SMELL THE FRAGRANCE

 SMELL THE FRAGRANCE                                                                      (09-1398) Barbara Kioko

Peter Garrett an Australian activist and musician once said, as you walk down the fairway of life, you must smell the roses for you only get to play one round. These are words that Lianne  Karuiru (known as “Smarty” by her close friends) literally tries to live by each day. A fourth year student in Daystar University Athi River campus, Lianne is a focused, hardworking and social person who exudes confidence wherever she is no wonder the nickname “Smarty”. Just like everybody else, she has a side of her that many people do not know about. Many people are used to hearing of hobbies such as collecting stamps, coins and even collecting different types of insects. However Lianne’s hobby is unique and quite interesting. Collecting perfume bottles.   

Lianne is clear to justify why she considers it normal to actually collect perfume bottles “I have a sensitive sense of smell” she says. She goes on to say that she can smell anything and everything. Jokingly, she points out that one of her housemates is cooking Biriani (a local Swahili dish). Every day she dons a different fragrance depending on how she woke up that morning. Fascinating how people can wear perfume depending on moods.

Lianne’s fetish for collecting perfume bottles started way back in 1994 when her aunt Kamene was flying out of the country to go to the U.S via Green card. Her aunt (“Kamesh” as known by many) did not have anything that could best sought Lianne; therefore she gave her a small bottle with a sweet smelling fragrance. As much as she doesn’t have the bottle with her any more, Smarty owes it all to “Kamesh.”

Ten years later while in Saint Lucy Kiriri high school, it’s okay to say that her fetish came back to haunt her. Emily her roommate had just finished using her perfume and threw the bottle into the bin. Lianne quickly got hold of the bottle and put it in her locker. That’s how Lianne’s hobby got its groove back.

Her locker is now filled with all sorts of fragrances. She has bottles of expensive perfume such as j’adore by Christian Dior, Euphoria by Calvin Klein, and Blueberry by Victoria Secrets, Rose Essentielle by BVLGARI to mention but a few. Also at her disposal are more affordable perfumes such as Once More by Devon, Larive by La Rive and Away by Shirley May. She is quick to say “it’s not like I used all of these, I get some of them from family and friends who have finished using them.”

Lianne claims that her mother has not always been up for her ‘craze’ for perfumes. In fact, it reached a point when her mum got fed up of the clatter in Lianne’s room, “she walked into my room one Sunday morning, emptied my closet of all the empty bottles and dared me to replace them.” Lianne claims that her mum got used to her fetish. They finally both came to an agreement that once a bottle had been in her closet for more than a year, it just had to go.

Dating for Smarty has always been tricky. She just can’t seem to get what she really wants in a guy. Funny thing is that she seems to have a list of what “Mr. Right” must and mustn’t have. What’s fascinating is that she does not mind a man who has unkempt hair or bloodshot eyes “ so long as he smells good, then we are set to go” she says. According to her, the only thing that could save a guy who doesn’t smell good is if he had an awesome sense of humor because there is nothing she loves more than someone who can make her laugh. The smell, well she says they can work on with time. She loves flowers and can actually stop just to smell them. Therefore it’s clear that a man who goes out of his way to get her flowers is high up in her list.

Many of her friends have tried to talk her out of this hobby because they don’t seem to see any logic in it, but to no avail. However her roommate Nyambura and best friend Wanjiru (“Shiro”) don’t really mind it. Nyambura had a lot to say. “When I first came into this room, I didn’t know who I was going to share a room with. So when I entered the room the first thing that hit me was the smell. Different fragrances filled the air. I didn’t know what I was dealing with until I saw the empty bottles in her locker. I still don’t get why she does it but I’ve learnt to accept her and give her the space she needs.”

Shiro has known “Smarty” ever since they were freshmen in Daystar. They were in the same group during orientation and have been tight ever since. Shiro doesn’t really mind that Lianne has an unusual hobby. She tries to understand the concept of the hobby. “It’s not every day you meet someone like Lianne. I try and learn a thing or two from her and she does the same, I mean smarty has an awesome sense of humor. Not everything has to make sense to everyone; we all have different lifestyles although Smarty’s is more on the weird side.”

The charming Lianne is an example of how people should be true to who they really are. Don’t people deserve the right to love just what they do? It doesn’t hurt to be you. If people find it weird then that’s just their own point of view. How many times do you meet people who’ve given up their dream just to make others happy? It’s obvious, many!  Lianne is just one of those few people who are setting the pace for others in that they should not be ashamed to admit that yes, they have weird hobbies.

 Lianne is happy and content with where she is at the moment and as she walks down the fairway of life, she is happy to smell the roses for she is aware that she gets to play one round.