All I Want For Christmas Is Two Suits

It’s not every day you meet a nine-year-old who wants, above all else, two suits. One black and one grey.

I spent some time volunteering at the Summit County Children’s Services Toy Room again this year. Like last year, each encounter with a shopper reminded me how fortunate I am to have a job, a house, a spectacular husband, a car that works, two furry-faced dogs, and all the other luxuries and comforts that Dave and I have accumulated over the years. We’ve had our fair share of lean years and financial woes but it’s nothing compared to what the families shopping at the Toy Room are experiencing. With the unemployment rate in Summit County at an all-time high, the Toy Room estimated it would help a record-breaking 750 or more families celebrate Christmas this year.

Like last year, one shopper stood out from all the rest. This time, it was a nine-year-old boy who came with his mother. Most times, the parents come alone but when school is out or there is no one to watch the kids or they maybe need a break from being in the shelter, we “elves” occupy the kids with games and coloring and videos so the parents can pick out the gifts in secret.

This little boy was on to our game though. Any belief in Santa had vanished long ago. He had the confidence of ten politicians and was wiser than his years. Another elf took his mother shopping so I was left to watch him while I waited for the next shopper to arrive. He slumped back in his chair and told me he was dying for a McDonald’s hamburger. He was a chunky kid, probably going through a growth spurt, and I assumed he was always hungry for something. He’s nine. What boy that age isn’t always starving? 

So we started talking about our favorite foods and what we would eat if we could eat only one thing for the rest of our lives. At first he chose lobster which will make more sense by the end of this story. Then he changed his mind and went for the good old hamburger, preferably from McDonald’s, with mustard, ketchup, and pickles. No cheese. I chose noodles, preferably with butter but sometimes in the cheesy macaroni or saucy spaghetti variety. He thought that was weird and told me so.

Then he leaned over to me and said, “I know what I’m getting for Christmas. I gave my mom a list.”

I asked him what was on his list, expecting the usual suspects like Gameboy and Wii and Guitar Hero and a cellphone. He reeled off a dozen or so games and toys, most of which I barely recognized. Then he added, “but what I want more than anything is two suits, one black and one grey.”

Suits? Maybe I heard him wrong. Or maybe it was some type of hand-held computer game. Surely he didn’t mean the jackets-and-pants ensemble that most nine-year-olds threw tantrums about wearing, if only for an hour at church. 

“What’s a suit?” I asked, just to be sure I’d heard him right.

He flopped back in his chair and pretended he had fainted. When he came out of his pretend shock, he said, “You know. A SUIT! The thing a MAN wears.”

Okay. Now it was my turn to pretend faint. So I did. The security guard who was listening to us laughed.

“What do you want a suit for?” I asked. The boy asked me to guess.

I went through the litany of obvious reasons — your mom wants you to wear one, you need one for school, you’re in a band, you’re in a choir, you have a funeral to go to, you have a wedding to go to.

When I said “wedding”, he said “you’re getting close.”

I was stumped so the security guard gave it a go. “Job interview at McDonald’s?”

“No,” the boy sighed, clearly baffled that we hadn’t guessed right off the bat.

He squared his shoulders proudly and announced, “I’m going on a date.”

I looked at the security guard who chuckled and shook his head. A date? Nine years old and he wants a suit for a date. Impressive. Note to all the nine-year-old gals in Akron: this guy is going to know how to treat the ladies when he gets older.

“Where is this date going to be?”

Without hesitating, he told me the plan. “Red Lobster. I’ll wear the black suit. My mom said she would get a car to drive us there. And I’ll get lobster because it’s expensive and popcorn shrimp because I love it and I’ll get all kinds of things on the menu and I’m going to pay for it all because that’s what you do on a date.”

“Who’s the lucky girl?” I asked.

“Taaaaaaaaasha,” he swooned, falling back into the chair again, this time with his arms open wide.

Clearly, the boy was lovestruck but the security guard was getting all practical on this romance.

“And how will you pay for this date with the lobster and all that?” he asked.

“I do chores. And I’m going to shovel driveways when it snows. Five dollars a driveway.”

Sign me up for this kid’s services. The best shoveling price we got last year was ten bucks and the kids left the driveway half-covered in snow.

“You could charge more,” the security guard instructed him. “Ask for seven and you might get ten. Then you can go on more dates with this Tasha.”

His mom appeared with several bags and we said our goodbyes. I knew all along there were no suits to be had back in the Toy Room but I wished him good luck with Tasha anyway. When they left, I learned that they were currently living in one of the shelters. This kid’s “home” is home to several other families. And his mom had hitched a ride with her social worker to get to the Toy Room so there’s no car to transport him and Tasha to their dream date at the Lobster.

For a child who doesn’t have much in the way of material possessions, he has more imagination and hope than some adults I know. Despite his circumstances, this kid put love and giving above all the toys and gadgets on his Christmas list. Sure it was about getting the suit for his date but it was more about giving Tasha a fantastic dinner at Red Lobster and earning the money for it himself. I give him an A for effort and an A for originality.

I had to take another shopper right as they were leaving and then the day got away from me and then a few more days passed but I can’t stop thinking about this little boy who wants to go to Red Lobster in a black suit. Even if they don’t get to Red Lobster, I want to get a suit for him. Maybe just the black one. He told me the grey was only a backup in case they had a bad time when he wore the black one, his second-chance suit. But something tells me there’s no having a bad time with this kid. Heck, something tells me he could own a Red Lobster one day. And I hope someone sees what we saw in him and gives him the chance to do that and more.