Well, not exactly. Back in 2002, when the US Olympic team marched in the Opening Ceremony, I, inland with a friend and co-worker, was enamored with their headgear. The only non-military people I knew who wore a beret at that time were Eugene Huddleston, Monica Lewinsky and Groucho Marx. You would have thought that the middle person of that trio would be enough to have people swear off berets forever, but no.
Anyway, my friend and I decided that we had to have a beret, and she took care of the on-line shopping details. A couple of we weeks later, we were two of the many people with a beret. Unbeknownst to me, my dad also got one -- it must be in the genes. About a million of the berets were sold. At $19.95 apiece, that's a lot of money!
As the years wore on, I still liked my beret, and wore it on many occasions. One night a couple of years ago, during a neighborhood pub crawl, I mislaid it. My friend (and former co-worker) was appalled, even though she probably hadn't had occasion to wear her beret in quite a while, living where she now does. I was bummed, since not only was the beret functional, it had a bit of sentimentality attached to it as well.
Fast forward to about a month ago. Lo and behold, a 2002 Olympics beret showed up in the lost and found at my place of employment. I gave the previous owner a month to claim it, and, when no claim was made, I brought the beret and washed it. I haven't worn it yet, since it's been far too cold, but I am looking forward to it very much.
If the previous owner reads this , comment and you can get it back. I know how it feels to lose the beret, so I would never keep it if someone made a legit claim.
Berets and Kismet. So glad you found a replacement. As I was reading, I thought you were going to start saying that they were now collectors items and worth like $5000! Maybe our grandchildren will take them on the Antiques Roadshow someday!
Posted by: Kelly | February 04, 2009 at 03:37 PM