The Wardrobe           by  Sandy Mason

All Rights Reserved

Scott Eddison was obsessed by his wardrobe. It wasn’t just a passing ng mind game. It was an out and out obsession. It overcame his life each morning before work and each evening before bedtime. During the daytime working hours it sometimes carried him to distraction.

Often, during dreary business luncheons he would focus on the subtle pattern in his suit. The pattern brought him comfort – the simple beauty of weaving intricate lines into the soft cloth. Like a  work of art he thought, indeed a well made suit was a work of art. And so, he would make it through the day – another day in his mediocre  career and his failed personal life. He would listen to his clients and feign  some involvement, all the while hoping that the thin veneer of his attention wouldn’t dissolve into another stream of disinterest.

When the clock finally ticked to four in the afternoon his business attention totally evaded him. Too many images during the day were left in front of him. Late at night after a few scotches , Scott’s wardrobe re-entered his consciousness. Wandering quietly  into  his walk in closet, he  perused his things – all alone– his private time with his clothing - passing his hands over his garments.

Scott would chose one of his suits and slowly caress the sleeves and lapels like the breast of a sensual woman. Then he’d focus on his beautiful dress shirts wrapped in their ribbons of cardboard. Yes the shirts, those gorgeous shirts, standing ready like soldiers to do battle during the business day.  Their strength and elegance could carry him through the meetings, greetings and negotiations which threaded through his life.

Then of course there were the ties – those eclectic, fickle ties. Their flamboyance and arrogance allowed for a sequence of combinations with his suits and shirts. Each capable of its own mood, its own day  its’ own persuasions.

The truth was, Scott had clothes in his closet dating back thirty years or more. As his life unfolded, his career took center stage. He became a successful advertising executive knowing both the sales and production sides of the business. His positions brought him relocate  to San Francisco, Chicago and Washington DC. As the years went on he was abandoned by his ex-wives and left alone by his ex-girl friends. When the economy crashed, he found himself back in New York, working for a small firm and earning a salary he made twenty - five years ago. He leased a small apartment on the east side of Manhattan which had a main feature of oversized closets. The landlord said the previous two tenants had just disappeared with no notice and left their belongings. Not that the landlord minded, since he held the last month’s rent as well as a security deposit. Scott agreed to the same, all the while wondering why anyone would split and leave their deposits and their clothes abandoned without a clue