I could smell the contents before I even got the mailing tape off of the box--
that lovely combination of oranges, olives, lemons, and ginger that can only mean one thing: BOOTS!
Erika has been my Boots pusher from way back, since that cold February day in 1997 when she opened the door
to my very first magical Boots experience-- right next to the Gloucester Road tube stop near our London hotel.
So many lines, flavors, scents, textures-- so many ESSENTIAL products. I was immediately hooked. Lucky for
me, Erika makes frequent UK visits for business and pleasure-- and hence the Boots trafficking began.
And I'd say this latest installment arrived just in time, if B's last word to me when he left this morning ("Shower?") and
a follow-up email with the same inquiry are any indication. A good 30 minutes of hot lather later and the entire apartment is
imbued with the kaffir lime/ginger/sesame body scrub, infused with the follow-up orange/lemon/grape shower gel, and
permeated with the finishing mandarin/thyme/olive facial wash. Finally-- thanks to Erika!-- within 50 feet of me is once again
a pleasant place to be.
While we were in Denver over the Fourth, we heard radio advertisements for-- drum roll please-- Boots @ Target!
I couldn't think of a more exciting marriage of demand and supply: for me, an endless supply of Boots practically anytime
I had a craving (or needed inspiration for a shower); and for Erika, no more sticky luggage, complex customs explanations,
or post-vacation post office trips (packages, packages, packages!)
Alas, I was too arrogant to think that Boots @ Target might simply be a REGIONAL thing. Denver didn't strike me
as a test market town and I was sure that Boots @ Target would be waiting for me at my favorite Alexandria or Arlington
Target stores at a more convenient time when I was not ON VACATION.
I think you know where I'm going with this. Needless to say, Denver-- previously about third on my list of
Cities-We-Will-Likely-Move-To-In-The-Next-Year-- is on the rise. |
