New Shirt

A boy wants to look good

Wade crawled out of bed and put his feet on the ice cold floor. As usual, no one was home in the leaky old shack but him and his hunger. Quickly, he grabbed the clothes he'd worn for the last two weeks, ran to the next room and dressed beside the tiny gas heater.

Jeepers, it's cold!

Searching the filthy kitchen for something to eat, he found one hard slice of bread and ate it in three bites. Then, with his thin rag of a jacket buttoned tight, the eleven year old went outside into the January cold.

I hope I find a lot of scrap metal today, so I can buy me a new shirt. I saw one at Mrs. Clawson's used clothes that I really like.

The small town was just a mile away, and Wade trotted there in minutes. The alleys behind the stores were where he might find various bits of copper, brass, or scrap iron. Seventeen cents a pound for brass, nineteen cents for copper, and one half cent per pound for iron--it was pitiful little money, except to a kid who had none.

Oh, boy! Grissom's hardware has a bunch of trash laid out!

Diligent searching soon revealed a burned copper extension cord and a piece of brass from a commode.

Wow! These ought to bring about a dime. Heh-heh, I love it when I hit the jackpot.

After five hours, Wade headed to Harvey's scrap metal business with a tote sack over his shoulder that weighed nearly as much as he did. Once there, Harvey weighed the various bits of iron, copper, and brass, then paid Wade accordingly. (Wade was a regular customer, so the old man didn't fuss that some of the copper wire still had its insulation on)

Oh, goody--a dollar and 11 cents! Now I can buy that shirt I saw at Mrs. Clawson's.

That following Monday morning, Wade jumped out of bed, got dressed and went off to school. Wearing the same dirty jeans and coat, he left the top three coat buttons undone, so the world could see his beautiful new shirt sticking out. Strutting all seven blocks, he knew he looked good.

Just wait till Mrs. Stewart sees me in this shirt. I know she'll like it. Helen will like it, too.

Wade didn't wait until he'd entered the classroom before removing his coat, and marched proudly through the hallways with his short-sleeved, brightly-colored Hawaiian shirt in full view of all. Some girls smiled when they saw him, but others made faces. Darren Mills told Wade, "Man, people will see you comin' a mile away in that!"

Heh-heh, Darren sure likes my shirt.

All day long, teachers and kids raised their eyebrows at the site of Wade. Some would say, "What a great shirt", or something such, but most said nothing.

I didn't know how great clothes can make you feel. The kids who have nice, clean clothes to wear every day must feel like this all the time.

Wade wore the shirt the next day and the next. And the next.

No one wants to say nice things about my shirt anymore. I wonder why?

That Friday after school, as Wade walked home, Darren Mills attacked him. "I hate this damned shirt!" he screamed, then ripped it off of him and stomped on it. Holding back tears, Wade picked up the remains and went toward home.

Darren always has nice clothes, so I don't know why he didn't want me to have this shirt.

Wade felt more worthless than ever, and kicked at rocks as he walked.

I guess I'm not supposed to have anything nice, and will never be as good as the other kids. I am a Johnson, after all.

Author's Note

Inspired by actual events.

Reviews

[Lorry]

I'd like to say how far we've advanced as a race Samuel, but sometimes it feels like we're going backwards in certain aspects.
Just another idiot taking his bad day out on an easy target. The saddest thing is, the bully wouldn't even remember it amongst the many he'd deny, but the victim will never forget.
Your tale tells more than the sum of its parts here, so succinctly and well done.

[Samuel Dickens]

Thank you. No one actually tore the shirt off of me, though I imagine a few wanted to. The teachers were probably just sad to see me wear that inappropriate shirt day after day.

[Brian Aguiar]

Samuel, I see this story as a excellently captured moment of innocence lost, and as another step in the process that leads to so many of giving up that beautiful simplicity of childhood, and becoming jaded adults.

[Samuel Dickens]

Thank you, Brian. Speaking just of myself, my rough childhood was still filled with wonder. This story is true, except that the shirt wasn't torn off me.

