I Buy Teakwood Candles Now Because of a Guy I Met at the Club

By Leslie Quan

I didn't mean to stumble upon a guy at the bar. Maybe that's how all true romances start out, but that definitely wasn't the case for me. All I wanted was a vodka soda so that I could return to the dance floor stat. However, I found myself talking to a guy who shares a name with a famous DJ (that's how he introduced himself—his words, not mine).

After denying his claim to have seen me around UPenn's campus, we began discussing our discontent with how long it was taking for the bartender to get to us. Both of us clearly inebriated but still feeling inhibited, as it usually goes.

It wasn't until I made it about three steps away from the bar when I turned to my friend and said, "Wait, he was cute." She grabbed my hand and said, "Then go tell him!" Tell him!? What a preposterous idea. I did it anyways, because why not? Isn't being in your 20s all about saying random shit that you'll probably regret later?

Yes.

Despite my initial lack of coherence, I gathered enough of myself to realize that we were eventually dancing together. Oh damn, I thought, he smells nice. What is that? I made a mental note to ask him about it later. I came here to dance first and foremost not to inquire about the scent of this man.

Since my life isn't a Hallmark movie, nothing really happened between Mr. Smell Good and I. For the better, I think. I've learned pretty quickly that men at the clubs are like dresses in the Macy's display window, nice to look at but not to have. (But I also frequent the clubs so what does that say about me? Don't answer that.)

About a week later, I decided to explore the Fairmount area and check out the women-owned boutique Ali's Wagon. (I used to work at a family-owned gift shop so I'm indebted to the comforts of a small business.) As I casually browsed the candle section, unbeknownst to me, I took a huge whiff of a teakwood candle which immediately brought me back to that night at the club. It was like Mr. Smell Good lived inside the candle tin. Holy shit, I thought, I'm buying this.

I wouldn't call myself a candle enthusiast nor was I previously into candles, but that teakwood candle felt like a warm bear hug after I'd been crying for hours on end. Teakwood has a rich, spicy, and woodsy fragrance that some might consider to be a more masculine scent. Despite this, I didn't really care. I felt like I discovered human comfort embodied in the form of a candle.

Maybe that seems weird, but the only thing that comes to mind for me is a quote from Mary Oliver's Wild Geese. It goes a little something like, "You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves." So yes, I'm going to take Mary Oliver's advice and indulge the hell out of my new teakwood candle.

Thank you for reading. The Vodka Waffle Party is a passion project of mine and I make $0 from all the articles I post here. If you would like to make a monetary donation to my blog, my Venmo is @LeslieQuan. Otherwise, keep doing you, keep making art, and remember to never relinquish your freedom to corporate America.