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shorts guy

so, this is a little bit odd, and just a tad random, but I find it amusing and felt like writing about it.

the kids and I have a little bit of an inside joke. it’s about “shorts guy”, and we look forward to seeing him every ‘band’ morning. shane is in first year band over at the junior high. it is before school for the elementary kids, but at the same time that school starts for the junior high kids. so on tuesday, thursday, and friday mornings, we get to drive him there amid all the other band students and junior high kids. a few blocks from the school, we always pass this one kid. he lives in the neighborhood and walks to school. we call him “shorts guy” because he ALWAYS is wearing basketball shorts. dead of winter, wearing shorts.

anyway, we started looking for him in the mornings, wondering if he was running late or home sick, if we didn’t see him. one morning, after dropping shane off, the rest of us saw him running down the road toward the school, obviously late. Then we started proposing ideas for why he never wore pants. shane thinks they’re all in the laundry and his mom doesn’t wash them. layla thinks it’s because his pants are all hidden in the back of his closet, so he doesn’t see them. or that they’re all stinky. I really hope it’s not that. we’ve also started wagering guesses as to which pair of shorts he would be wearing. micah always guesses green. we’ve never seen him in green shorts, but you never know, I guess.

at any rate, this morning, we started doing all of our usual discussion about ‘shorts guy’, and looking for him walking down the road. when we finally saw him, what a shock! PANTS! I had to get a good look at him, to make sure it was really him, and it was. but he was also wearing a white shirt and a tie! whoa! must be something significant going on today at school. but it gave us all a really good laugh.

I don’t know anything about this kid, other than that he’s in junior high, he lives near the school, and he likes to wear shorts. layla thinks his name is justin, but we have no reason for that. I think she just thought it was a good name. but lately, I’ve taken to praying for him. that he’ll have a good day, that he’ll be successful in his studies, that he’s happy… just simple stuff, but I figure, what the heck. can’t hurt. besides, he makes us smile.

Comments

  1. I wonder if it's possible that Shorts Guy only owns that one pair of pants, and they are his good clothes so he doesn't normally wear them to school. But I am mostly wondering this because I found out today that one of my daughter's classmates is homeless, and I am just distraught about that. I am going to my knees for him and his family too.

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  2. That is crazy! I have seen people in shorts around here once the weather hits the high 40's or low 50's and have to laugh. After as much winter as we have had the 40's feel like summer!

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