When the company owner barged in and abruptly fired me for wearing second-hand clothes, my world imploded. Little did I know, my co-workers were planning an act that would turn everything around and emphasize the true strength of our workplace community.
Never did I think that buying clothes from a thrift store would cost me my job. But life’s full of surprises, especially when you’re a single mother struggling to make ends meet.
It began like any other Tuesday morning. I was at my desk, taking calls and welcoming clients with my usual cheer. The office buzzed with its routine hustle — keys clacking, printers working, and the aroma of fresh coffee in the air.
Kate from HR peeked around the corner. “Hey Claire, how are the kids?”
“Oh, you know,” I chuckled. “Sophie’s engrossed in her science project, and Noah’s set on memorizing every dinosaur name.”
Kate smiled. “Sounds like you have your hands full.”
“Always,” I said. “But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Just then, the elevator chimed. The doors opened to reveal a familiar face I hadn’t seen in over a year — Victor, the company owner.
Panic surged through me. I quickly stood, smoothing my thrift store blouse. “Good morning, Mr. Harrison! Welcome back!”
Victor’s eyes narrowed at me, his expression hardening. “What are you wearing?”
I glanced at my outfit, puzzled. “I — ”
“Is this how you present yourself to our clients?” he demanded loudly. “In these… these rags?”
The office fell silent, every eye on us.
“Mr. Harrison, I — ”
“No excuses,” he interrupted. “A receptionist’s attire should reflect our brand. You’re terminated. Leave immediately.”
My world spun. “But sir, I’m a single mom. I can’t — ”
“Out!” he shouted. “Now!”
Tears stung as I gathered my belongings. Kate tried to intervene, but Victor silenced her with a glare.
The drive home was a blur. How would I explain this to Sophie and Noah? How would we survive? I unlocked our apartment door, and there they were — my little warriors.
Sophie instantly knew something was wrong. “Mom, what happened?”
I hugged them close, the smell of grape juice and play-doh soothing me. “I lost my job today, sweethearts.”
Noah hugged me tighter. “It’s okay, Mommy. We still love you.”
I stifled a sob. “I love you too, munchkins. So much.”
Why jeans have a tiny pocket inside the bigger one
Have you ever found yourself wondering what the tiny pocket-within-a-pocket is for on your jeans? You know the one I’m talking about; that small, seemingly useless space that doesn’t appear large enough to hold anything.
If you’ve ever tried to see what fits in there, you’ll know it’s far too small for a cellphone, while it’s awkward to jam cash – be it coins or notes – in there. The same goes for a ring of keys; there just isn’t room.
So what are those little pockets for? Well, fortunately for our curious readers, we have something of an answer… and it might not be at all what you were expecting.
Be they male or female models, chances are if you look at a pair of jeans, you’ll find two pockets on the front and two pockets on the back. What you might also find, however, is a strange little pocket inside one of the front pockets.
Go ahead and have a look. Almost all jeans have them, though their presence is enough to leave most of us scratching our heads.
As mentioned above, these pockets are far too small to hold anything of real significance (even getting two fingers into them is a challenge). So what purpose do they actually serve?
Interestingly, to find the origin we have to go back almost two hundred years. That little thumbnail-sized pocket isn’t a modern addition to jeans; instead, it was a practical solution for something that’s no longer a real problem today.
Behind the invention is none other than legendary jean manufacturer Levi’s.
According to UK newspaper The Independent, the first ‘extra’ pocket came into use in the 1800s. The reason? To assist the most common wearers of jeans at that point in time… cowboys.
Cowboys usually carried their pocket watches on chains or inside their waistcoats, but both of these methods put the watch at great risk of being broken during their owner’s day-to-day duties.
In order to combat this, Levi’s introduced a small pocket designed to carry a watch safely. By keeping their watches in these tiny pockets, cowboys could ride without fear of them being smashed on a ride.
How’s that for innovation?
If I’m honest, I had no idea. If you ask me, it’s incredible that the design has stuck with jeans all the way through to modern day. Cowboys might no longer be around, but their watch pockets certainly are!
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