Monday, October 12, 2015

Can I Borrow the Khakis?

I just came across a key that was given us on the day we bought that house 14 years ago. My son identified it as the one he kept, based on the key ring it was attached to and has added it to his current one, It was a happier time for him, before he went to live with his dad and then his grandfather.
He has become a fine young man through it all. It is what we wish for our children: to grow up and be their own adults.
You can have the key to success and then, the key to the city.
You can hold the key to someone's heart.
You can sing songs in the Key of Life, according to Stevie Wonder.
Our DNA holds the keys to our lives (and this story tells of how getting rid of some can prolong life!)
You can be entrusted with a house key at a fairly young age and when you reach one of life's milestones, you ask your parents for the keys, to borrow the car that they taught you to drive. (I taught my son to drive, and that was quite an experience, considering he worked for a company that repaired vintage race cars. My daughter taught herself to drive and boy, was I surprised to find out she did!)
Which in a very round-about kind of way brings me to:

Khakis
If you live in Boston, like I did for twenty years, if you ask for the kah kees, you may or may not get the keys to the "cah," you may just get a pair of pants! Notice the subtle differences in pronunciation.(I still do not know what they do with all those extra "R's" they don't use!)
Additionally, khakis are a specific fabric, fit and color. They are NOT black, brown or green. They ONLY have FOUR pockets. They can be pleated and cuffed but never riveted.
Think school uniforms, that's what khakis are. But kah kees will not get you into my car like this will:

I love my car, I love to drive it and it has loved me for 160 of its 213 thousand miles. We have taken it places that Lexus just THINKS it can go. I hope to get 350 out of it and when I do I'll get another one just like it (just with fewer miles). Meanwhile, I'm going to hang up my car keys so i'm not digging through my khakis later to try and find them.
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14 comments:

  1. Beverly GOctober 12, 2015 at 7:11 PM

    Loved your car key story. It made me smile on an evening when I really needed a smile.

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    1. cstocksOctober 13, 2015 at 7:39 AM

      Glad I could give you a much needed moment of levity, Beverly! It was hard to pack so many different interpretations into one post; I could have gone in sooooo many directions with this one! c

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  2. MySpecialistOctober 12, 2015 at 9:13 PM

    Makes perfect sense in the Australian pronunciation. I love this post. I have been in love with all my cars. Fantastic inchie post! :D

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    1. cstocksOctober 13, 2015 at 7:46 AM

      Thank you, Zoe. Glad you enjoyed my stories. Having grown up in an area that was practically devoid of accents, living in Boston was a real trip. Or, as they would say, "wikkid pissah!" c

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  3. KiaOctober 12, 2015 at 9:48 PM

    great comments - knew khaki was a specific colour but didn't know there were rules about pants (would never wear them with rivets). love your inchie ideas

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    1. cstocksOctober 13, 2015 at 7:49 AM

      Thanks so much, Kia! When I went looking for images of the pants, I was surprised to find so many styles--cargoes, jeans, etc--that retailers were passing off as khakis! Extra cargo pockets, zippers, denim?! Pu-leeze, no! c

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  4. freebird7100October 13, 2015 at 12:25 AM

    I love your post, I never thought about all the "keys" in our lives. I really love your take on the theme. God bless you for living in Boston and I am with you on the "r's" I do think they put them on the end of words that end in "a". So my name sounds like Tinar lol.

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    1. cstocksOctober 13, 2015 at 7:55 AM

      Thanks, Freebird! I forgot one "key:" piano keys, but I'm not much of a musician. It's true, the "R's" are appropriated where they don't belong. If you want to drive a Bostonian insane, ask them to say, "car," with the R intact.They can't do it! It comes out more like, "kerrrrrr." c

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  5. chrissieOctober 13, 2015 at 12:46 AM

    You have wonderful ideas and stories to tell. lol Great idea for key week at' inchies'

    Love Chrissie xx

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    1. cstocksOctober 13, 2015 at 7:55 AM

      Much appreciated, Chrissie! I had fun with this one, for certain! c

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  6. jeanchaneyazOctober 14, 2015 at 11:47 AM

    You really made me laugh. My sister-in-law is from MA and I used to have trouble understanding her sometimes. Once she asked for a colander and I showed her the calendar. She repeated, I asked my brother, her husband. He showed her the calendar. She was so frustrated with us. (we always called it a strainer, so we didn't even know what a colander was anyway)

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    1. cstocksOctober 14, 2015 at 12:09 PM

      That's FUNNY! I used to call my son bilingual as he understood both kinds of pronunciation, though he never spoke, "Bostonian." And don't even get me started about some of their regional verbiage! I remember my roommate telling me she was going to the spa for cigarettes! Little did I know that a "spa" was what they called the corner market. I don't think there are any corner markets left to be called spas. Glad you enjoyed my take on things!

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  7. WendyKOctober 15, 2015 at 4:38 AM

    Your story is brilliant, loved reading it, thank you for that. I was a bit puzzled with your inchie before I read the story. Wonderful take on the word.

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    1. cstocksOctober 16, 2015 at 12:39 PM

      Thank you, Wendy! I thoroughly enjoyed this art prompt and could have worked many different angles. There was no denying this particular take. Glad you liked it! c

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