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Shoes from Hell

It started in the store. I was just walking through, glancing from time to time at a display of blouses or skirts, when I passed the shoe section. My mom paused for a second but I went on, confident in the knowledge that I had plenty of shoes and would rather use my limited money on something else. (Let's face it: I'm a high schooler, I'm broke.)

"Wait!" My mom grabbed my arm. "Look! Isn't that so pretty!"

I followed her finger to see what was possibly the most hideous pair of shoes on the face of the planet. They were very large, very pointy, and had many little... things... dangling off of it, sure to make a horrifying jangling noise with every step you take. You know, like your own private alarm to tell people, "Watch out, I'm coming through, and my shoes are so pointy they might possibly accidentally stab you in the legs and leave you dying in the streets!"

But right next to those beasts of shoes?

The most gorgeous pair of flats I had ever laid eyes on.

I rushed over and threw off my own shoes, trying them on immediately. They were a little tight in the sides, but otherwise rather comfortable, I found as I walked around that little shoe section. I checked the price on the box: $45.

Ouch. $45 could translate to two pretty shirts, or one whole outfit. But then I saw that beneath the price was a bright red sticker: ON SALE, ONLY $26. And when I looked up, I saw my mom waving a 10% off coupon.

I swore to myself that I would never again tease her for her obsessive coupon-clipping.

I bought the shoes and, since it was only February, waited for the right day and the right outfit. Then, last Friday, it was a miracle - the weather was in the 70s, so I quickly assembled the perfect outfit for my perfect shoes and set out for school.

Oh, and if you couldn't tell, I haven't worn flats since I was like seven. I was not aware of this whole "breaking-in" thing. But trust me, I became aware rather quickly.

Within thirty minutes, I already had three bleeding blisters. An entire tissue pack and first aid kit of bandaids did nothing. I spent the day hobbling around amid many stares, wishing fervently that I had brought back-up shoes. At last, I was down to my second-to-last class, and when that ended, I prepared to go to my final class.

Let me draw you a map.

Oh, and I had three minutes to get there.

Definitely the highlight of my day.

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So, what about you? Have you ever worn shoes from hell? How did you survive it? And how exactly do you go about breaking them in?

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh, what a sad story! That happens to me pretty much every time I talk myself into buying heels. They're just never as comfortable as I think they'll be! I usually just end up going barefoot :)

Melody said...

Ugh, I've been there! I knew when I bought them that I would probably end up with blisters, but I was short on time (and money) (and shoe-shopping-enjoyment-juice). I finally wore them, and they killed me on just about every side of my feet. But I knew something about blisters from guitar-playing...if you keep at it long enough, you'll develop impenetrable callousses. And that's what I did. I wore those shoes for days. For weeks. Nearly killed me. Limped around. But then, eventually, there were no more blisters, and I could wear those shoes whenever I wanted wherever I wanted. :) Still do, in fact!

Teacher/Learner said...

Nearly every pair of shoes I've ever had gave me blisters and cuts on my heels, toes & bottoms of my feet. The only two that have been good to me are a ratty pair of Adidas sneakers I've had for almost 15 years (no joke) and a very expensive pair of work shoes that are uber-comfortable for teachers & nurses on their feet all day. It was worth the cost and my fussy feet are finally cured of shoe hell :D

Peppermint Ph.D. said...

unfortunately the shoes from hell truly are from hell bc you can't really break them in :( I can't stand those pointy toed shoes...I guess my foot is just not the right shape to handle it

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