the stripey
it’s strange how simply dropping off a garment at the dry cleaners can set off 100 memories. and it’s weird how several things came into my life after it, all connected. after all this happened, i found a photo album with tons of picture of the parties involved. one picture has my charming Brit wearing said garment.
A Quick History
Junior year in high school, my BFF (Psycho Jen) and I went on a school trip to England. I had been there the previous year with my parents and grandparents. It was a jazz band, dance thing and we traveled around performing and staying with host families, etc. The first week there we mainly stayed at and around Dulwich College, outside of London. There we met several handsome, charming, british blokes. We both stayed with a young man named Silas, There was the Holden Caufield-esque Marcus (who kissed me a lot and wore pants tighter than my own) And there was Elliot. Jen did a much better job staying in touch with Elliot and Silas long-term. I don’t have a valid reason for letting either one of them fall by the wayside. Let’s just say life got in the way.
Most Personal
I fell in love with Elliot, naturally. I have a feeling PJ did too. Elliot set the standard for me as far as men are concerned; tall, dark, handsome, smart, funny. The only real difference between hubbin and Elliott is that Elliot is British. Elliot pointed this out to me at PJ’s wedding - which he flew across the pond for. Then with a wink and a smile he added that hubbin was just a poor substitute for him.
Kiss and Tell
My freshman year in college, or maybe it was my sophomore year… PJ and Elliot came down to Iowa to see me. Like all truly great college adventures, it’s a haze of booze and giggles. I remember Elliot psyching everyone at a party out by filling an empty Vodka bottle with water and then drinking more than half of it down. He literally dragged me out of that party and i cut myself on the door frame. I still have a scar on my collarbone. We ended up going back to my dorm room and making out for what seemed like hours. PJ was not pleased.
The Stripey
Somewhere along the way, Elliot gave me his College Stripey. They give them out for…how did he put it? “Outstanding performance / contributions to College life”. It’s basically a black blazer with blue stripes and the college crest on the pocket. Apparently, and this might just be in my own mind, it’s a big deal and not something you should just give away to some American Girl. Lucky for me, Elliot did give his away, to me, and again I don’t think PJ was pleased.
Flash Forward
Two weeks ago at breakfast PJ says something along the lines of, “I hate to ask, but…” She said that she had asked me to send Elliot the stripey back once before. I don’t remember that. “Well, his boys are at the college now and he’s going to start teaching there and he really needs it back.” Okay.
i found the stripey in the cedar closet downstairs and took it to the dry cleaners. i hate sending it back. not that i’m a cold hearted bitch who won’t honor a request. but i have/had genuine feelings for the person that gave it to me, and by sending it back, i feel like i’ll have no proof at all of how cool i was. not that it matters. it’s really silly to hold on to stuff like that, they are just things after all.
i guess, by sending it back, i’m admitting to middle age. that boisterous girl is long gone and i’m just not ready to accept that. so it appears that i am in dire need of a silly adventure. something reckless and youthful and slightly dangerous. although, i’d have to find a babysitter first.