Deceived

As I look back now it is funny. At the time that it happened it wasn’t one bit funny. I can remember the rage that I felt when I realized that I had been had. I had been deceived – worse yet I had deceived myself. I became a part of my own trap.

Let me explain this better. I was about16 or 17 years old. We lived at 2350 Cameron St. in Regina, Saskatchewan. There were four kids with mom and dad living in a full house with one bathroom…which was the central area of all the things that took place from the house and in the house. You can just imagine what happened when we had guests stay over night – say a family of six or eight or maybe even more at times. It was one busy home and very busy bathroom.

One more thing that needs to be pointed out – you were always in a hurry to make use of the bathroom. No sooner would you get in than someone would be trying the door knob to see if it was free. Staying longer than you should would have someone else yelling at you, “COME ON… get the lead out!” I think you get the picture.

Another thing to point out is that when you are in a hurry the caps on tooth paste, shampoo, and other products used hardly ever were screwed back on. An open tooth paste tube was no big deal… even the next guy appreciated the fact that the slow moving, half awake person ahead of them didn’t have to waste time screwing off and screwing on the tooth paste cap.

One particular day the tooth paste was already on my tooth brush as I entered the bathroom. There lying close to the loaded tooth brush was an already open tube – indicating that the job was done for me – or that I had forgotten that I had already loaded the tooth brush with tooth paste. With no thought at all I brushed vigorously and quickly. Job done… out of the way and move on…next person please….

The next day I entered the bathroom when it was free to quickly repeat the regular brushing of my teeth…before I was off for school. I grabbed my tooth brush and the already opened tube that was lying close to where it was yesterday. I applied a thick and heavy application of tooth paste. Water was added to the mixture and then I inserted it into my mouth and began the rapid action of brushing…. I mean – fast brushing – because someone else was waiting…

I had covered every tooth, the sides and top and bottom, and worked hard to get the familiar lather and suds that usually came. That day there was none. The brush glided in and out easily. The other noticeable thing was there was an unfamiliar taste… it wasn’t tooth paste either. It was oily. It was slippery. It was the most gross thing I had ever had in my mouth.

As I realized that something was wrong I pulled the tooth paste brush out of my mouth to look at it… then quickly spat into the sink…over and over again. Nothing would come out. Spit would not even come now. I rinsed my mouth and nothing would come out. My mouth felt weird and even oily. The tooth brush was the colour of the tooth paste but it wouldn’t even wash off now.

It was then that I looked at the tooth paste tube that I had squeezed the tooth paste from. It was “Brylcream” – a full load of Brylcream squeezed on my tooth paste and rapidly and completely applied to all my teeth.

Few people under 60 will know what I am even talking about at this stage. You had to live through the Happy Days of Rock and Roll and slicked back, shiny hair that was created by a thick layer of “Brylcream”

To really understand Wikipedia describes it this way… quote…
Brylcreem (pronounced brill-cream) is a brand name of a men's hair grooming product. It was created in 1928 by County Chemicals at the Chemico Works in Bradford Street, Birmingham, England. County Chemicals is also noted for 'Chemico' – a very popular abrasive kitchen cleaner.

Brylcreem's purpose is to keep combed hair in place while giving it a deep shine or gloss. It is essentially an emulsion of water and mineral oil stabilised with beeswax. Other ingredients are fragrance, calcium hydroxide, BHT, dimethyl oxazolidine, magnesium sulfate, and stearic acid.

End quote….(full story below)

How in the name of all things sane – would a teenage boy insert something so gross into his own mouth just before he was on his way out the door to cope with another day at school when you had to be cool in all that you did? THIS WAS NOT A COOL THING TO DO! THIS WAS STUPID – AND I HAD PUT IT ON THE TOOTH BRUSH…!

Even two applications of the real tooth paste would not take it away. Spitting profusely was not enough. My mouth was full of oily, slippery Brylcream!

I was mad when I came downstairs. My mom saw it and asked what had happened – real compassion. My sister Pat looked up - worried. She had been waiting on me so we could walk to school together. Both were compassionate people.

As I rapidly described what had happened with the stupid thing I did… they looked at each other and began to grin… then outright laughed. How cruel could they be… her son and HER brother was dying… and they laughed!

In fact Pat laughed so hard she had to sit down. Then she said, “This was supposed to happen yesterday! You weren’t supposed to put the Brylcream on your tooth brush – but rather “think that someone had done it to your tooth brush” – which I knew would make you mad. I had placed tooth paste on your tooth brush and then placed the open Brylcream over it.” Peals of laughter poured out of the room.

I can’t remember much after that – except that I spit all the way to school that day and each time I did my sister laughed.

I was deceived. Worse yet I had deceived myself… and that part had hurt worse than anything that had ever happened up to that time.

Oh boy… this little story is so much like real life. So easily fooled and worse yet so easily trapped into bad situations. In real life however you don’t just spit it out. The after taste is lingering so long that it sometimes becomes a habit.

I think it was about that day that I stopped using Brylcream. I started placing the cap back on the tube of tooth paste – fanatically. And above all I always looked closely at what I put on my tooth brush.

I learned one really valuable lesson – look closer and you will never have to spit again!

~ Pastor Murray Lincoln ~

FYI – all those under 60 years of age…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brylcreem
Brylcreem (pronounced brill-cream) is a brand name of a men's hair grooming product. It was created in 1928 by County Chemicals at the Chemico Works in Bradford Street, Birmingham, England. County Chemicals is also noted for 'Chemico' – a very popular abrasive kitchen cleaner.

Brylcreem's purpose is to keep combed hair in place while giving it a deep shine or gloss. It is essentially an emulsion of water and mineral oil stabilised with beeswax. Other ingredients are fragrance, calcium hydroxide, BHT, dimethyl oxazolidine, magnesium sulfate, and stearic acid.

Brylcreem is sold in a tube in the US, and both tube and pot in Europe and Canada. The two formulations are slightly different. It is marketed in the US by Combe Incorporated; in Europe, by the Sara Lee Corporation.

The shiny "wet" look it gave to the hair was de rigueur for men's hair styles for many years in the 20th century. Other substances, including macassar oil and petroleum jelly, had been in use for this purpose earlier and made popular by such figures as Rudolph Valentino of silent film fame.

Brylcreem's use declined during the 1960s as men's hair fashions changed to favor the "dry look" over the "wet look". However, it has seen a comeback since the late 1990s. It is remarketed in Europe under a Ministry of Hair banner alongside companion gel and wax products in squeeze bottles, rarely sold directly alongside the traditional Brylcreem. In the US, the traditional Original Brylcreem has undergone a resurgence as a new generation discovers it. This appears to be a response to market pressures and a trend to get away from the "helmet hair" that is common with gels, with a new generation of men, including many in a number of subcultures, returning to using pomades and creams. Most hair care manufacturers now offer similar petrolatum, wax, or oil based hair products that give hair a sleek and pliable look while maintaining control for styles such as DA, "bed-head" and "Princeton".

Instructions on the use of the product state that "a little dab will do ya." What constitutes "a little dab" is subject to interpretation and desired effect. Hair length and bulk will also play into how much product to use.

In Europe, the footballer David Beckham signed up to a promotional deal with Brylcreem, until he shaved his head.