Timothy Trinkett Finds Clothing Confusing. The Story of an Apparel Handicap.

Timothy Trinkett lives with his mother, father, brother, four sisters, maiden aunt and two parakeets in the River Way Apartments in Cloverdale. He is an average student at Confederacy Primary School and does his best to stay out of the way, out of sight and therefore, out of mind.

Proper clothing has been the trial of Timothy’s young life. What to wear, at what time and in what combinations confuse the young boy. Therefore, his way of coping with his apparel handicap is to ignore it and wear whatever he fancies. Matching isn’t a concern, colors are beyond his ability to coordinate and seasonal dressing is only something he’s now beginning to understand.

His mother has grown tired of laying out his clothing day after day, only to have him change what she selected for things he believes are more practical. Take today for instance. Timothy wanted to go outside on this cold winter day in Cloverdale and watch ice float down the Clover River. He knew the river bank would be muddy, and he knew from past experience that mud is both slippery and messy. His way of dealing with the slipperiness and muddiness of mud was to wear one yellow wellington on one foot for the mess of mud and a hiking shoe with deep tread on the other for traction - appearance be damned.

His choice of clothing was both a frustration and a relief to his mother. Notice the sweater. That was her victory. Timothy has developed enough common sense to recognize the need for something warmer than a t-shirt for cold days. It only took eleven years for his common sense to surface - but there it was in its infancy.

Timothy’s apparel failure for the day was his shorts. Because of the potential for mud and mess, Timothy reasoned shorts would be his best choice for an outing near the river. After all, shorts used less material than a pair of trousers and therefore offered better protection from mud. A washrag would quickly take care of mud on the leg whereas the washing machine would be required for muddy pants. The reasoning was sound to Timothy, just not to anyone else.

Timothy went to the river and enjoyed watching the season’s first ice form along the banks. He didn’t stay out long due to the cold but even a few minutes out of the house was enough for Timothy. His sisters and maiden aunt are more than an eleven year old apparel handicapped boy can take.