The Suit

I went shopping with my children today... a rainy, thunderstormy day... a perfect day for spending loads of money! Everyone returned home with treasures, wonderfully, expensive little treasures (I can't believe how much money I spent). To be honest, I'm surprised the bank didn't call and ask me if someone had taken my debit card... it most definitely got a workout today. J (son) needed black trousers and black shoes to wear to graduation. Not a requirement mind you... just the cap and gown are black and I felt like it would be a much cleaner, more polished look to have black pants, and besides he could use them for job interviews and the like... so we all drove up to the big city... me, R (daughter), J and H (J's gf). H and R went to look at "girl stuff" and left J and me alone... wow... can't tell you when the last time that happened - well actually I can. J and I had lunch together in January before he left to go back to school. So ok... I make it sound like it never happens... but in truth it rarely happens. Sheesh... semantics.

So J and I are left alone in the department store and the older portly gentleman who has been there forever asks if he can help us and I tell him I am looking for black pants... he asks if I want a suit and I told him I wasn't opposed to a suit, J has a navy sports coat and several pairs of khaki pants, but I thought perhaps something in black for job interviews. The gentleman says no - not black, and he looks at J, literally sizing him up, and pulls a Ralph Lauren grey pinstripe suit coat off the rack and J puts it on and - oh, my, goodness... perfect! So he's wearing the coat and he takes the black trousers and the matching grey trousers and tries them both on... coming out of the fitting room after each to show me... and wow... all I can say is wow. The little ladies waiting on their husbands all looked at him and then looked at me and said - my, what a nice looking young man. I smiled back and said thank you... he most certainly is.

We purchased the coat, the two pairs of pants, a tailored white shirt, a new tie, socks, shoes and a belt . I knew the bill was going to be substantial, and it was - but it was worth every penny. He's ready now... ready to go on job interviews, ready to face the world - and it all feels really final... but not in a bad way... really in a good way - baby bird is ready to fly - and I made that possible... and I did really well... and it makes my eyes tear up but I'm not sad, not frightened, not desperate - I feel a sense of accomplishment. And I'm so very proud of him. My mind took another little mental photograph for my scrapbook. I'll never forget the image of him standing there in the store - suit coat, trousers and that smile - that smile said it all... and I'm glad I got to see it... glad I got to share this with him... this silly ritual of buying a suit.