Vanishing Chapstik

Approximately twelve hours ago, walking in the rain and sick, I went into a CVS. Items on me with pockets were my coat, my scarf with pockets on the ends, and a pair of jeans. I was carrying a purple canvas bag, with screen printed sneakers on it. I have had it since my youth. It has been filled with many things. These days it is filled with my tools for ceramics.

While at this CVS, I walked around the Cold Remedy isle. That's actually what it says on the placard above the isle, Cold Remedies. I stare at the great expanse of cold remedies. There are ones you drink, magical elixars hat make your head feel attached again. There are nose sprays that if used for more then three days make you lose your sense of smell. There are organic natural remedies; suckables, chewables, swallowables- ahh yes. DayQuil. Mine sworn enemy. The one that makes my friend sarah super high and giggly. I pick up a box of the orange stuff and proceed to check out.

Whil at the register, being one of three customers in the whole store (it's a rainy friday, can't blame them all) I spy a Blistex pot of lip balm. The blue mentholated kind. The kind that burns. I ask if they have the kind in the Tan pot, the still mentholated but much more palatable kind, and the young woman kindly fetches me one from the next register over.

I walk out, put it on my nose, and take my first breath of fresh air in two days. The Menthol jumps up my nose clears out my head, and the world is sunny. Except that it is still raining and by now I am wet.

I take a DayQuil and forget my troubles for many hours, which I while away making bowls and glazing mugs in the ceramics studio.

It is now 11:15. My head is full of mucus. I am on cold medicine, and can still not breathe. I am looking for my awesome imitation Vick's Blistex DCT lip balm. Because it will make me breathe like a champ.

I cannot find it. It is not in my coat pockets. It is not in my bag, having emptied it out three times of its meager contents I am sure. It is not in the pockets of the scarf, and though I have checked the pants many times it is not there either. It has vanished into thin air.

I call my boyfriend. He does not have it. Of course. He put some on his nose too, he could have had it; it would have been logical. BUT NO. It has vanished into thin air. Which means that in just barely 12 hours, I spent some of the little money I have on it, I used it once, and I lost it to the world.

It's probably chilling with all the lost socks in some sick universe of lost things. SICK I SAY. The most sick thing is that i still have this awful chapstick I got for free from the college fair...three years ago. But the DCT lip balm is gone. Of Course.