Folger shirt

Every spring in high school I went to the Emily Jordan Folger Student Shakespeare Festival [now apparently renamed the EJF Secondary School Shakespeare Festival, but whatever] with my school's Shakespeare Troupe, and every spring the festival gave us t-shirts. Freshman year they were hideous mint green with dark blue print. I think I got paint on that one at some point. Sophomore year was pleasantly dark blue with black print. Eaten by the dryer. Junior and senior year I still have and still wear; junior year was orange-on-burgundy, senior was purple-on-ash.

Yesterday I was wearing the shirt from junior year, and a random person said "Excuse me. . . I just thought I'd let you know that I have that exact same shirt."

"Oh, this. I got it about ten years ago, at the Folger."

"Yeah, I was in, like, fifth grade or something."

I blinked and counted backwards in my head. Yeah, she'd be a junior in college this year.

. . . some days I just feel so aged.