This isn't the new one.
I bought a new wallet today. $22 bucks at a clearance sale at Shoes for the Soul. Heck of a deal.
I can now retire my old wallet, one I’ve had for at least 15 years. I’m not entirely sure just when I got that old wallet. Mom bought it for me and I know I was still in high school. I graduated in 1997 so at minimum we’re talking 15 years.
While I don’t remember the date I do remember the circumstances. I needed a new wallet and asked Mom to get me one (spoilt brat that I was). She said sure (saint that she is) and I asked for a brown one.
I’m not sure why. Pulp Fiction had recently came out and my decision might have been influenced by this scene with Samuel L. Jackson.
I wasn’t going to ask mom to get me a wallet that said “Bad Mother Fucker” on it but a brown wallet would be cool.
Mom’s response? No.
She’d get me a wallet but not a brown one. I have no idea why and she wouldn’t explain. She doesn’t remember this today and just laughs when I tell the story.
So there I was with a black wallet. That wallet – while not brown – sure was worth it. Fifteen years!
The leather is thin and supple. The fold looks like animal skin, scaly almost, and edges are breaking in parts. In others, where the wearing is less, the leather is polished and shiny. You can still make out the mark left by a sticker I put in there back in university. I don’t remember the sticker, but I can tell you its exact dimensions.
There aren’t any wallet-specific memories with this old wallet. I remember walking down to the beach with my girlfriend. We rolled our pants up and waded out into the shallow surf. We hugged and I then, me still hugging her tightly, tipped over backwards, dunking us both in the ocean.
The wallet took days to dry out and the salt water added an odd texture to the leather.
And now it’s done. The wear has become too much and it looks too shabby when I got to pay for things. I’ve decided there’s something to be said for appearances, especially as things in my life shift. Presenting a successful front and all that.
I’m not one to get sentimental over a wallet, but as I moved everything over into the new wallet, I started to notice the intricate grain and fine folks in the leather. The new one can’t compare with the character of the old one.
I give you My Old Black Wallet.
I can’t wait to show mom my new wallet.
