Best If Read In A Cowboy Southern Accent

Some might say that life has dealt them a bad set of cards, but for me, I wasn’t even playing, I never had the chance. Growing up on the back side of the drawer was hard, we barely saw daylight. But for the other front runners, as we like to call them, things were much different. 

Every day at the opening, I would have to look at the outlines of their fluffy dumb heads against the sunlit room. I thought it was every socks dream to cushion and help warm the soft skin of a lonely bare foot, but not for the front runners. You could always hear them whining about their so called problems; loose stitches, big toes and dirty feet.

For me, I’ve been in the same damn spot for the past five years, but it wasn’t always this way. 

                                                           .                  .                 .                                                         

I can remember it like it was yesterday. After coming home from the store, we were only two days old when my brother and I went in the laundry. It was the best fucking thing that’s ever happened to me – swimming in a warm bath of suds, getting a deep fabric massage while riding the loop round and round. I was alive and I was ready to be sock. 

After we were dry, we got paired off again. I was looking for my brother everywhere but couldn’t find him. Before I knew it I was back in the drawer…loose….without him. I waited months hoping he would turn up so we could be rolled into one again, but that day never came.

   .                    .                 .      

Time doesn’t have much meaning here on the back side of the drawer, but this day was different.

Skreeeeeetchhh.

“Oh wow, ok I’m up, I’m up – thanks drawer.”

As I came to I could barely make out what was happening. The sun was beating down on me. Was this damn daylight at the back of drawer? Was I dreaming silly again? I hollered as I looked over at my neighbour, old purple, “what the!” – her colour still dull but of a deep green.

“Mom, I have to make a sock puppet for school today!” he said. 

“Well then grab an old one. ” she replied. 

I could see his tiny hand floating above us, the shadow getting bigger and bigger. His fingers gently brushed my back and then all of a sudden, he grabbed me tight. My back drawer days were over I thought. I had been chosen, but for what I don’t know. All I know is that I was finally being dealt a set of cards – hopefully it would be a good hand.

Photo by Denisse Leon on Unsplash