T-Shirts

I wish there was a service that wore your t-shirts in for you. Not the "fancy" ones that you allow yourself to wear to work. No, those must stay pristine. I mean the t-shirts that are too big and just call for you to wrap yourself in while hugging a pillow and breathing in deeply. I wear one of those to sleep when I feel like my world is a little wobbly. A little unsure. It makes me feel safe.

I feel safe tonight but also nostalgic because I'm not the one that secured the scent into this shirt. The smell of this t-shirt is something I wish I could capture in a test tube and hide in a pocket. This shirt has holes along the neck and around the arms. The print is faded while still proclaiming the original owner's participation in "THE CUP" during high school. I feel safe because of the original owner, who chivalrously sent me home in it one night after promising to try again and enjoy a summer together.

That was two summers ago and while I catch myself thinking of it wistfully more often than I would like I also love where we are now. I'm happy to care about him and see him adventure out into the world. I'm happy that he knows about my life but I don't burden him with it. I'm happy that he tries new things and goes new places. And I'm happy to be leaving at the end of this summer. I'll take the shirt with me, but not the ring.