One Fine Suit

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Written by Priscilla Wong

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A study of three men from different walks of life whose paths run parallel to one another, revealing the connections in their shared humanity despite their diverse backgrounds.

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Pulitzer Prize nominee.

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Every respectable man ought to own one fine suit, it seems. There was my neighbor, the Architect, from Rhode Island, who swore by Christian Dior. Was it the specific shade of navy in the iconic Dior silhouette that made him ascend as a superstar? Masculine with a touch of feminine. He tried his best to be part Madonna, part Gatsby.

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My favorite uncle owned just one fine suit. One fine watch and one fine pair of shoes. Italian and Swiss. He made the purchase shortly after he swam a short distance across the Pacific, to escape a communist labor camp. He could hardly believe his luck, to set foot into Hong Kong. The neon lights and the high rises in 80's pastel, British rule. He was one of the few men who could rock a suit and look like a Chinese Beatle.

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That was one way to carry himself, until of course, he was forced to marry a woman he did not love. Forced to give up his bachelor life to support a family.

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Embarrassed, he hid his old photos and fine possessions in the closet. He put on a different hat to sell newspapers and drive a cab. Work wherever he was needed. Never would he dare to presume to be of a higher social class, no matter how fine he looked when he donned his most prized possessions, almost magical, transformative. His peers would knock him down just for looking too much like a gentleman, although his moral character was that of a prince, among peasants.

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As he grew older, the cigarette smoke that hung in the air, no longer cast a spell of sex appeal, and instead, poison. No matter how much he aged, his voice held its beauty, melodic and effortlessly baritone, as sweet as his highest moment, pictured newly freed from China, next to a cafe racer, in his one fine suit.

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One fine scent.

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​There stood the elegant shopping center in Simi Valley offering a welcome escape, standing in contrast to its more modest surroundings. Fashion displays, featuring models in Versace and Balenciaga, spark the imagination of the locals, who do not resemble their picture perfect counterparts. Of all the Simians, I chanced to meet a plumber who stole of the heart of every native he met. There was no suit in his possession, and in the place of finer robes, was his complete belief in the scent of Versace that seemed to drive his confidence.

 

Wasn't it confidence, that gave him the strength to beat cancer? Forging on to set himself apart from other plumbers, who cared not for hygiene or the finer things in life. I startle myself to say that it must have been the trick of Versace, that compelled him ascend as a king among plumbers.