Chris' Birthday Presents

These two pictures were taken a few nights after my friend Chris' birthday. Jon and I decided he needed presents (as he is, after all, the one who introduced us) and so to the vintage store we went.

Chris is possessed of a black leather hat that was edgy when he first acquired it, but after long exposure to time and the elements, it has assumed the delicate appearance of a piece of jerky. He is far too handsome to have this atop his head. Jon and I decided his headwear needed to be taken in hand. The hunt for the perfect hat was on, born out of a few too many jokes, and Chris getting offended.

Jon made a few phone calls, and discovered that the amusingly named Proletariat claimed to have bowler hats, fedoras, and "a really awesome one with a big black brim." The hat that bored the closest resemblance to a bowler, if you squinted and pretended to have no knowledge of the greatness of bowlers was emblazoned with the Playboy label and so would not fly. The fedoras were made of decomposing straw. The really awesome one? It lived up to the hype.



On our way to the checkout counter, we saw The Poncho. It called to us, whispering of Chris' Mexican heritage and and the magic in its pattern. It sang songs of moonlit nights in Guadeloupe and mustachioed men wielding guitars among the saguro. If worse came to worst and he hated it, I could pretend the Latino portion of my ancestry was not Cuban but Mexican and rock it myself... in the privacy of my own room, of course. The poncho needed to be bought.

So bought it was. Breathless with hilarity, we ran back to my room, intersecting Sabine, who wanted to see what all the fuss was about. She stayed on for the first giving of the gifts, with some singing and dancing. After she left, Chris asked what we really would have done, had she not been here to force us to censor our performance. I leave you an image of the result. Draw conclusions on your own...



(However, while drawing conclusions, remember that Jon will strip down to boxers and a scarf given the slightest provocation.)