Flashback Friday #134

The Pink Jacket

Greetings one & all (I hope there's more than one). Today's post covers a subject that is near & dear to all shoppers. Are you the type of person that scans the aisles for a clearance rack? Sure, I knew you were.

During my Jr High years, I was in need of a lightweight jacket ( I honestly don't remember if this was 7th or 8th grade, spring or fall). While we were in Westerville, we stopped at Gold Circle department store to see if we could find me a jacket.

Denim jackets were the rage at the time (late 70's), but they were also pricey. In our search through the jackets, we came across some corduroy jackets that were marked 75% off. There was a problem, however. The colors available at 75% off were atrocious. They were coral & baby poop green.

I would chosen the nasty green, but there was a problem there too. At the present time, I was between sizes. The largest green jacket was snug. I could button it, but it left 0% room for growth. The largest coral jacket was a wee bit too big, but you know the saying "You'll grow into it". Needless to say, Mom couldn't turn down a dynamite deal like that.

If I had a dollar for every snide comment & every snarky remark about the "pink jacket" that I was wearing, I would have never had to work another day of my life. "It's coral", I kept telling people. It's not good when a young man is just entering manhood to have his manhood question because of the wardrobe he has. It would have been better to be cold than to be mocked, but you know how Moms can be, "Don't forget your jacket".

I was fortunate in that I didn't have to wear the jacket for long. I went into a growth spurt and grew out of the jacket in a few months. I made sure that it was in a bag of clothes that were headed for hand-me-downs.

Did you ever have to wear something that you really didn't want to?