O is for Ouch!

 

I am in the process of sorting through everything in my parents' home, and in so doing, I have been looking through all my childhood memorabilia, the majority of which I hadn't seen since my parents packed up my belongings and moved them from the home I grew up in to this house some 45 years ago. My 2024 A to Z Challenge theme is based on the treasures I have found in the boxes and the drawers and closets. Join me on my bittersweet journey back to my childhood.

My brother is really good at gift giving. He always finds clever and unique items for me. I have several quirky pins that he gave me over the years that I still wear, and a pair of earrings that I love that are art pieces. This past Christmas, he got me this awesome t-shirt that has the phone number we grew up with printed on it:

I was in late junior high or early high school when my brother gave me a wax seal stamp with my initial on it, along with two sealing wax sticks, one yellow and one pink. As you might imagine from someone who was a voracious note writer in school, I also wrote letters to friends and family who lived afar, so this was an awesome gift! My brother showed me how to use it, lighting the wax stick, letting it drip onto the envelope, then quickly pressing the stamp into it. I loved it!

At some point, the wax sticks and the stamp got stuck away in a box and forgotten about, but one afternoon when I was probably a senior in high school, I found the items while cleaning my room. Unable to resist, I pulled out some matches, touched one to the wick on the wax stick, and before I could get a piece of paper ready, the wax dripped onto my bare thigh.

YOWWWWWW!!!

The drop of melted wax on my thigh was about the size of a pencil eraser but burned like it was as big as a dinner plate. I quickly slipped my fingernail under the edge and pulled it off my thigh. It peeled right off, taking with it MANY layers of my skin.

OW OW OW OW OW OW OWWWWW!!!

I had a raw, bloody, pencil eraser-sized divot on my thigh, and it REALLY REALLY HURT.

I limped downstairs to show my mom and get a little sympathy, but instead, all I got was laughter and a bandaid. The burn remained ouchie for weeks (I'm telling you, it was DEEP), and when it finally healed, I had nice little white scar the size of pencil eraser about five inches above my knee that, although barely noticeable, is still there to this day.

Signed, sealed, and delivered.

I wasn't going to replicate this by using actual sealing wax (besides, I didn't have any), so
I tried using the seal on playdough, but it was an obvious fail.

I got some satisfaction from using sticky tack putty (used for damage-
free hanging of posters or photos or the like on walls).