Friday, October 29, 2021

Stupid is as Stupid Does


When I first met my neighbor she told me she was fragrance-free. She told me she was taught by her mother never to wear perfume in public so for that reason she rarely wears it. As I explained in my previous post, I finally figured out the hard way none of this was true and our continued conversations exposed that, yes, she does wear perfume and she doesn't wash her clothes often so the perfume is all over her clothing all the time. I foolishly believed her lies and started getting sicker with each exposure.

I explained ad nauseaum how her stink affects me, why the stink on her clothes would take a minimum of twenty washings to get it out (if it ever would), how the stinky laundry detergent she wears is toxic, or her hand soap and body wash or deodorant makes me sick, and how we could no longer be around each other because she's killing me. I've explained how her husband who has some serious autoimmune diseases is probably affected by her stink. Here is her latest email:

Fragrance has always been sort of my thing.  Many of my fondest memories are triggered by fragrance.  I can remember my Grandmother wearing White Shoulders, so I wear that fragrance when I am going to spend time with my granddaughter.  My Mom wore Shalimar, and my husband buys me Chanel that I wear for special occasions. 

So, if I wear perfume on a Tuesday, take a fragrance free shower on Wednesday, can we visit with masks on?

I do have a question. Does fragrance free include things like laundry soap, shampoo, body wash, hand soap, air freshener, etc? 

I don't even know how to respond to this without screaming in full caps. Is she braindead because of the perfume and that is why all previous conversations we've had went in one ear and out the other? Why does she think I give a shit about her memories as if it justifies her need to poison me and everyone around her? What do I say about her self-centeredness? Her stupidity? Her dishonesty? Her life-threatening disregard for me? Her shallowness that makes her think choosing fragrances over friendship is somehow admirable? But she wants to be friends? Really?

I need to remember if anyone mentions they wear perfume to walk away and not believe a thing that comes out of their mouths! People are so disappointing and exhausting to me!