lavender

On vacation, we went to the health store today. I had baby-j in the sling, close to me, and he’s usually pretty protected that way. Unfortunately, I was too absorbed in looking at the various vials and bottles, and the aisle was a bit too close. baby-j started swinging his hand out and I caught his arm as he knocked some bottles over on a shelf. It happened too quickly but also in slow-motion-an-accident-is-about-to-happen mode: my noticing that he had knocked over some bottles, checking immediately to see what they cost, realizing that in the sea of $7 herbs, one had a $30 price tag. Not sure what would resolve the situation—stopping baby-j or stopping the bottles from rolling—I froze, doing neither. The lavender vial—yes, the $30 one—fell to the floor. Glass and scent all over.

The woman in charge of the place was understanding, and despite my and P’s protests, she didn’t charge us for it. But my canvas tennis shoes smell like lavender now.