Ode to My Black Cardigan

Oh black cardigan. I bought you on a sort of whim. My mom said I needed a light jacket for the cruise, because sometimes the dining rooms can be chilly, and since she was paying for the cruise I didn't argue. I saw you, hanging on a rack in Target, with a large "sale" sign above you, calling my name ever so softly. It was right before Christmas and money was tight, but I bought you anyway. Little did I know how much I needed a basic black cardigan. Little did I know how important you would become!

I wore you everyday on the cruise. Even in the Caribbean in 90 degree weather, because even though I found the dining room on the ship to be chilly, I also found the shade in the Caribbean to be chilly too. And you were there to keep me warm and fashionable. I now wear you every day, whether I'm just going to the office or out to dinner. You're small enough to fit in my purse in case I get cold while out, then I can pull you out and gratefully snuggle into you. You have even become somewhat of my trademark (next to my award winning smile and witty comments) with people often wondering where you are if, by happen chance, I'm not wearing you.

Then, the day came, as I knew it someday would, that I lost you. Oh black cardigan! Wherefore art thou! My bare arms are a little nippy. My purse has a blank spot waiting for you, like a person who is missing his soul. I've resorted to baggy hoodies that do not do my body justice and make me feel frumpy. I've even (gasp!) looked at buying a new black cardigan, but none of them measure up to your perfect fit, your soft texture, and your bargain price. So instead I find myself moping about, wandering aimlessly through life, searching for the article of clothing that completes me.

And then, like a ray of hope after a large and thunderous storm, I see something. Hope? Delirium? What could it be? But of course, you would not forsake me. There you are, after all this time. Hanging up in my closet. The one place you should be, but that I never thought to look in. You, my black cardigan, are my one true love (well, second to my family and maybe sleeping of course). Thank you for not deserting me, in my time of need, right before fall begins and the temperature drops. Heaven knows I will wear you endlessly and not take you for granted again.