Time for the Sapone al Melograno

October 18, 2004: Three years and one week. That's how long it took.

On September 10, 2001, I was in Manhattan and wandered into Takashimaya New York. I loved it! Especially the section with soaps, colognes and wonderfully scented powders. The woman who waited on me was so helpful, making such a precious event out of my less-than-$50 purchase. I bought some powder for my mother; and for me a nice large bar of "Sapone al Melograno," made from a hundreds-of-years-old formula by ... nuns in Italy! "Officina Profumo Farmaceutica."

One more reason to love New York. I can't find a bar of soap like this at Bath and Body Works.

The soap traveled in its simple white Italian wrapper, all the way across PA and back to Ohio, the sounds of NPR droning on that September 12th morning. I was supposed to have been in the WTC on 9/11, but I slept in. The next day I returned home.

I put the soap in my dresser drawer. It stayed there for two years. I moved it to the bathroom counter. It stayed there for one year. I thought I would keep it until I was an old lady and then one day open it up.

At some point in three years a parrot explored the wrapper. Indignant, I put it out of parrot's reach.

Yesterday, as I was preparing my bag to go to the Y swimming, I looked at that bar of soap and all the need for mystery, for drama, was gone. Time to use the good soap.

It smelled great. I smelled great. Life is good!