Scenes of relief and jubilation were witnessed in the Barry household in Molesey Surrey yesterday, as a sock couple were finally re-united.
The pair, who were appear to be made for each other, were rent asunder two years ago, after a seemingly innocent excursion. But Right never made it back from the routine trip to the laundry basket. His companion, Left, took it in her stride, although she later said she senses something must be wrong. 'it wasn't like him,' she said, 'he'd never done this sort of thing before.'
But the true efects of the splt did not manifest themselves until a few weeks later. Left began to be ignored, and even shunned by some in the community. 'When you're a couple, you get taken out. But once I was single, that's when I found out what people really felt,' said Left.
But, she refused to give up. Left gamely barged her way to the top of the sock drawer, every morning, begging to be used. There were a few false dawns - she was taken out once and used as a make shift towel - but these incidents only demoralised her even more.
At times, says Left, she felt like giving up and becoming a finger puppet. But these feelings of despair were fleeting, and she never gave up hope of seeing her partner.
Right, however, has not taken the speration so well. He looks faded and, Left says, may be suffering post traumatic shock. 'He's developed a thousand yard stare. I think he's been places, and seen things, that no sock should ever see.'
With counselling, however, Left is confident that Right will regain his shape.
Left comes from a long line of survivors. She's related to Britain's oldest sock, who still goes out for runs in the park, on his own, despite having drastic surgery and being worn out in several places.
[BETTER DO SOME WORK NOW. Finish later]