This archive report was first published on 29 October 2019.
My love-hate relationship with people who steal personal items started at a young age. I recall losing my first phone, a Nokia 3310, which left me traumatized. However, that experience was nothing compared to the pain of losing my treasured inner garment in high school.
When I was growing up, our mothers would buy us clothes, including underwear, all the way from socks to the small triangular garment worn inside the main trousers. However, as we entered high school, the bigger boys would challenge us to take ownership of these private garments.
I remember graduating to wearing the small triangular garment in Class Five, after the world had seen my dignity. Nowadays, the original underwear has been replaced by boxers, which seem to be undecided whether they want to be shorts or trousers.
As young boys, we often forgot to do up the buttons on our shorts after using the bathroom, exposing our dignity to the world. Climbing trees and skating on muddy bottoms shredded our shorts, leaving us vulnerable to unwanted stares.
My problem with underwear began when I received an ill-fitting garment from my mother. The garment was three sizes bigger, and I was too afraid to tell her to return it for the right size. I wore it as it was, and it caused me a lot of discomfort during the zonal games day.
That weekend, I discovered the needle and thread and stitched up the garment to make it fit. However, I still struggled with the changing and washing frequency, and how to stitch them when they developed gaping holes.
Later in high school, I bought myself a designer underwear, which I called 'Y.' It had a chess table pattern and was inscribed with the name of a famous American basketball team. I treated it with extreme care, but one Friday, someone stole it during night preps.
The thief seemed determined to acquire the garment, and I was left heartbroken. The prime suspect denied any knowledge of the heist, and I still remember him to this day. I feel like I have unfinished business with him, and I may revisit this issue at an appropriate time.
