The Scents Of A Playwright

Yesterday, after arriving back at my two-walled office from an excellent workout in the Equinox in my employer's office building's lobby, my professional work colleague and the fellow whose two-walled office abuts mine own suddenly stood up and, raising his head at a 45-degree angle to the ceiling, began sniffing the air. As my co-worker, who by the way is a big fan of literary masterpieces dating back to Billy Shakespeare's time and will oftentimes begin speaking as if we were living in Old England, slowly began lowering his head and started looking my way, I was worried that he was about to perform one of the many daily soliloquies that he's become famous for.

"I say, Employee Petes, whatever are those odoriferous emanations I detect in these environs? I am reminded of an epoch many fortnights completed when I was but a young whippersnapper not older than a tadpole."

Rolling my eyes but used to this sophistry, I looked at my pal and said, "Are you asking what that smell is?"

"Indubitably and most-assuredly!"

"I smell nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe it's your mangy beard that is giving off a foul smell?"

"By no means, by no means indeed. It is more similar to a pomelo*. Aye, like a pamplemousse** in the summertide saturated with a dollop of lavender. A pleasant perfume, to be sure, but one I am unaccustomed to."

Unable to take my co-worker for any more than a dollop of time, I picked up the phone and pretended to be on an important phone call for the rest of the day. Finally left in silence, I began to ponder exactly what had happened today. After a little reflection, I suddenly realized what was giving off the scents that had been picked up by pseudo-Shakespeare on the other side of the wall.

Of course!!

It was only a few days ago that my Equinox gym replaced the industrial soaps and shampoos in the men's locker room with the sweet smelling products Kiehls has become famous for. Instead of bland and odorless body scrub, I can now lather up in grapefruit soaps and lavender shampoos. While a minor change to many, it came as a welcome one to me.

Even before Equinox began using Kiehls products in the locker rooms, I had nothing but praise for the fitness establishment. It is a perfect way for me to pass the lunchtime hour and allows me to continue with my insane 2-3-a-day workouts whilst being a productive employee. The change to Kiehl's is just icing on the cake. Or, as some would say, a grapefruit to the sweet-smelling basket of fruits!



* note to reader: pomelo is another word for grapefruit
** note to reader: pamplemousse is french for grapefruit