If it’s Friday, it must be time for Red Writing Hood! This week, the lovely Kir chose our prompt. She’s what you’d call a shoe enthusiast (*cough* understatement *cough*) so it was no surprise to me that she asked us to write a story involving them. Concrit is always welcome.
Photo Credit
She didn’t have her dream job – in fact, she had no idea how to chase her dreams or even which ones deserved chasing.
She didn’t have a boyfriend. She’d been on a small handful of dates in her 25 years.
She didn’t have a driver’s license or a fabulous apartment or self-confidence.
What she did have were shoes. Over 50 pairs of shoes.
Lined up in two rows along the bedroom wall. The first thing she saw when she entered. The one thing friends were sure to comment on when they stopped by.
There were black peep-toe T-straps with a tapered heel – her favorite pair. Pink pumps with brown trim. Baby blue tweed with a 4-inch heel. Mint green with rhinstones. Sky-high stilettos with long, delicate straps that criss-crossed up her calves – one pair in silver, one in gold.
On and on. In every color of the rainbow but purple. Some were suitable for work, but for the most part they sat unused until Friday and Saturday night. That was their time to shine.
After much deliberation the perfect pair would be chosen. She would carefully teeter down two flights of stairs from her apartment to the throbbing energy of the street below. Sometimes there’d be a whistle or a “Look at those shoes!”. She’d strut past, struggling to affect an air of self-assuredness while praying for an empty cab to appear before she stumbled and broke the spell. And possibly an ankle.
Those shoes were her power. Her something special in a life chock-full of nothing fancy. They transformed her from a plain, quiet, lonely girl to a girl full of life and energy and maybe even a bit of mystery. The girl she wanted to be but had no idea how to conjure for more than one brief evening at a time.
Like Cinderella and her glass slippers.
Over the years, “she” became “me”. And with that change came a shift in attitude, a sense of self-worth and a lessened dependence on those shoes. I still own most of them, only now they live in bins which are stacked somewhere in the attic. Each pair has a story and a special place in my heart. I can’t seem to part with them even though I no longer have an excuse to wear them. When watering one’s garden, gold stilettos with straps going up one’s legs are hardly apropos.
But that’s okay. I no longer need to wear them, either.
The transformation here is so wonderful. Become the you that you want to be and in the meantime put on some sassy shoes so everyone else thinks you are already there! Genius!
Thanks – that was definitely an interesting and treacherous time in my life. I’m uncoordinated to begin with…!
Very well written post on coming to terms with who we really are as a person, aside from all the trimmings on the outside. And the analogy to Cinderella and her glass slippers is dead-on!
Yes! Finding who we are inside instead of putting ourselves on like a garment. Good point!
I am loving this! Although I’m left curious as to why there is every color but purple? Any specific reason, or does she (you) just not like the color?
Good question! I just never found a good pair of shoes in purple, I guess. It stuck out in my mind when I was writing it that it was the only color that was missing.
You conjure up the uncertainty of young adulthood so well in this.
I only just gave up my last Impossibly Young Shoes. It was hard but I hope somewhere those Aldo platform pedestal heels with the peep-toes, ankle straps, and gorgeous red chinoiserie fabric are living a second life.
Just like me!
Gosh – even your comments are beautiful. I love that: Impossibly Young Shoes. Great name for them!
FABULOUS. I so can relate to that lack of self-confidence…and the energy she felt from the boost the shoes gave her. And May’s absolutely right; it’s the transformation here that is extraordinary. You no longer need that boost from those beloved shoes, and that’s awesome!
My favorite line was this: “Her something special in a life chock-full of nothing fancy.” Perfect, just the right sentence to describe her connection to those shoes.
Well done! Stopping by from TRDC.
Thank you so much for reading! Did you have a pair or pairs of shoes like these?
Oh, I really enjoyed this one! Great job!
Thank you!
Wow, you’re collection sounds fabulous. But I’ve “outgrown” most of my fancy shoes too. I totally get this. Nice job.
Yes, “outgrown” can mean two different things. Thank you!
Funny how just few delicate words can evoke such a big picture. I felt like I immediately knew who this girl was within the first 5 lines. This is a wonderful example of using the “negative space” in writing. From the miniscule imagery in the “positive space” (the rack of shoes… teetering down the stairs) you described an entire character with insecurities, confused and conflicted about her identity… I loved it.
I’m happy for you that you found your self worth outside of shoes!
Thank you so much for your kind, thoughtful words. I appreciate it in a big way!
I LOVE the way you wove this lady!
This line -struggling to affect an air of self-assuredness while praying for an empty cab to appear before she stumbled and broke the spell. And possibly an ankle.- was perfection. Telling, sweet, relatable.
But what I loved most was the ending because you, my dear friend, are pure fabulous with our without stilettos!
XO
I’m gonna cry, I swear! You are too kind to me. Thank you.
Love how you worked this prompt! So glad that you’ve become who you want to be.
But I’d love to see the shoes!
You’ll have to come over so we can go through the bins!
Wow. I, too, love the transformation and the lesson behind this.
My favorite line: “Like Cinderella and her glass slippers” because it evoked the meaning behind what these shoes were for you at the time.
Powerful piece!
Thanks so much, Melanie!
This is wonderful. I was completely caught by surprise. And I loved the descriptions of the shoes and the challenges of walking in them. Sigh. I’m glad I’m not young anymore but the shoes were fun!
Thank you
Yeah, they were really some challenging shoes for sure. I swear I have no idea how I didn’t break anything – especially walking up and down two flights in them!
I really loved this piece – and am glad that you no longer need the shoes. Our roles change, our shoes change (and even our handbags change) depending on what life requires of us. These days it is flip-flops and tennis shoes. It’s hard to run carpool in heels.
Yep – I know a woman who carries a Coach diaper bag as a purse! haha We do what we have to do. Thanks for reading
I’m so glad those shoes gave you the support you needed while you discovered yourself.
And why not water the garden with them? They deserve a little air.
That second part made me laugh out loud! True, they did serve me well for years – I should let them get out every so often.
Well done! But I think that you should pull those shoes out once in a while and wear a pair or two. They’d be happy!
Oh… you need purple ones too. No closet is complete without purple shoes.
Even my husband was like “You didn’t own any purple shoes?”. One of those things I didn’t think about til I was describing the ones I did have. I think you’re right…a little sass never hurt anyone, right?
What a gorgeous story…simply for that picture of the shoe …Wowza!
But then you brought out every single emotion of being someone else in our shoes, our fantasy dodged, our better or bolder selves, the envy of ourselves.
The was so gorgeous, the words, the descriptions, the end where you show us why you don’t need gold strappy shoes to be incredible…for you always are!!! Xoxo
You are so good to me, sweet friend. Thank you for such an evocative prompt and your sweet words.
This is so, so fun! I love that you have all those shoes, and that you kept them, even though you don’t wear most of them anymore.
One little critique – in the paragraph when you’re describing the different shoes, I would have listed your favorites last instead of first. I think there’s more impact that way, but I guess that’s just a preference, not a real critique.
I love that you used those shoes to build yourself up into who you wanted to be. Like Cinderella? Maybe. But when you’re your own fairy godmother, it’s that much better
I have a ‘thing’ for shoes and yes…. different pairs bring out different personality traits.
Don’t they? They can either match up with how we’re feeling at the time we pick them out, or bring out something in us that we wish was there.
No, certainly not. It’s common knowledge that for gardening you wear tap shoes.
+followed
This made me laugh out loud! Why didn’t I think of that??