Real Gentlemen Wear Bow Ties

For the last band concert of the school year, my son wanted to look extra spiffy. He requested a bow tie to go with his button-down white shirt, black pants, and smooth-playing clarinet. I’m on it!
Don’t you know that real gentlemen wear bow ties?
I shopped and searched and found a real bow tie. The kind that you must tie yourself. A silk tie with astronaut cats floating in space. Because. Style.
My son was thrilled. How do you tie a bow tie? I consulted YouTube. You know what? There are more steps to tie a bow tie than solving an algebraic equation.
I had to watch and pause the video thrice.
When it was time to head to the concert, I consulted the video a fourth time. Loop, cross-over, loop again, pull. The proper bow tie is a little askew. “It’s going to give you a whole different level of respect.”
I hugged my son as he was about to dart off to the music room. I noticed the astronaut cats floating in space were askew. Ack! I had tied the tie with the fabric upside down!
No time for a redo. You’ll do great! The cats are looking at you!
And that’s probably why he played with such confidence and attitude.
