three_coats tender_square leah bought the jacket first, in cream some years before. i had gushed about seeing her in it at the solstice party. she walked through the front door like she was wearing a luxurious sleeping bag. the length was so long it nearly hit her ankles. her lithe dancer's frame made it look like a sheet on a clothesline. she said she got it from the name of a place i hadn't heard before, some offshoot of a fast fashion brand, but more elevated. i tracked the jacked down online, but it was more than i wanted to pay for a black covering of recycled down; i only planned to use for morning walks, something less bulky than my short parka. after days of deliberation, i decided to do it, and realized that a forest green option was on sale for half the price. i pulled the trigger. weeks later, i told erin i had bought a version of the same coat leah had worn, and was exchanging for a smaller size. turns out erin had the jacket in her digital cart too and was going back and forth on buying. she too preferred the forest green. we thought it was hilarious that we'd have the exact same outerwear in the same colour taking walks in the neighbourhood together. last night, the three of us converged at erin's place. i saw erin's version hanging on a hook. i wore mine for the walk over. when leah arrived, we pointed out our purchases. the three of us took a selfie together wearing our coats, with erin and i on either side of leah, sandwiching her a swath of giggling leafy greens. 230116 what's it to you? who go blather from