Flip just offered to buy me lunch if I could answer a simple question.
"'What is the universal solvent?"
Um. "Salt?'
"No. Try again."
"Vinegar?"
"NO. It's in every kitchen."
"I never took Chemistry," I mewled. "Clorox?"
"No."
"Can you give me a hint?"
"That IS a hint. The question tells you everything you need to know."
"What I know is that I'm going to be hungry for the next three days."
"It's something really basic," he said. I guess he was hungry, too.
"Water?"
Bingo. I should have guessed. He just washed the dishes.
In all the schools I attended, I managed never to take Chemistry. I took Earth Science courses instead to fulfill my college admission requirements.
My only scientific experiment in 9th grade consisted of mixing together peroxide and ammonia to bleach my hair. Then I studied the effects of mercurochrome on blondish hair. It turned a lovely shade of pink. My father hacked it off to teach me a lesson. I looked as if I'd had a fatal run-in with a lawn mower.
Science hasn't worked out really well for me.
