It’s weird to be walking by and smell a stranger’s house smell wafting out of the window, the way that everyone’s house has a people smell that’s some mix of soaps and food and habits and genes. They smell like they don’t vacuum very often. They smell like pets, or like someone used to be a smoker a long time ago, or like someone is a smoker now. They use a lot of Tide or are fond of horrible air fresheners and scented candles that smell like food. All of these zillions of notes combine to create a fingerprint of personal aroma, some of which we never forget. These are what you smell when you step inside a house, or hug someone who doesn’t live with you. These smells are disconcerting on the sidewalk on a sunny afternoon in September.
5 months ago
