Well new to me anyway. I'm sure that it was new-new once for someone, and they must have loved it. Now it's mine and I love it. I wore it for the first time today and it felt just like a second skin. It was a bit of a stretch for me to wear it because there were a lot of people out in shorts and t-shirts today. But this is South Florida and it was just cool enough. Anyway, it's probably the last time I'll get to wear it this season. February is almost over and the spring is on the way so things are warming up. Thank you God for this opportunity because I really loved wearing my new leather jacket today. So let me tell you about it.
I first saw it at the American Thrift Shop in Hollywood. Even among all the other leather jackets it stood out. It was beautiful with a Brooks Brothers label in it. This is first class and my heart started racing. I looked it over quickly. It had a price tag of $50.00, still a little pricey for a thrift shop rat like me, but a half price sale was just three days away so I decided to chance it. I waited.
I came back that Thursday after work looking for my half-off sale. This time I really looked the jacket over. Leather as smooth as silk, Brooks Brothers label, lightweight, a rich dark brown worn just right, back looked clean, right sleeve looked clean, left sleeve looked clean, then AAAAARRGGH!, a massive tear on the left side pocket, through the seam and three inches into the leather with the inside fabric lining pushing out. What a shame. New this must have been a $400-$500 jacket. No wonder it was still there. I didn't care. This jacket could be saved. IT MUST BE SAVED! And I had a way. I had Alterations by Anna, my expert tailor employing four talented ladies and...specializing in leather repairs. I checked it out with her. She said she could fix it, no problem, so I pulled it off the rack and went to the cashier.
And what did they tell me? Sure, Thursday is half off...but only from 9:00 am till noon. My heart sank. I had missed the sale by 6 hours. There was no negotiating. If I wanted half off I would have to wait a whole week. But would my beautiful jacket still be there in a week? I took a deep breath and left the store, without the jacket. But I couldn't get it out of my mind. I decided that I'd have that jacket even if I had to pay another $25.00. It was still well worth it. I decided to go back the following morning and buy it at full thrift store price. I was satisfied that I made the right decision.
I went back the next day full of that thrift shop thrill of finding something special. I got there a few minutes before the store opened. I walked right over to the jacket, my heart sank a minute because it took me a few seconds to find it, but there it was. I took the hanger in my hand and started out BUT I also walked by the shoe section and found a beautiful pair of Bally loafers for $14.00, excellent shape, fit me perfect, a real thrift shop double-play. I took it all to the counter to check out. The cashier said $20.00 please. I questioned her, "Are you sure that's the right price?" She insisted, "Yes." So I said, "Okay.", paid her, and walked out with my $6.00 leather jacket. I headed straight for Anna's. Anna said, $10.00, come back in a week. She did a wonderful job with it, just a little pucker by the seam and a beautiful stitched repair where it tore the leather. All you can see is a thin line, barely noticeable. Anna does beautiful work.
It's sitting in my closet right now. It had a full day out and it's resting now. With a little luck a cold front will come through one more time this year and I'll give it another ride. I had a good time wearing it today.
So, what's the moral. A story like this has to have a moral. It's that beautiful things can be saved and should be saved, like people. It takes some will. It takes some patience. It takes some skilled people. But, most of all, it takes the vision that it can be done. That was my small contribution to this story. And for my trouble, I got a beautiful jacket, my ugly duckling. It just takes the thought that things can be whole and perfect and beautiful again. And a few scars here and there really don't matter at all.
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