Scent

This post was inspired by a recent Delores Delargo Towers post on Coco Chanel. It stirred up a long forgotten memory.

Once, I was part of a historical Civil War reenactment. I was with the Southern army--Spoiler Alert: We lost. The North wins. Slaves are freed. Yay! Part of my job on guard duty was to challenge individuals coming into the camp.

The second night, I had three people approach. The first was the Company Commander. I challenged him, he gave the password, and I let him enter. The second was the Sergeant Major. I challenged him, but he gave me the wrong password--off by a few letters. I had him arrested. He was pissed off, but since he couldn't remember the right password, I had him booked. Even though I knew who he was, I still summoned the camp General to verify the identity of the Sgt Major before I let him go. He could've been a spy!

A third person approached. I waved them in. That set the Sgt Major off, who demanded why in the hell didn't I challenge that person. I replied, "It's Ms J***, one of the cooks."

The General asked, "How did you know it was her in the dark?"

I said, "Because I recognize her strut, and I can smell her perfume. She's the only one in the camp who wears Chanel No 5."

The General and my squad laughed heartily. Ms J*** gave me a resplendent smile as she sashayed away to her tent. The Sgt Major was in charge of assignments. I'm guessing he was still ticked off at me, as I was assigned to kitchen duty for the next five days--peeling potatoes and washing pots and pans.

I didn't mind. I liked kitchen duty. I worked in the shade while everyone else was sweating, burning, and exhausted from the blazing sun and humid conditions. They got filthy crawling in dirt and hauling heavy cannons and artillery, while I was able to stay clean and swim in the creek during my break.

Plus, I got to eat before everyone else, and I had lots of free time in between meals and after my work was done. There's a lot of waiting and downtime in wars, even reenacted ones. And I got to spend that time with the ravishing Ms J*** and her intoxicating scent, enjoying her company, making her laugh, and getting to know her better. We found fun ways to spend all that free time. And when my five days of kitchen duty were over, I smelled like Chanel No 5. War is hell, even the reenacted ones. Makes people do all sorts of crazy things--and if you're lucky, they're really fun things!

I still love Chanel No 5 to this day. It still brings a smile to my face, and it makes me think of all the gorgeous women I've known who wore this scintillating scent. It is a most enchanting and elegant fragrance!