Too Many Clothes. Copy-write P. Audcent 2014
Giles Frobisher was an elegant chap. He was four years old and not quite ready for school. His elder brothers and sisters were all in their various grades at the local school but Giles, being the youngest was not. In one way he was a lucky chap and in another he was the butt end of many jokes around the neighbourhood.
He had to wear the hand me downs from his older siblings.
When Mr and Mrs Frobisher each year had to supervise the buying of school uniforms and holiday clothes for each of their children, Giles was left out, for there were any number of old children's cloths in the various cupboards around the house to fit him. As Giles grew up there was always a larger jumper, coat or trousers that would fit him. So alas when he went out to play the neighbourhood children would shout after him questions about the cloths he was wearing.
'Hello Jimmy trousers, or Wilfred jumper, and even on one occasion, Jenny's socks and shoes.'
But Giles being a stoic little boy learnt to ignore such remarks, in fact he became quite happy wearing his big brothers old clothes. True some had to be darned by Mother, but her needle work was the very best and you could not see where the tear or hole started or ended.
It came at last to Giles first school days and as it happened Jimmy's first year coat and shorts were a perfect fit so after a clean at the Cleaning shop down the road, he looked spic and span, everything neatly pressed and as new. Mother had taken out Jimmy's name tag and sewed in one called Giles, so really no one could tell the difference between a second hand coat and one bought new.
Now this continued for several years until Giles finally reached his second school and began to grow taller and taller, so even the eldest boy's uniforms were too small and for the first time in his life Giles was taken by his father to the outfitters for a brand new uniform. But it smelt really strange, not at all like the well washed ones he had worn previously. But Father said, 'look Giles no one is going to yell after you because lets face it you are by far the tallest in the road, but try to remember how bullied you were when you were small, so do look out for the very young ones and defend them when necessary.' Giles thought for a while and remembered his oldest brother Richard always kept his eye out for the younger ones like him.
“Yes I will be a Richard in my new uniform Dad.” said Giles looking down at his father.
And Dad just smiled the smile of somebody that knows.