I hate to admit it but after a mere ten minutes, I kind of forgot it was there as I bundled my socks into an otherwise empty underwear drawer. “I think I’ll have those too.” my aunt said.
“My socks?”
“Yes,” she said, holding out her hand.
“What for?”
“To put with those,” she replied as her eyes dropped to the waste paper basket, half-filled with the shreds of my former underpants. “You’ve got one pair on which will do until you buy some proper hosiery.”
I passed my aunt the bundle of socks and she clearly enjoyed herself as she cut the toes off of every pair and dropped each into the bin. “Boy’s socks are so brutal,” she said as the penultimate pair of socks was cut and dropped into the waste paper basket. I gulped as my eyes dropped to the final pair on my feet. As a child, my aunt would only ever let me wear tights or girl’s socks, and I expect I’ll soon be reliving those days.