For years now I have been on the annual quest to purchase a good leather jacket. Each year I always came up empty because there was always something about the ones I looked at that didn't quite meet my expectations. Maybe it was the color, the style or sometimes it was the actual cost. At the same time, I was never really confident that a leather jacket would suit my personality. There was always some reason that kept me from purchasing one.
That all changed a week ago when my son, Tim, mentioned to me that Joseph A. Banks had a sale going on and everything was on sale. I decided to take a look and much to my surprise, there it was. Hanging prominently as you first walk in the store. It was the style I had been looking for. It was definitely the right color and texture of leather. Taking off my Under Armour fleece jacket and draping it over the other jackets, I reached to pull the jacket off the rack.
As I put one arm in, it seemed awfully heavy to me. Fortunately, the salesman stopped over and unlocked the chain that was attached to it. Unbeknownst to me, the leather jackets were all strapped in with heavy cable and locks. I guess being so close to the front door, they don't have much choice. Once the lock was opened, the jacket wasn't nearly as heavy.
Slipping it on, God, it felt great. I started walking to the full length mirror full of anticipation. Immediately, I liked the look and especially how it looked on me. I stood there admiring myself. I soon realized I hadn't looked at the price yet and now I was sure I would once more be disappointed in one of the key reasons I had never purchased one before.
Sure enough, $700. Wow! I was thinking maybe $450. The sale was 50% off so I was thinking I might walk out of the store with a new jacket and the billfold $250 light. A bit resigned as I took it off, the salesman asked what I thought. I told him that I liked it a lot but I needed to take a look at a couple of other stores. He indicated that he wanted to check on a special offer that was available.
Once at the sales counter, he started looking through some kind of book. "That's what I thought", he said. "What's that?, I asked. "I can do that jacket at 70% off". "I'll take it", was my quick response. Finally, I walked out of a store with a new leather jacket that I knew I would be happy with and it only set me back $228.00 including tax.
Later in the day I had to take it out of its plastic bag and share it with Tim who told me of the sale. He really liked it. I told him I really liked it too. It was the right color, the right style, the right texture and best of all, the right price. There's something else about it too I mentioned but I wasn't quite sure what it was.
As Tim put the jacket on and admired himself in the car window, he sniffed at the jacket. "Wow, I love that smell", he said to me. "Smells like my baseball glove". That was it. I knew it immediately then. My long-love for my best baseball glove of years gone by. My jacket smelled just like my old baseball glove, affectionately referred to as "Brownie" by me and all my friends. My father bought me that oversized Rawlings glove when I was ten years old. I used it well into my twenties, even when I played for the First Army team. I will now have three great memories every time I put my leather jacket on. My father, my glove Brownie and my son, Tim.
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