The Space Suit From The Back Of The Truck

….if you’ve been following me for long, you’ll know my late father was a truck driver.

And, while there weren’t many things that ‘fell off the back of the truck,’ he did hand me a package that seemed a little weird one day.

‘Try it on.’

I pulled, what looked like a silver spacesuit from the clear plastic bag. ‘ What is it?’

‘Try it on.’

Being big into running at the time, I held up what looked like a two-piece shiny tracksuit. ‘Where did you get this?’

‘You can use it for your running.’

‘There’s no way I’m going anywhere with that thing on me.’

‘Go on, put it on, and see what it’s like.’

Knowing there was never going to be a time teenage me was ever going out the door in it, I put it on to keep him quiet.

‘Well, what do you think?’

I pulled at the tighter than normal cuffs on the sleeves, and hooked my thumb under the waistband.

‘Is it meant to be this tight?’

‘You’ll get used to it.’

I looked over the suit and decided that I look like something out of a bad B movie.

‘Not a chance. – And what is it with this thing?’ I could feel myself heating up inside the suit. ‘I’m starting to sweat.’

‘I’m sure you’ll find some use for it.’ He waved my remark away and walked off. ‘You’ll get some use out of it.’

I didn’t, and it was only later that I realized what I was wearing.

A sweatsuit.

Yep, one of those suits boxers wear to lose water weight.

I don’t know where it went, but a spotty teenage Barry was paranoid enough about his appearance without running through the fields looking like a cast member from ‘Lost In Space.’ – The old version mind you, not the Netflix version.

And that’s the problem with getting a bargain off the back of a truck. – Sometimes what looks like a bargain find isn’t always useful.

This course might seem like something that’s going at a bargain price, but the value of this skill will repay long after you purchase it.

Which is more than can be said about my ‘shiny’ tracksuit.