The Magic Coat
Storms and rain where hitting the San Francisco coast with what seemed an unending regularity. It was the early months 2010 and this rain, wind, thunder and lightning was being called the Frankenstorm. The odd thing about it was that every once in a while a sunny day would pop up over the horizon and most every week, we would get a sunny day, or two.
Then the rain would return with force, at times in parts of the city, we would even have hail. Like many I watched the weather channel and forecast's on the local news. I assumed that there were meteorological answers to these unusual weather events, like everyone else. This all changed when I met Trey, a bartender at an establishment that will remain unnamed.
It was early in the day during the Frankenstorm and the sun was breaking through the clouds, as I pulled up in my taxi, to Trey's address, out in the Mission district of San Francisco. He was waiting outside and jumped into my back seat, as we pulled away from the curb, I remarked, isn't this great, the sun's coming out.
Of course, I'm wearing my magic rain coat, he replied. I think we have all experienced bringing our umbrella to work, anticipating the rain. Then it never seems to rain, leave it at home and buckets of rain will fall. Its Murphy's Law. Of course this is just an unfortunate coincidence. As we drove along to his destination he told me, a mysterious and rather odd story about his magic coat. Apparently he had purchased it in a vintage clothing store, out in Haight Ashbury area of San Francisco. At first he didn't notice anything unusual about it, but after a few weeks he noticed an odd thing about this dark blue rain jacket. Whenever he put it on, the sun would come out. When he left it at home, it would rain. He said at first he did not believe it himself, but he had experienced this phenomenon over and over again. He added that when we arrived at the bar he worked at, he would show me something. Could it be that this one individual was effecting the local weather patterns, by the capricious changing of his coat?
As time spun along, on route to his destination, he talked on, about his magic coat. Apparently word had gotten out about the special properties of this coat and it's powers. Friends and friends of friends were constantly asking him to either wear the coat, or leave it at home, depending on their preference for weather that day. If there was a wedding planed, or some friends were having a picnic, they would would try to make him promise to wear his magic coat that day. If others wanted to cozy up to a book, or have the rain patter on their window, so they could sleep better, they would ask him to leave it at home. His phone was constantly ringing and people were showing up at his door, continually asking for weather favors. He told me that he had actually moved out to the Mission district and changed his phone number, to get away from these people. The straw that broke the camel's back he said, was when a weather woman from a local TV station, chased him down the street, pleading with him to wear his magic coat the following day, since she had predicted sun shine.
While pulling over to the curb in front of his bar, I asked him, don't people bother you at the bar, while your working? He said "sure they do, but they leave big tips when they want the weather changed". He added that if I wore it, I would make big tips too. He said "look I'm willing to sell this coat to you for $500 dollars" He also said that he was tired of the hassle involved and had made enough money off of it. I responded that if he would do me a favor and not wear it the following day and it rained, I would probably have enough money to buy it. He smiled and said, remember I told you that I was going to show you something, he stepped out of the cab, unzipped his coat and pulled one arm out of a sleeve. I heard a clap of thunder and as I looked up, a cloud passed over the sun. I was anxious for the rain the next day, in order to purchase his magical coat. It didn't rain and I was disappointed, I really wanted that coat. I still wonder if the current economy had prompted his story and offering it for sale. When I see the sun coming out and then the rain returns, in my minds eye, I can see Trey taking off his magic coat.
Jack Johnstone
