The Coat ! A Very Sore Point !

                                               Well there I was seventeen years old , full of the joys of life , and nothing really bothered me .I had my white Afghan coat on , it was a summers afternoon and I was walking down Grafton Street .The sun was shining and I was dehydrating , losing pounds the further I walked .If I had been self concious enough , I would have noticed that I wasn't the only lunatic who was enjoying their own private steam bath underneath their coat .There were hundreds of us all , all with eyes glazed , and staggering under the sheer weight of our body armour .The Afghan Aristocrats we called ourselves .
                                               I ventured on towards O'Connell Street to meet some friends , shooting the shit generally posing and hanging around , as you do . We were born to just hang around , this was our mission in life !
                                              Now the previous week I had been waiting on confirmation that my application for a position in a well established Hotel in Geneva Switzerland had come through . The waiting was really difficult as this new direction for me was going to change my life dramatically .

                                              I got home that day and sure enough a letter from the hotel was standing on the mantle piece . Yes ! I had been accepted and my visa and travelling arrangements had all been made .There was only one problem , I had no money to buy a plane ticket . I was skint to put it mildly .There was no way I was going to get the dollars from my parents as they were skint too .What was I going to do ? This was a backbreaker , that sort of money was like 2 weeks wages . I needed a plan !
                                             The following day the desire took me to ramble the streets of Dublin to find inspiration somehow , and maybe with a bit of luck somebody's wallet .I needed twenty five pounds badly ,really really badly , and somehow I was going to get it .
                                            Head in the clouds dreaming of the Swiss Alps , and of course rolex watches I stopped outside the G.P.O [General Post Office] in O'Connell Street for a breather .This weedy looking character was looking me up and down . I then realised it was my coat he was looking at , and sure enough he had designs on owning it .Shit , what an a..hole I had been , never realising this coat was the only asset I had in my life and I didn't even realise it . How f...... stupid can you get ?
                                          He said "How's it goin man , Peace man " and without actually being tactful he headed straight for the jugular . "Are you selling your coat man " ?, he asked , " No f...... way man " was the answer he got , trying not to look too excited . "I'll give you twenty pounds for it here and now , " No way was my answer ,but if you go to twenty five , its yours no questions asked ".He kinda himmed and hawed but with a little persuasion he agreed. Twenty five f...... pounds man , and that is how I got my ticket fare to Switzerland .
                                         I went home that day , feeling both elated and sad , a strange feeling because I realised I was coming to a crossroads in my life and there would never be any looking back .I felt bare , I felt nude , stripped of my dignity , my individuality , my statement . I didn't really feel too good !