The Ned Wood Archive

Sam

After he left his brother, Sam went looking around a couple of the Oxfam stalls to see whether there just might be, maybe, something he could wear that evening.  An evening gown for Tilly’s ball. He went to the one just past the Meeting Place, up towards the Acoustic Tent, but that was all glitter and skimpy disco stuff.  He went to the one down on the stretch near Left Field, along with one or two other places nearby.  He even found the courage to try on a couple of old second hand dresses, but they were far too tight.  Not around the waist but around the shoulders.  Anything he tried cut into his arm pits.  It started him thinking.  How do swimmers cope and other women with big shoulders?  How do they find anything to fit?  Not that Sam’s got big shoulders.  He’s just a different shape.  

He gives up.

He starts walking up to the Park.  He’s planning on seeing Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, but they aren’t on for a while, meaning he’s got plenty of time.  He’ll catch whoever is on before them.  Maybe drop in at Left Field or Avalon first.  

As he’s walking past the Glade, he sees a couple of blokes half his age walking towards him.  They’re both dressed up in brightly patterned skirts and are walking arm in arm.  To be honest, that’s not an unusual sight, especially on this side of town.  The skirts are long, almost dragging on the ground.  They flare out like huge bell tents that could hide any number of runaway kids like the granny does in Gunter Grass’ Tin Drum.  One of the lads has a matching Hawaiian shirt.  The other has a sparkly disco vest.  A bit like the ones from the first Oxfam.     

What the hell.  Sam asks them where they got the skirts.  The one in the vest tells him that he’d look fantastic in one and points along the railway track.  The corner of Avalon, opposite the stage he says.  Sam follows the directions.  It isn’t hard to find.  There’s a stall selling all sorts of clothing, including a range of one size fits all skirts.  He hesitates. He asks himself what the reaction will be when Anne and everyone else sees him in something like this. He browses other stuff while the dust in his brain settles. There’s no-one else inside, so he can try something on in private. Should he? Yeah! Just this once. He gets himself one in a fairly conservative blue pattern and then finds a lighter sky blue shirt to go with it.  He’s sorted.  He can go to the ball for Tilly’s birthday tonight.