The Plain Gray Hat
1Every Saturday, Esperanza helped Tía Ofelia in her small hat shop on Pemberton Street. Round hatboxes were stacked on the shelves, and wooden blocks shaped like heads stood in a row on the workbench. Tía Ofelia was a milliner, which meant she made and repaired hats by hand. Esperanza loved the drawer of trimmings best: ribbons, silk flowers and feathers in every color.
2One morning a tall man named Mr. Osgood came in holding a faded gray hat. The brim was bent, and the band was frayed. "This was my father's," he said quietly. "He wore it to work every day. I would like it fixed so I can wear it to my granddaughter's graduation."
3After he left, Esperanza pulled open the trimmings drawer. "Let's add a bright red band and a tall green feather," she said. "It will look brand-new!" Tía Ofelia smiled but shook her head. "Did you notice how he held it?" she asked. Esperanza thought about it. Mr. Osgood had held the hat with both hands, the way someone holds a bird's nest.
4All week, they worked slowly. Tía Ofelia steamed the brim and stretched it over a wooden block until it was smooth and round again. Esperanza carefully picked out the old stitches, and together they sewed on a new gray band that matched the old one almost exactly. Esperanza wanted to hurry, but her aunt reminded her, "A hat with a story needs patient hands."
5On Saturday, Mr. Osgood returned. When Esperanza handed him the hat, he turned it around and around. Then he put it on and looked in the mirror for a long time. "It still looks like his," he whispered. "Thank you for not changing it."
6When the bell over the door stopped jingling, Esperanza put the green feather back in the drawer. "Some hats need feathers," she said. "This one needed to stay the same." Tía Ofelia laughed and handed her a broom. "Now you are thinking like a milliner."