So that was the course of Tuesday of this formative week.
Wednesday was fine and dry so I had no problems with rainwear. In the evening, I happened to look through the evening paper that Mum had brought back with her. There was a small advertisement which read: ' Boys and girls school rain coats for sale; under 5 pounds.' I showed it to Mum and she said that it was worth while following it up. She found that the shop was only just around the corner from her work and so suggested that I should meet her outside her office after school and we would go together to the shop. Thursday was also fine, but as I waited outside her office for Mum to join me it started to spit with rain. We found the shop and went in. A pleasant elderly man greeted us and Mum said we had seen the advertisement and did they really have raincoats for sale at under 5 pounds.
"Oh yes, madam", said the man. "Let me show you one. Is it for this young man?"
"Before you fetch one", Mum replied, "are they gabardine school coats?"
"No, I'm afraid not at that price. A gabardine coat would cost you around 20 pounds or more. But these are really much better. Your gabardine coat is not fully waterproof, but these are. Let me show you one. I'll just find one the right size for the young gentleman." He vanished into a back room and came back with this shiny black mac, which he promptly started to extol to my mother. "Now this is our raincoat which we are offering. It is completely waterproof and very smart." Mum asked; "What's it made of?"
"It's what is called polished Wigan cloth. It's a rubber mac made in Scotland, and they certainly know how to make waterproofs there."
I took an instant dislike to this garment. I wasn't going to have one if I could help it, and I told Mum so. "Just try it on, dear", she said, "And let's see what it looks like on you." So I was inserted into another horrid mac. It rustled and smelt and I knew that no-one else at school had a raincoat anything like this shiny black rubber mac. They all wore nice conventional navy blue gabardine raincoats. "Do it up, Jack", said Mum, and I attempted to do so, but was interrupted by; "No, it's a boy's mac and buttons up the usual way." I had got used to Mum's old blue mac and was trying to do this one up the girls' way. It was most embarrassing. "Now the belt, dear." And so I rustled around doing up the belt. All coats had belts in those days. "I don't like it, Mum. I'm not going to wear it."
"It's very smart, dear. It makes you look very grown up."
The salesman very sensibly said he would leave us to make up our minds. Mum tried to persuade me that it was a very sensible and cheap raincoat, but I wasn't having any. Finally, she delivered the crunch blow. "Well, you know, if we don't buy this you'll have to go on wearing my old blue mac, because I shan't be able to afford another for months to come. This one I can afford."
"No, I don't want it Mum. I don't like it."
"All right then, you're happy to wear the old blue one. I'm surprised, because you made such a fuss about it. Are you sure, now?"
Eventually, I gave in. It was the better of two dreadful evils, but I couldn't go on suffering the taunts of wearing my mother's mac at school. So Mum called over the man and said that we had decided to buy the coat. He said: " I think you're very wise madam. It is a lovely coat and will never wear out. It will keep the young man dry for years to come." This was the last thing I wanted to hear. I started to undo the mac, but the salesman stopped me. "No, don't take it off yet. Just do up the top button and put the collar up. There is something more to come." I waited with some trepidation while he went away. Soon he was back. "Here we are, madam. As an extra included in the price comes this sou'wester in the same material. It completes the outfit and is a great protection against the rain. Now, sir, just put it on like this and make sure that the back goes over the collar, otherwise you'll have water running down your neck!"
So there I was, not only with the shiny black rubber mac, but with this horrible sou'wester on as well. It smelt and to my mind simply looked ridiculous, but Mum and the salesman went into rhapsodies. "It just finishes it off and looks so sensible", said Mum. "Now would you like me to wrap it up for you, Madam, or will he wear it?" Mum decided that as it now seemed to be raining quite hard outside I should wear this horrible new raingear, so out we went. As we went, I said to Mum, "At least I shan't have to wear those brown wellington boots with this black mac." She replied, "Well, I'm certainly not going to buy you a new pair of black ones", which gave me some relief.
So we went home, me clad in the new mac and sou'wester.
| Stiff Penalty Part IV |
JC
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