Friday, 11 December 2009
Suits You. Sir?
Jimmy got me thinking.
About my Da.
Not that I need reminding, I think of Him a lot.
And I miss him dearly.
But I was thinking about an evening I had during the summer.
I had a meet-up with two other bloggers.
My first time meeting both of them.
Though Dev & Bock were old friends.
We had arranged to meet in a well known pub in the city.
And as I didn't know what either of them looked like, I stood at the bar waiting to be approached. (Pipe in mouth, newspaper under left arm, white carnation in button-hole, hat tilted at a jaunty angle, as agreed!)
Anyway, I got to talking with a very well known historian/pub landlord I had known from my youth.
And we got to talking about my parents.
"Your father was the best dressed and most handsome man in the 'Island Field'!" (Where I come from.)
"Women would swoon as he walked by!
He only wore the best bespoke suits, (I knew this) never anything off the rack!
(These suits, one new one every year, were paid for in installments. He got the suit when the last payment was payed! A little bit out of his wages each week, to which Ma agreed, 'cos she took pride in how well Her Man looked!)
And only the fanciest of ties would adorn his crisp white shirts!"
My Da looked like a greek millionaire when he 'stepped out', what with the dandy threads, and the dusky complexion!
(He might not have had much in his pockets, but by Jesus, those pockets were expensive!)
"And as for your Mother, She had blonde hair and fair skin to rival the most glamorous stars of Hollywood!" (She still has it!)
Thank you Mr. Joe Malone.
I thought I was the only one who put my parents on a pedestal!
By the time I met Dev & Bock, well, to say I was in good form would be an understatement!
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I'm saluting you and yours tonight Brother Map.
ReplyDeleteAll the best.
U
It is very comforting when other people, people who with no "need" to keep that connection do.
ReplyDeleteWhenever my father is spoken of, it feels like I'm being given a precious gift.
it is lovely to hear others speak so fondly of our parents, sugar. my daddy also had a fondness for the well cut suit! xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteU; Thank you Brother. Cheers.
ReplyDelete@eloh; It is nice, isn't it?
xxx
Sav; I do like a suit myself hon.
(Are you winding down from the celebrations?)
xoxoxoxox
I occasionally have all of my boys around me on a night, and to see them all happy with life makes me realise that there is more of my faither in me than I ever thought possible.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the best gifts you can receive is the unsolicited stories someone gives you about your parents.
ReplyDeleteIn my eyes, Dad was the steadfast Every Man who went to work, worked hard and stuck with it even when people today would've quit and walked away. As a child I thought of him as a "serious adult" who had a sense of humor, but only at the appropriate time.
One of my favorite stories came from a man Dad worked with when I was born. [I was the firstborn]. I remember standing there, jaw on the ground, as this man described how my always proper father had hung an "It's a Girl!" sign in the store where he worked, passed out cigars to strangers and even kissed the nurse on the cheek who came out to advise I had arrived.
What a mental picture! :)
They both sound wonderful. I always like a well-dressed man. Makes them more interesting somehow.
ReplyDeleteMy father never would wear a suit, and he says now not to ever bury him in one either. I've always wondered what he'd look like in one.
ReplyDeleteBespoke suits! How magical. Even more so for how he paid for them; makes it so much more romantic.
ReplyDeleteLovely reminiscences.
Jimmy; It is often said that we become our parents!
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with that!
hope; Our Fathers!
(I hope they art in Heaven!)
xxx
Madame DF; He wouldn't let me out the door as a teenager unless my shoes were polished! (And he would take them off me and polish them himself!) He just could not understand why anyone would WANT to go out without looking their best! And I have to say, some of that has rubbed off onto me! :¬)
xxx
AJ; Different horses for different courses!
(But suits ARE good!)
xxx
Leah; He was a gent in every sense of the word.
He would never let Ma iron his shirts, or press his beloved suits. And he taught me the proper way to do same. And I have always, even now, ironed all my own clothes! (I am very particular about my creases!) :¬)
xxx
A man who takes pride in his appearance is always a friend of mine.
ReplyDeletePearl
Pearl; I DO have my 'dress-down' days, but I like to look good for 'My Public'. And ALWAYS clean-shaven! (Face AND Head!) :¬)
ReplyDeletexxx
I like simplicity; that’s a real art- not how much you say but how you say it.
ReplyDeleteGreat post M.
winding down? yes. it will be a bit longer before i am me again though, sugar. the first weeks alone are always the most difficult. xoxoxoxo
ReplyDeleteSav; I rarely spend a night away from home. Nor does Annette. And we would both find it strange to say the least!
ReplyDeleteHave joy in your health sugar, and look forward to His return. :¬)
xoxoxoxoxoxox
Sav; (That was me, using Daughters laptop!)
ReplyDeletealan; Thank you for that pal!
ReplyDeleteA man in a well fitted suit is enough to make a girl swoon! I bet your da cut a handsome figure, Map.
ReplyDeleteAnd I bet you do too. xoxoxo
I well remember the night Map and we nearly fell off our stools when we learned your dad's full name.
ReplyDeleteTrust me peeps. The name fit the man better than the finest bespoke suit.
Dev; What a night!
ReplyDelete(I'm still getting flashbacks!)
xxx