Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Grout Matters.

It's something I can't let go.  

Every time I walk by, it calls to me.  Every time I pour a glass of crystal Brita liquid, I can feel it pulsating between the faux Mexican Tiles that surround it.  Even when I am nestled safely in the blossoming cocoon of my electrically cool blue sheets, I can feel it's presence lurking on the other side of the wall.  And then the bathroom wall.  Two walls.  

I long to know what it looked like before the years of mindless misuse and debauchery.  But I can't.  Because I wasn't there.  

Were you there?

I dare say you were not there. 

Once every few months, when the memory of my last attempt has faded into the crevices of my dark, dark brain cavities, I set out on my mission.  I am a soldier, and this dirt, this grime, this grout is my nemesis.  It is mighty.  It is everywhere.  I assemble my weapons, my battle gear, and set out to free the white binder--that was once so happy--free of its hateful captor.  I am flailing, catapulting every ounce of energy and adrenaline I possess out my right hand and into my chosen scrubbing appendage.  Minutes pass, then hours.  The bleach and formaldehyde have clouded my perception of reality.  And then, just then, when I am about to expire due to a brutal combination of exhaustion and harsh chemical fumes, I begin to cry. 

It happens every time.  I look down and the spot I have been working on for what seems like a lifetime (not my lifetime, maybe a small child's, or a fragile puppy's) looks the same hue as the spot next to it.  Black, grey, black, it doesn't matter.  It is dirty.  

I need to find the right chemical.  And my search will never cease.  Until I do. 

Mournfully, 
H H hhhhhhhhhhhh

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