Ruth, a petite 74-year-old, was still as social today as she was when she was 16.
Her brunches, luncheons, teas and dinners kept her on top of her game.
While she was always one of the more popular women among her circle of friends, she noticed some of the newer women wouldn’t converse with her. She went out of her way to talk to them, but after a couple quick seconds, they would make an excuse to leave.
She asked her older friends if they were having the same problem. They said no.
Ruth, again, went out of her way to welcome the newer women. This time she invited them over for tea.
All the older women Ruth has been friends with for a long time came. All the newer women kindly declined.
Ruth finally got frustrated and confronted one lady, Margie.
Ruth: “Margie, I’ve gone out of my way to be friendly and welcoming toward you, but it seems you’re always running away.”
Margie: Silently started at Ruth, then sighed.
Ruth: “What’s the problem?”
Margie: “Ruth. You’re a wonderful, fun person.”
Ruth: “Ok, then?”
Margie: “Ruth, your perfume. It’s very strong. How many squirts do you use?”
Ruth: “You know, decades ago I only used two. Lately I’ve found myself using 17-18. I got new bottles and everything thinking the old ones were losing their scent. I think they just don’t make the same quality of product that they did when I was young.”
Sally Augustin has a PhD in Psychology, is Principal at Design with Science and lives in La Grange Park, Ill.
With age, people tend to season their food a bit more, and spray a bit more perfume or cologne, Sally said.
“Everything you’ve got doesn’t work as well,” she said. “For them to smell it, they tend to wear more.”
Still, Sally said it’s not always easy to analyze.
“Sometimes people’s noses don’t work that well and the sensory system doesn’t work as well,” she said. “Other times, they might just have a simple cold.”
Disclaimer: All characters appearing in this short story, excluding interviews, are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