[NotUsinganymore]

Very sad poem about poverty. I too lived in poverty so I can understand.

[Samuel Dickens]

Thank you. Although my finances are fine now, I'll never forget poverty.

[Dara]

This is a very touching story Sam. As I teacher I was able to pick out a bully easily within minutes of meeting them. My heart goes out to Wade but Darren is the one I feel sorry for. I am sure he didn’t grow up to be half the man that Wade did. I grew up with hand me downs and homemade clothes. It was hard not to compare them to the ones the wealthier girls wore. But when I think back those homemade ones were pretty fantastic and made with love. Good to see you again!

[Samuel Dickens]

Thanks, Dara. I wore the hand-me-downs as well, especially until my later teens, when I earned money to buy a few new ones. There was no shame in that-no shame at all. I wholly agree with you about clothes made with love, also. Wired for life to value things that some wouldn't, I guess. (That's me)
It's interesting how you learned to easily spot the bullies.

[Dara]

As a special Ed teacher I became very protective of my students. Most regular students went out of their way to be nice but there were a few who tried to make fun of them.

[light and ashes]

This is so sad..... well written.

[Samuel Dickens]

Thank you. Having grown up so poor, I'll always feel compassion for the world's less fortunate.

[light and ashes]

It does give you a unique perspective I'm sure.... I'm sorry.

[SweetNutmeg]

That was a good story, although sad. And wow, that's quite an end, that I did not see coming. Poor Wade. Poor in many ways. And yes, why did Darren not want him to have a shirt? Mean people baffle me.

[Samuel Dickens]

Thank you. From the age of 7 to 13, when I lived exclusively with my dad, I wore a lot of dirty rags. I scavenged for scrap metal to sell, also. I still recall having 85 pounds in my sack once, which I thought funny because that was my weight at the time.

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

Poignant and superbly-written story Sam. You draw Wade’s character with such pathos and humility.He’s just a good, sweet kid scrabbling to survive in a cold, hard world. Written so believably that it took my breath away at the end. Your masterful skill for detail and nuance and language in your storytelling makes it so believable and so heart-breaking. No child should have to suffer like Wade did, but the fact is that they did and they do. Tears.One of your best stories-have saved it in my library. Superb write my friend!

[Samuel Dickens]

Thank you, Annette. I feel honored.

[barleygirl]

WOW! I feel like I've been kicked in the gut, from the ending to your very well-crafted story. There are several layers of meaning, so powerful, the reader is reeling a bit from the rapid pace of this little ditty, deceivingly simple in form. One of the saddest parts: wearing the shirt all week & not realizing this brightly colored flag would make it obvious to others that it's his only decent shirt & probably hasn't been laundered all week, either. The child is sadly oblivious to what it means to afford better clothing, so much more involved, than just having this one precious shirt. These are the little tragedies happening all over, which scar kids for life, but barely noticeable to most of us. That's why its so beautiful of you to highlight this situation with your story. Sounds like a simple story, but it's actually a social (class) commentary. Great job, as usual!

[Samuel Dickens]

The gist of the story is true and happened to me, although no one tore the shirt off me. To say that I was poorly cared for is probably an understatement. Left many scars, it did.

[barleygirl]

I have a similar childhood flash memory . . . thinking how to deliver it in words . . . you're such an inspiration!

[Renée]

Ok..a bit of tearing..you have a natural ability to pull us into a story, feeling the character.
It is a another great piece Sam and a compliment, that it touch deeply.

[MelissaAndres]

Oh, that is so sad! It just goes to show that kids can be bullies over so many things. Children can be cruel and those who have much take it all for granted. Poor Wade's happiness and self-esteem was torn to shreds that day too. :(

[Samuel Dickens]

Much of the story is true, I'm afraid. When living with dad, I did scavenge the allies for scrap metal. I wore the shirt all week, too.

[MelissaAndres]

We used to sell Coke cans for extra money to buy candy when we were kids but it sounds like you did what you did for survival. I am so glad you survived your childhood and became such a creative, productive adult!