The soles with soul must retire
You see this kid walking in front of you wearing shoes with
soles that slant to the side. You might also notice he’s wearing an
outdoors kind of vest, bright yellow, that’s ripped on one
side.
Right now you’re probably wondering,
”
Why doesn’t his mother dress him better?
”
Well, I’m trying.
The soles with soul must retire
You see this kid walking in front of you wearing shoes with soles that slant to the side. You might also notice he’s wearing an outdoors kind of vest, bright yellow, that’s ripped on one side.
Right now you’re probably wondering, “Why doesn’t his mother dress him better?”
Well, I’m trying.
Hunter, my second-born, is a lovely guy, despite the handicap of being a teenager. But he has a few quirks. One of these is clothes.
For as long as he’s been going to school, he’s had some bizarre attachment to a piece of clothing.
When he was in kindergarten, he wore the same pair of rubber boots to school every day, rain or shine. He became known as “Boot Man.” And then in third grade, there was a particular jacket that he wore every day, until he grew out of it.
I have learned to live with this little hang-up of his, but this time he’s taken it to an extreme. Plus he’s not growing out of things the way he used to, and so he has little reason to give up his favorite, worn-out articles of clothing.
Right now, there are two items driving me crazy: the shoes and the vest.
Because Hunter is a little bit pigeon-toed, his soles don’t wear evenly. That’s why he has slanty soles right now. They are so worn on the bottom that there are places in which the next layer of sole is showing.
They’re also starting to come apart on the sides, but that’s minor compared to the rest of the problems with those shoes.
When I pointed this out, Hunter said, “Well, where’s the duct tape?”
So there’s the shoes. That’s one story. Then there’s the saga of the vest.
I bought the vest probably five years ago for my oldest son, Ross. Ross lost interest in the vest several weeks after I bought it for him. Then Hunter decided to wear it.
As I mentioned before, it’s an outdoor kind of vest, reversible, with bright yellow on one side and dark blue on the other. Of course, Hunter chooses to wear the bright yellow side. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. In fact, it’s helpful when I have to pick him out of a crowd.
Hunter always wears the vest. Always. If we are out in public, he wears the vest. It’s like a security blanket, I guess.
So he’s been wearing it for more than a few years, and it’s starting to look a little bit sad.
There are ripped places on the shoulder and the front. The fabric has become paper-thin in other spots and no doubt will start ripping all over before too long.
I offered to buy him a new vest. No deal. He wants one that’s exactly like this one.
So of course, I can’t find one. And the company that made this one apparently went out of business.
“Can’t you sew up the rips, Mom?” said Hunter.
Well, that would work if it were of newish material. Which it isn’t. Because the material has gotten so thin, it will be a challenge to try to repair it. But I’m looking at that as my only option right now.
I’ve already told him the shoes have to go. I’m sure personnel at the high school would agree with me. He did wheedle me into letting him wear them the first day, to which I’ve given a reluctant OK.
After that, they’ll be retired. And not a moment too soon.
