Greg's Ascots

by G. Richard Alderman

At age 47, Greg decided, without warning or explanation, to start wearing ascots. His coworkers at the bank whispered behind his back for three days straight before Gary in HR finally asked, “So... are you in a play or something?” His children staged an intervention in the kitchen, begging him to return to t-shirts “like a normal dad,” while his wife just quietly bought matching pocket squares and said nothing. At first, it was all fun and confusion—then Greg gave a toast at his niece’s wedding and someone in the crowd whispered, “He looks like he knows something we don’t.” By Christmas, even Uncle Stu had started wearing cravats, and nobody dared question Greg’s choices anymore. Truth was, the ascots had given him just enough courage to become the person he’d always meant to be—slightly odd, undeniably elegant, and absolutely himself.

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G. Richard Alderman is a retired middle school art teacher who believes every wardrobe deserves a little flair and every sentence a dash of surprise. He lives in Vermont.