New Coat

Lottie took the navy peacoat off the crooked, little rack to give it a closer look. No holes or patches or fraying at the seams, with only a little damage on the upper sleeve where an insignia must have been not all that carefully unstitched. The previous owner must have kept it in a closet for years without having ever worn it more than once.

His brother had one just like it. John purchased it from a charity event that was hosted in their church's rec center. From that day on, except for the hottest parts of the summer, he wore it everyday. Sometimes even to bed. As a child Lottie had once asked him why he was so attached to it and John had said that the weight of it kept him from floating away. It seemed like a perfectly reasonable answer to him at the time. The heavy woolen coat certainly looked like it could anchor a man to the world.

I hope they buried him in it, Lottie thought. 

He picked up the sleeve, held the paper price tag fixed to it close to his face so he could make out what was written upon it, and then promptly put the coat back. He needed a new coat, but not for $15.

"Do you want that?" Ambrose asked

Lottie flinched, he hadn't even noticed that Ambrose followed him into the store. "No. Just looking is all."

"I saw the face you made before putting it back," Ambrose replied. He picked up the coat and glanced at the tag himself. "Oh, 15 isn't bad."

"I don't need a new coat."

"That's a lie and you know it. The one you're wearing has holes in both the pockets."

"I'm going to have it mended"

"Again?" He gently grabbed Lottie's sleeve and shook it. "And the seams of it too? The damn thing doesn't even want to be a coat anymore, stop torturing it."

Lottie jerked his arm away with a huff. "Don't spend that type of money on me."

Ambrose grinned. "Watch me." He bolted to the front of the small store, and by the time Lottie caught up to him had already pulled out his wallet and placed the money on the counter. 

—----

Once back at their dorm, Lottie retrieved his glasses from his desk and tried on the peacoat. He twisted side to side as he stared at his reflection in the hand mirror that they'd tapped to the wall for just this sort of occasion. The cuffs went past his wrists, and ended right at his knuckles. It fit well in the chest though, but the bottom of the coat stopped past his mid-thigh, which at least was less noticeable than the sleeves.

Lottie pushed his glasses further up his nose before turning to Ambrose. "How do I look?" 

"It's a little big." Ambrose said as he adjusted Lottie's collar. "But, hey, you'll stop dropping your keys now and I'll no longer have to come to your rescue."

"Ah, I suppose it is." Lottie mumbled.

"Lottie," Ambrose said quietly, "I think you look handsome in it. Do you at least still like it?"

Lottie gave a small nod. He gently wrapped his arms around Ambrose's waist and carefully, so as to not smash his glasses against his face, rested his head against the other man's shoulder. "Thank you."