BEIJING, China (Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008, 8:55 a.m.) – When Pam and I packed for China, we took our own advice based on our trip in March-April 2006: Bring enough clothes for a week and have a laundry service do your wash.
Sounds good, right?
Well, after touring the Forbidden City in Beijing on Saturday, my wife and I hopped into our tour guide’s taxi when I heard the unmistakable sound of my pants ripping. I was right – they split completely in half and down my right leg.
A cold day suddenly became colder. And then I faced the tricky part of walking through the Novotel Peace Hotel lobby toward the elevator and our 12th-floor room without anyone knowing or seeing what happened.
Once in the room, I quickly changed clothes.
For a moment, I was worried that the airplane food I ate during our 24-hour flight added another 25 pounds to my body. But the food wasn’t that good.
Then I thought it might have been my slick moves at the hotel Friday night trying to imitate the actions of the performers at the acrobatics show Pam and I attended. But I’m not that good of an acrobat.
Actually, the blame rested solely with my Old Navy slacks. I have had them for nearly three years and they simply started to wear. These slacks were bound to die sooner than later (unfortunately the timing came while I was overseas).
Today, I’m wearing a fresh pair of pants. And, wouldn’t you know it, I can see a tear starting to form in the same, exact location. That would be just my luck to lose another pair while in China.
Now I have to go back up to the room, make sure I still have a few wearable pairs of slacks in my luggage and, if not, try to find some I can buy in China (where most men are considerably smaller in size than most Americans).
Copyright 2008 by Terry R.Cassreino. All rights reserved.
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