The Back to School Board That Always Takes Vaibhav Back to His Childhood

The Strange Childhood Memory That Made Vaibhav Fall in Love with Perfume

Every child has one problem habit that steadily turns into a parental headache. In the case of Vaibhav, he always forgets to wash his tiffin box. 

When he came home from school every evening, he used to throw his bag towards the sofa and go play with his friends.

His mother, Radhika, was asking him almost every day, “Vaibhav, don’t forget about your tiffin box.” He always had the same headstrong reply to her every question, however, like most children.

I will do that later, Amma.

The latter was never to follow, however.

The issue happens in the next morning while Vaibhav’s mom opens his tiffin box.

When Radhika would open the lunch box to prepare breakfast/snacks, she would get upset at the smell that she would find inside. Most of the time, it consisted of whatever she had put, eating a piece of idli and dipping it in chutney, eating lemon rice or picking up bits of curry when packing in the hustle and bustle of the school bus hour.

“Vaibhav! Again?!???????????” she would roar out from the kitchen again!

However, Vaibhav was never able to grasp his mother's sense of irritation towards her every morning. It was only a slight scent to his nose.

This is all changed when it rained on a rainy Tuesday.

It was a dark evening as Vaibhav was returning to his home from the Football practice. There was a small amount of rainwater in his uniform, and heavy rain drizzled through the house. He piled up his school bag on the corner of his room and went to roll outside to go back and play cricket with his colony friends.

While inside the bag, the tiffin box remained another unattended item, another forgotten one.

The following day, Radhika was taken over by the situation when the morning arrived.

Opening the lunch box in the kitchen, the noisy smell made its way throughout the room. What was left for lunch was completely ruined because of the humid and rainy weather overnight. She quickly shut the lid over; their voices sounded loud when Vaibhav called.

She angrily replied. I remind you every day, today you yourself must wash this. And a punishment, asked to wash the tiffin box neatly.

Still thinking that she must be overreacting, Vaibhav, in a casual manner, took the box from her hands. However, as soon as he opened it correctly by the sink and water came flowing in, he was met head-on with the foul odour.

He instantly jumped from them.

For the first time in his life, Vaibhav experienced the horrible smell his mother had daily in the morning. As soon he began to rub the soap hard, but the smell wouldn't go away. It remained on his hands and next to his nose after washing his hands several times.

The whole day was hot, and uncomfortable. He recalled the smell when he was in school. Again, he thought of it while he was at dinner. He was experiencing a vomiting tendency all the time.

That evening, while sitting quietly in his room listening to the sound of rain outside with a cup of coffee, Vaibhav suddenly remembered something else entirely, nothing but his father’s perfume collection.

Mr. Suryavamshi was fond of good perfumes. Before setting out for work every morning, he would spray perfume on his shirt, and within a short few seconds, the perfume left a rich, fresh and comforting scent in the room. This aroma combined well with the cool air of the monsoon sweeping in through the windows on rainy mornings, especially.

Out of all his father's perfumes, a fancy, luxurious glass floral oud perfume by Sere perfume always caught the attention of Vaibhav. First came a soft lavender freshness and then a lovely warm, smooth oud that remained beautifully over the course of many hours. The aroma was more pronounced and soothing in cold and rainy days!

That evening, unable to bear the smell of the spoiled tiffin stuck in his head, Vaibhav made his way quietly into the room of his parents.

Suddenly, he gathered up the stylish glass perfume from the shelf.

But for some seconds, he was reluctant and trembling at the prospect of touching it, and he knew he wasn't supposed to. However, there was still great curiosity that broke down the fear.

He very carefully sprayed a bit on his shirt.

He was immediately enveloped by the smell of a wide, sweet fragrance.

The freshness of the lavender smokes when they first entered the room, soothing and calming a sense of cleanliness, but over time the room became filled with warmth from the oud. In awe of the smell, Vaibhav applied a bit on his pillow, curtains and around the room.

All of the sudden, in less than a second, this all turned around.

He couldn't figure out that awful smell in his lunch box anymore, it had driven his mind blank today. This room instantly became peaceful, luxurious and comforting. The rain dripped softly outside, and changed the ambience totally inside with a fragrance.

Quietly, he sat on his bed, smiling to himself, Vaibhav. It was the first time in his life that he got an understanding of the importance of perfumes. A beautiful scent could be to change the mood and make this an ordinary rainy evening a comforting one.

The Floral Oud scent made by Sere Perfume was smooth, long-lasting and tasteful and not overpowering. A moist monsoon weather kept the warmth of the oud and amber to stay on in the room for a longer time and enhanced its atmosphere, which Vaibhav had never overlooked.

The following morning something strange occurred in the Suryavamshi house.

With a stillness, Vaibhav washed his Tiffin box just after eating breakfast, before leaving for school. Radhika looked surprised.

“What did happen, today?” she asked surprisingly.

Looking at a slight smile on Vaibhav's face, he replied softly, “Now I understand.”

Later that evening, Mr Suryavamshi realized that his Floral Oud is a little lighter than before. Then he turned his gaze on Vaibhav and asked him with a neutrality, “Did you use my perfume?”

Vaibhav kept silent for a moment – not sure what’s his father’s reaction.

He confessed everything – in order to get rid of the rotten smell of the tiffin box, he used the perfume. 

There was a silence from the father for a second and the next reaction was a laughter burst.

Upon knowing the entire story, even Radhika could not stop laughing.

Vaibhav nodded shyly.

His father beamed his pride and he set the stylish glass perfume container back on the shelf.

“Well,” he said, “at least you had good sense and chose a fragrance.

Right from then on, Vaibhav never took the tiffin box for granted and washed it invariably. But he always carried with him another memory as well: a peculiar experience from the rainy season that got him smelling a bad smell high up on a mountain that—a few hours later—led him to find the feeling of good smell on it.