Retrospect: the hoodlum suit

Self-tutoring about people and events from the past: the tutor mentions an entertaining story he didn’t understand at the time.

Because of my own lack of vision, I failed to appreciate one of my friends back in the Valley the way I should have. He – E101, we’ll call him – was eccentric – likely even more than I was.

One time, over at his house, he told me he was going to put on his “hoodlum suit.” I had no idea what this meant, but it was a nice spring day, so it was easy to just hang out, enjoy the warm sun, and see what would happen next. I was lying on a couch while he went into the bathroom, put the lights on, and started changing into whatever get-up a “hoodlum suit” meant.

About five minutes later he came out wearing the same jeans and short-sleeve shirt, but wrist bands and a bandana on his head. He might even have had guyliner on – I’m not sure. “Come,” he said. “We’ll go show my brother.”

E101 had a brother about five years older – call him E100. He was a lot bigger and stronger than we were. He had a friend over as well; they were hanging out, similar to how we were. I hung back while E101 went, with a defiant walk, into the room where his brother and his brother’s friend were lounging.

“You think you’re tough,” I heard his brother say, “but you don’t even know the first thing about it.” Since I didn’t know what reaction E101 had hoped from his brother, I couldn’t tell if this was good news or not. About a minute later, E101 returned from talking to his brother, half-laughing. “You think you’re tough,” his brother yelled out from the other room, “but you don’t know the first thing about it.”

I could tell the situation was hilarious, but not exactly why. Today I realize E101 put on the “hoodlum suit” to irritate his brother: he got exactly the reaction he’d hoped for.

I always thought it was a bit puzzling, since dressing up like a hoodlum doesn’t make you one. I guess that was the point.