Rescue Remedy

It was a natural stress reliever, meant to discreetly calm a middle-aged woman’s anxiety. Just two spritzes on the tongue, and all would be right with the world. Mother toted this “Rescue Remedy” about with her for a few days on the recommendation of one of her teacher-friends. Daddy thought it a silly trick of advertising, not something his wife ought to own. So, he read the label and let my mother, who has only ever drank as a courtesy to pushy hosts, know that her little spray bottle was not just flower petals and stardust, but also 27% alcohol.