A Month of 4160 Tuesdays: Day 13: Babylon Sunset

Suffolk County, New York - 1992

‘You do know I know, don’t you Charlie?”

Charlie shifted uncomfortably on the hard carpet, the inelegant relief pattern of which was embossed in his forearms, and continued to pretend to be reading the sleeve notes of the old punk album on the floor in front of him. 

Alice sighed.

‘What I don’t know is why you care.’

He coughed awkwardly and looked up at her on the bed.  He wanted to reply but he did not have an answer.

‘That's it.’ She said jumping up. ‘Get up, we are going.’

 _____

On the deck of the ferry crossing to Fire Island she studied his tense silhouette in silence. They had been high school sweethearts and although they did not date for long they had remained close ever since. She hated seeing her friend looking so uptight, where was the easy going youth she remembered?

‘Here.' She said loosening the top two buttons of his shirt and tying the narrow silk scarf from her hair around his neck. He could smell her familiar and powerful perfume; raspberry and peach, rose and jasmine, musk and vanilla. He smiled.

Approaching her uncle’s house along the wooden boardwalk, she took his hand in hers and squeezed. He smiled again. Inside the party was in full swing, they helped themselves to beers and stood on the bleached porch, waiting for the alcohol to take effect and hoping no one would talk to them before it did. 

A guy, about Charlie’s age, sidled up to him, the warm skin of his hand briefly grazing his own on the blistered, splintered handrail. In a moment of panic Charlie looked to his left but Alice was gone, her scent, however, was still hanging in the still evening air. He laughed and lightened his grip on the weathered wood. Turning back he saw the dull orange of the sun reflected in the pale grey of the stranger’s eyes. The sun that was setting over the bay, over the town he had just left behind, over Babylon.

_____

What Sarah McCartney says about here scent: 'Babylon Sunset was first made as a 21st birthday present;. It is a fragrance for women, not girls. It was inspired by those magnificent 90s fragrances that always seemed like huge bunches of fragrant flowers, rather than the delicately pale pink posies around today. The difference comes from the real rose, jasmine and honey absolutes, and Australian sandalwood oil we use to give it depth and soul.

Imagine an armful of roses and jasmine, with a sandalwood fruit bowl filled with ripe peaches, tangerines and grapefruits, topped with raspberry sorbet and vanilla ice cream, all drizzled with honey.' 

Fragrance Notes

Top: Grapefruit, Tangerine, Peach

Middle: Rose, Sandalwood, Jasmine, Honey

Base: Musk, Vanilla, Red Fruits

Find 4160 Tuesdays' Babylon Sunset on the Roullier White website here.