Wonder what became of Dad’s plaid winter coat? Heavy wool with gray flannel lining, black and white tweed with tiny flecks of red, mid-thigh length with dark horn buttons. He'd stuff his well-worn black leather gloves into the pockets of that coat and pop the collar when it was really cold.
When he got home from work he’d throw his coat over the newel post at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the landing that turned and went further up to the second floor. I always checked his pockets for a piece of gum or a Tootsie Roll but usually just found his pack of Marlboros, a book of matches, and his car keys. I’d pull his coat off the banister and put it on along with his gloves, all of it dwarfing my little boy’s body. He was a stylish guy with his plaid coat, gray flannel slacks, crisp white shirt, skinny striped tie, and shiny thick-soled black wingtip shoes. I vividly recall that coat with its comforting scent of dad’s Clubman after shave mixed with a hint of cigarette smoke. I vividly recall that coat but can’t remember the sound of his voice, now lost in the fog of time, 20 plus years since he passed. I bet his coat is tucked away in some long-forgotten cardboard box, likely in a deserted closet in some remote Salvation Army storage facility or the attic of the First Baptist Church down on Fourth Street, all taped up and covered in dust. I wonder if I found that box and opened it and found Dad’s coat if I’d also find his voice?
Your recent posts have been so full of memory and personal nostalgia.
When I saw this was about a coat i was waiting for the reference to smell... There is something about recalling the smell of our parent's coats from when we were small and they were way too big. It is so vivid. And yet so true that we can forget the more mundane everyday like the sound of a voice so easily.
My dad used to leave his cigarettes on a worktop and go to the bathroom so I didn’t have to rummage through his coat when I stole his cigarettes. He was strong on ethics in his own way.
Loved this. Thanks for sharing.