Last year, my brother-in-law invited my dad to a couple of
Seahawks games with his season tickets. Because all of my dad’s coats were
black wool, leather, or suede, my mom thought a new, warm, machine-washable raincoat
with a hood (preferably in an easy-to-see color for the ever-wandering Dad) was
in order. Clearly, this involved a trip to the mall. Now, I have to say, that,
after spending plenty of years in malls with his lovely daughters, I am fairly
sure that my dad likes shopping more than any of his “girls.” And he is
definitely the slowest shopper out of all of us – and the day of coat shopping
was no exception. Two hours at Sears where he spent the whole time rejecting
every coat that mom and I picked out (although I must admit that we showed him
the same coats several times) and kept going back to black leather or suede
jackets. Rain coats were for “sissies” and there was “no way” he was going to
wear a red, blue, or green jacket. This from the guy who spent many of my
childhood years wearing a pink polo shirt or Hawaiian board shorts and shirts.
Such a fan of color – and quite a fashion statement! Finally, we convinced him
to “choose” a blue raincoat with a fleece lining. Mom and I thought it was a
good purchase, but Dad was not having it. Every time he opened the coat closet
to get a jacket out last fall/winter, he would loudly proclaim “whose ugly coat
is this?” Every single time! And he had no interest at all wearing it to the
Seahawks games, even when we convinced him it was the right color. He did wear
the “ugly coat” to all of the games though. Mom is very persuasive. What a
relief when spring came and the coat was no longer an issue for a while.
I wasn’t sure what would happen this past fall when it got
cold and wet enough to don a raincoat. The first time I took it out of the
closet for him to wear, on cue, he exclaimed “not that ugly thing!” I had to
smile and let him choose his own coat. The next week, I just asked him to get a
coat out of the closet – something warm and waterproof. When he picked the blue
raincoat, I had to giggle. Reverse psychology? Actually, he chose that coat out
of the closet for most of this past winter. He still occasionally calls it the
“ugly coat” but wears it without complaint. So… if you ever want to take him to
a Seahawks game, he is ready to go!
Dad in his "ugly coat" at Snoqualmie Pass
