The Swag Starts Already

Grenier scours under his bed and pulls up a shoe, a Nike hiking boot that looks a lot more sturdy than the damaged New Balance sneakers he's wearing.

"Certain companies like to send me clothes. And I can't give up new clothes, because I don't go shopping, but they end up sitting here, getting lost, because they're not my style," he says. The only gift of clothing he appreciates are the boxer shorts his grandmother buys for him. He finally comes up with the T-shirt his friend gave him, a dark blue number with the logo for Winslow Township Elementary School on it.

Where do you get a shirt like that?

"Jersey," Paris says.

After settling plans for later, Grenier finally heads out for his nice shirt. St. Vincent de Paul's Thrift Store, which is just steps from his apartment, is closed, however. He wanders down the block a bit, past small discount stores. The Friday afternoon crowd is thick and the humidity even thicker. Grenier spies a sorry-looking fern at an outdoor display.

"Maybe I should buy that and rescue it," he says.