Suspenders for Sale

Grandpap used to think that suspenders were the bee’s knees. We never did understand how the joints of an insect were the equivalent of something so special, but Grandpap knew that holding up one’s pants was a sacred duty. No one saw him without a pair; I think he used to wear them when he went swimming in the lake as well. He had a different color for every outfit he owned, and then a few more. They were leather, cotton, polyester, and a few other materials that I haven’t figured out. Overall, they were the most important part of his appearance.

When I grew up in Mobile, Grandpap was one of those men that people naturally respected. He worked in the mayor’s office, doing some kind of job raising money for special charities and projects dear to the city. And as such, he needed to be presentable, and that’s where the suspenders came in. He used to tell me that my dad never appreciated such things, and that he had grown up in them hippie days. But my dad was no hippie; he served in the Vietnam War, where he was shot down in the last year of the conflict. Grandpap was saddened, and he looked to me to fill the emptiness in his heart.

I was the wild child. I got in trouble in school, from elementary all the way up until high school. I saw no importance of giving respect to my elders, teachers included, and I was ornery to everyone I met. It might have been because I had no dad growing up, but Grandpap did his best to instill some sense in me. He used to come to all the teacher meetings and open house at school, and looked proper, suspenders and all. He’d always tell me how important school was, and that he regretted not finishing his schooling before signing up during World War II. This being the small town that it was and still is, there was just the one school. Whenever he dropped me off, I could see in his eyes a sadness, and then he’d shout out, “Get a move on! And do your best!” every day.

Consequently, I never did my best. I would just find ways to skip class or sass the teachers. Like I said, I was ornery. Some days I’d go trotting out into the woods, looking for squirrels or rats to kill, and other days I’d go down to the corner store to steal some candy when the clerk wasn’t looking. All in all I was not a good student, nor did I turn into a great adult. I’ve had some brush-ins with the law, and my license was taken away. If I could go back in time and do things differently, I would, but that’s not possible, now is it?

Which brings me back to the suspenders. My Grandpap was the best thing that I remember from my childhood; he was everything I wished I would be when I grew up. I could see by the way others treated him that he was a man of respect. Grandpap took me fishing one day, and we started talking about the suspenders. He said, “I’ve worn suspenders every day of my life, I reckon, and they’ve always done me good. Suspenders keep a man grounded, keep him upright, and keep him going. I thought that maybe one day I would hand them down to my son.” He looked down at this reel. “But that won’t happen now, will it?” He looked at me. “One day I will leave this earth, and when I do, I hope they will do right by you.” I looked at him; he was getting older, his hair whiter, his skin more wrinkled, his sparkling blue eyes now pale and clouded over. I knew he couldn’t last forever.

After his funeral, my mother gave me a box, and I sensed what was in there. “He always wanted you to have these. He said you’d know what to do with them.” I took the box and opened it. The suspenders. I could smell his aftershave in there along with the respect he always wore. I looked deep inside myself and knew I was not worthy of these suspenders. Only someone who finished school, someone who stayed out of trouble, someone worthy of respect deserved these.

And then I thought ever deeper. He always wanted to finish school. That, to him, would have been more important than anything else he had done in life. So I made a decision to offer them on this website, and the proceeds will go to the school, our school, in the form of a scholarship in his name to help someone finish his schooling. I first put the price at $150, but once I explained what the money was going for, the offers started going up. The last I checked I’d had an offer of $800, which would help many kids get their diplomas. By the end of the month, I’ll give these suspenders to the highest bidder, and then they’ll do right by those students.

Grandpap would finally be able to be proud of me.