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Evangeline Parsons Yazzie Navajo Vicks “Mom, my legs hurt!” “Oh those are just growing pains. Go get the Vicks and rub some on your legs, then your legs will grow slower and that way they won’t hurt as much.” With a healthy dose of Vicks on our legs, we would go back outside and play some more. Hours later, we’d come in with dirt and Vicks plastered on our legs. Perhaps that is why our beds always had so much sand in them. “Mom, my head hurts.” “Well, go get the Vicks and rub some on your forehead, around your ears, and inside your nose, and go to sleep. You’ll feel better when you wake up.” It seemed I did go to sleep a lot sooner with Vicks on my forehead, on the ears, and inside my nostrils. “Mom, my eyes are red and they hurt.” “Just get the Vicks and rub it on your eyelids. It may sting at first, but that will go away.” I would walk around in the kitchen squinting for a while because the Vicks was working. “Mom, daddy’s elbows are chap! It hurts when his elbow rubs against my arm as he is driving.” “Here, I have some Vicks, put several coats on his elbow so that the chapped area will not turn dark, and people will not notice his chapped elbows.” “Mom, my throat hurts.” “Go gargle with salt water and put some Vicks on your neck then wrap one of your father’s old T-shirts around your neck. Put some Vicks on your chest too, that way you won’t cough and get your throat more sore.” 63 “Don’t let me forget to get another jar of Vicks, the next time we go to town.” “Did you get me a bottle of Vicks, like I told you to?” “Yes, it’s right here in the bag.” “I told you to get me a jar of Vicks, not Mentholatum! This Mentholatum is too greasy!” Did my mother just like the smell of Vicks or what? 64 ...

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