Читать книгу Becoming a Counselor - Samuel Gladding T., Samuel T. Gladding - Страница 32

When I was growing up, user-friendly big box athletic equipment stores were rare. If you needed balls, bats, clubs, gloves, or other sporting paraphernalia, you got them at a department store, such as Sears. My first tennis racket, a Poncho Gonzales special, was bought at Rich’s, the largest department store in Atlanta. Yet although there were many outlets for basic athletic equipment, buying the supportive gear to go with these items was not easy.

At age 14, I realized I needed an athletic supporter, informally known as a “jockstrap.” The only place to buy one in Decatur was at a drugstore. However, much to my dismay, you could not just go and pick the support you needed off a shelf because this specialty item was kept in a glass case behind the counter in the pharmacy section. You had to interact with a live person and ask for what you wanted, including the make and size. Sometimes there were women salespersons at the counter. Asking them for a jockstrap was something I felt uncomfortable doing even though I had completed “Sex at Church” and there was nothing immoral, lewd, or embarrassing about my request.

Given the situation, I suffered. I did not think my need was one I could bring up in casual conversation with classmates, like “Hey, Bob, I need a jockstrap. Got any good ideas of what fits best?” I must have gone to the drugstore pharmacy three times before I blurted out what I wanted. In the meantime, I had purchased a bottle of calamine lotion, some acne cream, and cough syrup. When I finally said the words “athletic supporter,” the older, balding man who was waiting on me smiled and said, to my relief, as he pulled a box off the shelf: “This is what I would recommend.” He then explained why it would work best, handed me the box, took my money, and put my purchase in a nondescript brown paper bag—the kind that would not arouse suspicion, like “This kid just purchased a jockstrap.”

I had mixed feelings walking home. I was pleased I had the support I had been seeking, but I was perturbed it had taken me so long to get it. The important point is that my need had been met. However, had I been more assertive, life would have been better. Regardless, I slept well that night.