The express lane

I was in the express lane the other day and kind of in a hurry. I only had a couple of items that I did needed. Toilet paper was one of them, and I might have had some beer.

Anyway this woman in front of me in line knew the checker and was having this casual conversation with her. I hate it when the checker gets chatty with people in line. You are in the express line because you want to get through fast. Don't get me wrong I like being friendly with checkers and people in that kind of situation. I go out of my way to be friendly.

It became clear that the woman in line ahead of me was a cosmetic sales woman. For Mary Kay or Avon or something. And these women had a relationship in this respect. I'm just a stupid man buying toilet paper and beer.

The woman in front of me was all dolled up. A big boxy woman. Her hair was a work of abstract art, and there was no doubt that her look was an expensive effort. And for what? Neither women were single. It wasn't like they were trying to hook a man. The irony was that this conversation with the checker was about justifying the expense of some cream to the checker's husband. $35 for a small portion of cream, and how to justify this expense to the husband.

The checker was a naturally beautiful woman. Not a model or anything but just pretty with red hair. She didn't need this cream. The saleswoman reminded me of a tacky crossdresser. But she went on about the virtues of this cream.

Cosmetics are chemicals in general. One common binder is butyl cellosolve. It goes by other names like all chemicals and comes in different variations. Glycol ether. 2 butoxy ethanol. In some forms it is a known carcinogen. Some forms are used to de-ice plane wings, it is used in anti-freeze and industrial paint thinners. Not not really something you want to smear on your face or lips. But cosmetics aren't food or drugs so they get away with these things.

So I'm back there waiting for these women to get done with this conversation and then I'm next. The red haired checker now had to deal with me. Her mood went from friendly to harsh. I had admired her natural beauty and had wanted to inform her about the dangers of butyl cellosolve. But she treated me like a stupid man buying toilet paper and beer, who could never understand the finer things in life.