Jacket Hide and Seek

I feel sure, my beloved readers, this is not the first time I’ve mentioned “the apartment in The Bronx.” You will recall, this is where my mom, dad, and my two sisters lived. It would be a big fat fib if I wrote about my apartment in Staten Island, given I never lived there.

So, to continue with my missive of the day … in our apartment in The Bronx, my sisters and I shared this one fairly small closet in the hallway across from the rather large bedroom my two sisters and I shared. My parents had their own closets and, of course, their own bedroom. Our closet boasted a pole across the width of said closet. On either side of the closet, it contained strategically placed shelves.

This closet was where we hung our coats, jackets, hats, gloves all of which lived politely and quietly until we required their services.

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Never that I can recall, did any of our belongings play the game of hide and seek with us. Hidden in this small piece of property, in a box I would hide, were some of my very special and most private items of interest. My diary for example, some crushed flowers; letters (remember the lost art of the handwritten letter? Wasn’t it a wonderful form of communication?)

Also hidden were copies of various plays, which I dreamed I would star in one day. Virtually impossible to notice, given how well hidden it was, was the money I earned working summers and after school.

Years working in summer camp gave me some spending money. Ah, summer camp, where I learned who I was, what I was capable of, how to twirl a baton, shave my legs, and kiss boys. During the school year, at 3 p.m. sharp, the bell would ring, announcing my high school classes were over. This is when I would head out for my job at Alexander’s department store on Fordham Road, in The Bronx! The paychecks I received each week increased my wealth by leaps and bounds.

My wealth had to be protected from curious family members. Supporting my teen lifestyle required financial independence. With this wealth, I was also able to give my sisters allowances — one of my mantras is: I love being the rich uncle.

I bought my first winter jacket with this wealth. I felt such pride seeing it hanging in the closet mentioned above.

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to fly up north to visit one of my sisters who is living in New Jersey and spend a little time with some dear friends. My sister strongly suggested I bring a jacket which would keep me warm in the cold, the rain, or if I was fortunate enough to get to play in the snow. (I was not so fortunate — it did not snow.)

As a gift from one of my friends, I received a pair of beautiful gloves. When I was going through airport security on my way home from New Jersey to Atlanta, I was forced to stuff these gloves into the pockets of my jacket. I did not want to lose them. There were hundreds and hundreds of people waiting in the line to pass through security. Some were waiting with a modicum of decorum, others waited impatiently, all were waiting for the same moment when they were told to go ahead and move through security. It was a total ballagon (mess). People shoving, yelling at the security personnel, I was on edge and anxious to move on.

I sincerely hoped my flight home to Atlanta would be uneventful. I carried with me my child-sized suitcase which was just big enough to hold all my belongings and fits so comfortably in the space above the seats. My jacket would not fit in the suitcase, so I carried it through security, placing it in one of the bins. When I was cleared to continue, I collected my suitcase and backpack and rushed out to my gate. I was totally unaware my jacket was in a playful mood. Hide and seek was its game of choice. I did not realize I was sans jacket, until I speed walked the hundred (or so it seemed) miles to my gate.

It was too late to go back to security. My jacket won this round of the game. I sure hope it is happy wherever and with whomever it is now living. I also hope it has an appropriate closet to live in. Most of all, I hope its new owner is playful and loves the game of Jacket Hide and Seek.