The Answer, My Friend…

voltee ♦ March 21, 2011 ♦ 2 Comments

Item: Tee-shirt Color/Fabric: Sea Foam, Lyocell Where Purchased: The Gap Years Owned: 8

Facing yet another jam packed week that includes more house guests, and wanting to rid myself of this zombie-like demeanor I have adopted this month, tonight I will keep this short and sweet!
This little tee is something that I haven’t worn in quite some time, but am hesitant to part with. It’s very soft. And flattering, with the draping in front that hides a little bloating very nicely. It’s just sort of… boring.
I wore this after we had lived in New York for almost a year. The first ten months or so of being here, I hardly ever left the house. I was eternally waiting for some contractor or other, and besides, I was terrified. I felt very brave when we decided to be here, but upon arriving, all that bravery evaporated, and I felt very lost and alone.
The good thing was that I did a lot of writing.
The bad thing was that I was cooped up in the house for almost a year. A very real hermit.
So we decided that I needed to have a car, and eventually, a job.
We found a car we wanted to check out in Long Island. It was, I think late March or early April. I was hoping that it would be a sunshiney, warm spring day.
I wore this green tee, but brought along a coat just in case.
The car was not what we wanted, but we planned to make a day of it any way by visiting Fire Island. I had always heard it was beautiful.
And so it was! It ended up being very blustery, though, and I was very glad to have brought along a jacket. It could not have been above 50 degrees, and the wind along the beach made it seem even colder.
It was a very odd sensation, having been one moment in heavy, horn-blazing smoggy traffic, and the next, standing in sand, hearing only the roaring of waves, feeling the salt tingle my skin. It was practically magical.
I felt sad that we neglected to bring along a picnic. But we decided to visit the light house, a stately, stoic guardian that I recognized from the shower curtain on my mother-in-law’s shower curtain.
On the path to the light house, we saw a sign stating that that area of the beach was traditionally clothing optional.
We laughed at the idea of nude bathers in such frigid temperatures. The beach was completely deserted, anyway.
But what should we encounter as we left the lighthouse to stroll back along the beach, but a man, looking for driftwood and sea shells, in a red Adidas windbreaker?
And not a stitch on his lower half.
None.
I’m talking free and easy, in the cruel March gusts.
He was an explorer. Lunging deeply on top of large chunks of wood. Bending over suddenly to dig a spontaneous hole in the sand. Whipping around to face us abruptly, as though he had heard an alarming sound.
Nate was very flustered. I struggled hard to swallow down my laughter and keep my eyes averted. Both proved difficult, given the great quantity of erratic movement and wind.
But eventually we made our way back to our car and journeyed home.
And that is the tale of the sea green tee and the great sea breeze.
To this day, though, I cannot stifle a chuckle whenever I see a red Adidas jacket.
And sometimes this shirt. Does that mean that I should keep it?

**I’ve decided to live without this. It’s cute, and a great color, and figure-forgiving. Who wants it?