"What's wrong? You're walking funny. Are you okay?"
He was kind of lifting his left leg up higher, and swinging it out in an exaggerated manner.
"Oh, I'm fine. It's my shoe. The bottom keeps coming off."
Let the record show that Hick has been wearing either a pair of shoes left behind by The Pony, who is a 10.5, or a pair that I found uncomfortable, in men's 8.5. Hick himself is either an 8.0 or 8.5. After he sat down, and crossed that ankle over his knee, I saw the problem. It wasn't the entire sole, but only a dark colored patch of rubber, about 5 of which were decoratively surrounding the white rubber of the main part of the sole.
"That's just a little piece. You can probably superglue that back on, or just rip it off. But it might be time for a new pair of shoes."
"Well, I'm sure there's a pair around here somewhere."
Good old Hick. It's not like we MAKE him wear used shoes. Like some found in a...ahem... storage locker. No, the cast-offs he takes on from me or The Pony are just like new. Because we have other shoes we like better, and don't wear those. Sometimes, in my case, they are consciously offered to Hick for his own. And in The Pony's case, they sit around a few months, until Hick commandeers them, because they're perfectly good shoes (although 2 sizes too large for him) just sitting around.
Let the record further show that when Hick grew up, he was not wealthy. Was downright poor, with a blind dad and mostly absent mom, and went to work at 14 so he could have stuff. He said he was embarrassed when he started high school, because that building had stairs, and he was afraid someone behind him might see the holes in the soles of his shoes, where he'd stuffed cardboard inside. He even took extra cardboard on rainy days, to switch it out once he got inside the building.
I really hope Hick goes to buy a new pair of shoes for himself. Or in the very least snips off that tripping hazard.
I think in the least he deserves a new pair.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I've encouraged him to get new shoes a couple of times, but he only got work boots.
DeleteBy pair, let me be clear; I was referring to shoes.
ReplyDeleteI'm pickin' up what you're layin' down!
DeleteWhy not do him a favour and snip off that tripping hazard for him when he takes the shoes off? I couldn't possibly wear shoes two sizes too large, I'd be forever tripping over the too-long toes. Or I'd stuff my feet into the toes and the heels would flap like flip-flops all day long. I'd be crazy before a single day was over.
ReplyDeleteI don't know where he put those shoes! He was wearing his old work boots yesterday, even to the surprise auction he went to at night. I had planned on getting a picture of the flapper, but couldn't find it. I'm pretty sure Hick didn't throw those shoes away.
DeleteI tell Hick he looks ridiculous in The Pony's shoes, but he doesn't care. "They're almost new! I'm wearing them."
Do you have enough pennies to but Hick new shoes?
ReplyDeleteNOT MY PENNIES!!! We DO have enough household money for Hick to have a new pair of shoes.
DeleteWe have MY weekly money, HICK'S weekly money, and HOUSEHOLD money (that Hick sometimes treats as HIS, by spending it on his Goodwill trinkets).
We each have a weekly allowance from that household money, to count as our own, and use for things like Goodwill and auctions and scratchers and gas and gas station chicken and 44 oz Diet Cokes. Save it, spend it, whatever...we don't need to consult each other on allowance money purchases. Shoes can come out of household money without question, but I DO need a receipt for record-keeping purposes.