Mike Cleary

The White Dinner Jacket Mike Cleary

Alan Thomas Palmer wouldn't be caught dead in a white dinner jacket. That is a rule breaker for someone who enjoyed anonymity. Always one to embrace routine, the former bookkeeper was ready to settle into what he hoped would be a well-ordered retirement in Berkeley. But it was not to be. When an invitation requesting formal attire arrived, he visited his sister's vintage clothing store hoping to find a black tuxedo. Instead, he was urged to try on a classic white dinner jacket that fit him perfectly. At the same time, he found himself involved once again with two people who figured prominently in his life during his senior year at Cal Berkeley. That year, he had befriended and was besotted by the girlfriend of the football team's star player. Regrettably, he never told her of his feelings. Now, forty years later, he finds himself back in their company again and it's unsettling. However, this time he would not make the same mistake he had made four decades back. Alan Thomas Palmer was being given a do over and the magical white dinner jacket was going to make sure he got it right this time.