[PART 2: ENDING PART]
I blinked at him, completely frozen.
“My fault?” I repeated.
“Daniel, how can your smell possibly be my fault?”
The doctor turned away, coughing into his fist, but I could still see his shoulders shaking.
Daniel rubbed both hands over his face like he wanted the floor to open and swallow him.
“Remember that expensive herbal soap you bought online?” he asked.
I frowned.
“The one that said it removes toxins?”
“Yes,” he said miserably.
“And remember how you told me it was natural, powerful, and good for men’s health?”
I nodded slowly.
“Daniel… what did you do?”
The doctor finally stepped in, still fighting a smile.
“Your husband has been using it in a very… enthusiastic way.”
My eyes widened.
“What does that mean?”
Daniel lowered his voice.
“I thought if a little was good, then a lot would be better.”
I stared at him.
“How much were you using?”
He looked down.
“Three times a day.”
“Three times?” I almost shouted.
“For two weeks?”
The doctor cleared his throat.
“And not only that. He also applied the herbal cream that came with it.”
My mouth fell open.
“There was no cream in the box.”
Daniel slowly reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small jar with a gold label.
I grabbed it from his hand and read the words.
It was not body cream.
It was a strong garlic foot balm meant for cracked heels.
For a full second, nobody spoke.
Then the doctor lost the battle and laughed.
I covered my mouth, horrified and relieved at the same time.
“Daniel,” I whispered, “you put foot balm there?”
His face turned even redder.
“The label said deep repair!”
I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or apologize to every chair he had sat on for the past two weeks.
The doctor explained that nothing serious was wrong, but Daniel needed to stop using random products on sensitive skin and wash with plain soap until the smell faded.
On the way home, neither of us spoke for ten minutes.
Then Daniel muttered, “In my defense, you said it was a miracle product.”
I looked at him.
“I meant for your feet.”
He stared out the window and whispered, “Well… part of me believed in miracles.”
That was when I finally burst out laughing so hard I had to pull over.
Daniel laughed too, covering his face like a guilty schoolboy.
By the next week, the awful smell was gone, and so was his confidence in online health products.
Now every time I buy anything labeled “natural,” Daniel reads the instructions three times, then hands it to me and says, “Please confirm which body part this is for.”
And honestly, after what happened, I think that is the healthiest habit in our marriage.
