C - the lesser of two evils

A few months ago, I purchased an innocent-looking 10-pack of pocket-sized Kleenex®. I'd learned to carry at least one pack of tissues at all times during my first trip to China, because toilet paper in bathrooms (and napkins in restaurants, and papertowels next to sinks) are an extremely rare delicacy. I was horrified to learn, however, that each and every tissue in this 10-pack was perfumed, and not with good perfume, either. I am very sensitive to strong smells -- they can give me a headache nearly instantly -- so I relegated these tissues to the back of my closet to be used in case of emergency only.

Before we took off for Shanghai, I noticed that my purse was low on absorbant materials and threw several packs of the smelly tissues into my purse. I never removed the tissues from my purse when we returned to Dalian, and it actually came in handy today when I had to use a restroom on campus during a class break. The bathrooms on campus can be smelled from 30 feet in either direction, and I always try to avoid using them, but today I had to go somewhere right after class and was therefore forced to use them. And they smelled so awful that I was extremely thankful for the perfumed tissues, and gratefully held them up to my nose the entire time I was in the bathroom.