My friend Nancy liked a boy a block away, because of that she would do anything to be near him. She would baby sit his little brother a lot. About 1963, I was 12, she was taking the little brother to see Santa in a department store in Flushing. I forget which store. I was taking my little brother, Tom who was 4 with us.
We walked to Nancy's house and from there the half block to the boys house. The mother came to the door with her little son. She looked at Tommy. She said you are taking him like that? I looked at Tommy, so did Nancy, and I said yes. I had no idea what she was talking about. We left. As we are walking away, Nancy said I can't believe she said that. I said, me too. Still not a clue in my head.
On the bus to Flushing, I was looking at her son and Tommy. It finally hit me what she was talking about. Her son was immaculate, his pants, jacket, shoes, hair cut. And then there was Tommy.
He was wearing my brother Charlie's hand me down brown leather hat, lined with fur, that you could tie the ears up. It was so old it was peeling and fading like leather does when its old. His pants were patched at the knees and his jacket was an old cloth jacket that had a few stains, it saw better days but it was warm.
I would think nothing about how he was dressed because we all wore hand me downs and the only time you got new clothes is if nothing fit.
So, she thought Tommy looked too cruddy to go see Santa. I was thankful Tommy did not understand any of this.
I would never go to that house again and I think Nancy didn't go there as much either.
