I was a 23-year-old working girl a year out of college and going through life quite nicely. I had a pretty good job working for a bank, a great apartment, loads of friends, and a trusty 2-year-old wallet. My wallet had served me well. It carried some bills, a little change, and some random receipts. It fit in my handbag, was an adequate size, and was famous in my group of friends because of its distinguished "fancy" closure. You see, the way that I kept my nickels and dimes in the change purse part of the wallet was by using a thick piece of yellow duct tape. The make- shift latch worked well for me, and I could always spot it in my bag, thereby avoiding the panic that comes when trying to pay in the grocery line and not being able to find your wallet. I was perfectly happy with my tan, plastic, faux leather wallet and yellow duct tape closure. I never thought about replacing it. After all, it was working for me and a natural fit for my lifestyle.
All of a sudden, a handsome man from Springfield, Ohio entered my life. I met him at a party and he seemed pretty nice. We talked for a bit and then parted ways at the end of the night. I had no idea if I would ever see him again. Fast forward three weeks or so and we were going out on our third or fourth date. Oh yea, I forgot to mention that the guy was Christopher Bosca. Chris came to the door, and I invited him in for a glass of wine. I noticed that he had a bright red and gold box in his hand, but he put it down and never said a word about it. Our conversation was starting to lag and Chris seemed a bit nervous. He reached for the fancy box and handed it to me while looking at the ground. I had no idea what was in the box, and I must admit that I felt a little jittery knowing that he must like me at least a little if he was giving me a gift. It was then that he looked up with a red-faced embarrassed expression and said, "I don't usually do this but here is a gift." With my curiosity at its peak, I took lifted the top of the box. There staring at me was the most beautiful wallet I had ever seen. I was speechless while feeling the soft, smooth, shiny, gorgeous leather with an elegant gold closure. I lifted the wallet to take in the amazing aroma. I had never had something this luxurious and was certain that it was way too nice to use. Chris must have read my mind because he said to me, "now if you like it, you have to use it. It gets better and better with age." By the way, after 25 years of marriage, he's only gotten better at knowing whats on my mind.
"It gets better and better with age."
Needless to say I tossed my tan faux leather wallet with the yellow duct tape closure in the trash, never to be used again. I wish that I could post a picture of my first Bosca wallet, but it was lost in a move. I will admit that I am very fortunate to have married into a family with so much knowledge and history working with leather. I have "tested" many, many wallets. My collection is large but my favorite will always be the 4" French Purse in Cognac that replaced my tan plastic faux leather wallet with yellow duct tape closure! -Courtney Bosca
