West Lake Corridor project that plans to extend the train line further Northwest. It's rumored to have a completion date of May 2025. I believe once this is completed there'll be less people at the East Chicago station as more of them will be waiting at the new extension. The majority of folks that board on East Chicago are likely taking it from locations further west.
So Hemingway (been a while since I said that word...LOL) we're approaching East Chicago and a boatload of folks comes in. One guy settles in my row. He stands for a long bit before deciding to sit down. Thankfully my row is a three seater so there's an extra seat at least that's dividing us. As he sat down I couldn't help but notice he bought with him a heavy scent of aftershave. Unfortunately he doused himself in way too much. The smell permeated the area I sat at and I was feeling like I could sneeze at any moment. What's worse is that the train continues to be very slow in making its way to downtown Chicago. So I was stuck for at least another 40 minutes or so dealing with the odor.
I noticed occasional whiffs of funk as well which oddly enough I welcomed as a change of pace from the strong aftershave. I realized that the gentlemen was likely using the aftershave to cover up his funk. I guess it almost succeeded. It's just as horrible when women douse themselves with tons of perfume. As soon as he got up to exit the stop before mine, I was relieved. I then made my way to the opposite side of the train to exit at the other end for my next stop and eventually....fresh polluted city air. Ahhh!
It's so funny. Actually when I was younger I didn't mind cologne or aftershave as much. I even dabbed a bit of the stuff on myself. The experience reminded me of a funny story my friend Eugene and I shared. (Funny now, not so funny at the time.) I believe the incident in question must've happened sometime in 2006 or 2007 early in our budding friendship.
Eugene and I hung out briefly when he was in town and I must've noticed the smell of the cologne he was wearing. I told him that it actually smelled pretty good and I was curious what the name of it was. Eugene mentioned that it wasn't cologne but rather an aftershave that he uses. I asked him what it was called and he revealed it without hesitation.
So next thing I know I decide to purchase the said aftershave, which set me back almost $40. The next time Eugene and I spoke, I told him that I found that same aftershave and purchased it. I might as well have told him that I voted for Trump in the last election. He was furious. He went into a rant on how the scent was something that he had for himself and prided himself on keeping the name a secret. He didn't want me copying him. I told him that we lived in different states so it wouldn't matter since our respective friends and acquaintances wouldn't know. But that didn't matter to him. He was mad with himself for telling me.
He eventually got over it. But it was touch and go for a minute there. I thought our new friendship wouldn't withstand the "betrayal" and come to an end. It's funny how crazy things like my recent encounter triggered this old memory of mine. I actually need to call Eugene and see if he remembers this moment or not. It's been so many years so hopefully he'll get as much of a chuckle out of it as I did when it came to mind.
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