NEW SUIT 2

 

From early on, even before my arrival, my dad could be called a chic dresser, a regular Dapper Dan.  

He was always in style wearing a three piece suit, and he always wore a hat, Stetson being his favorite.  

For awhile there was an “In look” accomplished by wearing a straw hat.  

These hats were stiff as a board, flat topped and not too comfortable, and they would sail away when the wind blew.  He would keep a watch in his vest pocket connected to a watch fob.  

 

Florsheim shoes and long stockings held up with garters were a must. The one thing he never used was spats, at least not as far as I knew.  

As a rule he would have three or more suits at all times so he could rotate them.  

The reason for this background is that my father was about five foot ten and I grew to be about three inches taller than him.  There was a time when we were about the same size as I grew up.  One day he decided that I needed a new suit since I didn’t have one. He went in his closet and brought out one of his suits and said, “Here this is yours so you can dress up.”   

Now this suit was just fine for my dad, but I was about fourteen years old and it sure didn’t look as good on me as it did on him.  He gave me the rest of the clothing outfit, and I was all set.  

I was a little stunned and I was stuck.  I couldn’t refuse them and that meant I had to wear them. 

 

My everyday wear was jeans and t-shirt and that was what I always wore no matter where I went.  

 

My problem was I never went any place where I needed a suit. I sure wasn’t going to wear it to school or play baseball in it and I wouldn't think of wearing it to the movies. My eating out consisted of eating at the hot dog stand or at the soda fountain.  

There was a lot of pressure on me that I didn’t need.  

Luckily for me (as far as wearing the suit went) my dad took off for parts unknown and that solved my suit problem. I found a nice place for it in the closet and there it stayed until some years later, I got rid of it for I had outgrown it.  

In order to fully appreciate my reluctance to wear my new suit you can try to get your teenager to wear some of grandma’s old dresses to school and to parties.   

I’m sure they can explain it to you.

 

This post is shared at “Tell Me a True Story.”