I was Dumb, and i know it - Roll on Deodrant

This was way back in 2002 or 2003, I don’t remember exactly… but I was in class 9^th. Unlike other kids back then, I was a tad too naïve and introvert. While everyone was busy going on Night outs, watching latest TV Series and discussing about their boyfriends and crushes, all I knew was reading books and talk (about books and authors, obviously!) with the only 2 friends of mine.  

Basics of self-grooming came much later in life. On my 14^th or 15^th Birthday, one of my two best friends decided to gift me a small palm sized bottle, neatly wrapped in glossy wrapping paper. It later turned out to be a “Roll-on Deo”… and I am going to tell you my fond memory around it.

I don’t know if it was an innocent thought because that was also the time when “Roll-on Deos” were introduced in the Indian market, or if it was a subtle way of asking me to start using one. Now that I look back, it seems immaterial because what happened next is why it has become such a fond memory.

So when early that day, my friend handed me the gift, I wondered the entire day at school, what could a thing so small possibly be! During lunch break, I eagerly unwrapped it, not knowing what to expect, with my friend jumping in excitement right next to me.

As the wrapping paper was torn apart (I was an impatient soul, you see!) I noticed it was a small bottle, not so heavy, and had a little ball like thing fixed on top of it. That made me further ponder, if this was a beauty product or some tech savvy gadget!

I was too shy to ask her what it was, because everything that was printed on it, was written in Arabic. There was no diagram to tell me how to use this “thing”, nor was the product description making sense. Barely a moment of holding the bottle in my hand, my friend blurts in excitement, “Did you like it? Didn’t you?! You know this is imported. I asked my aunt to get it for you. You liked it na?”

Now after all this, I felt the pressure to beam with an ear to ear smile and nod in agreement! “Aww… Thank you so much dear. This is so cool”, I replied with a zillion butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

Upon reaching home, I ran to my room and decided to figure it out myself. I opened the cap of the bottle, and looked at the ball for a moment. I touched it with my fingers and it rolled. I rolled on my palm, and a faint scented moisturizing liquid came. This was my Eureka moment! I was convinced that this was a face cream. I happily rubbed my palms together and took a deep breath, taking all the scent in…

The next day while getting dressed for school, I quietly pulled out the little bottle, rolled it across my cheeks with absolute elegance. It felt heavier and much dense on the face. 5 minutes into the application, my skin started feeling uncomfortable. But I brushed away all the thoughts, concluding that that’s how Arabs like their moisturizers to be - Sticky, dense and heavy!

My face was becoming stickier by the minute, and I had started to get anxious now. I reached school and met my friend. “Does my skin look any different today?”, I asked.

She looked confused and scanned me top-down. “Oh dumb girl… I applied the cream you gifted me yesterday. See, does my skin look any better? Am I not glowing?”, I jabbered!

As my friend heard every word, her expression changed instantly and she burst into laughter! “This is a Roll-on Deodrant Shrishtiiii! Not a moisturizer! Oh dam….  This is for the underarms, not your face!”

And while she kept laughing for what felt like eternity, I learned what a roll-on deodorant, really were. Most importantly, where they had to be applied ;)