It was shortly before my 28th birthday, and the feeling of the drops in my left ear was oddly enjoyable. I listened to the sound of the wax dissolving and crackling, and then felt the warmth of the liquid as it made its way out of my newly clean ear. Why not clean the right one out, too? I tilted my head and put the drops in, and then came a rush as if my ear canal had collapsed: it sounded like I was under water.
I scrambled for tissue paper and dabbed at my ear, and leaned over the sink in the bathroom I shared with my housemate to allow the drops to fall out. And then it was done. My hearing returned to normal, but along with it, I noticed a ringing. What an idiot, I thought.
