When last we talked I was trying to emphasize that something as mundane as shoes was a fantastic gift for me. A gift that only Marjorie would undertake to give me. Because Marjorie is not only the Queen of Charm, she is also the Shopping Queen! (And the Gadget Queen. I am the Question Queen, but a different friend gave me that moniker. So long as ‘Queen’ is equally shared, I bear Marjorie no grudge in her queendom.)
Besides having mailed boots and sports shoes to myself, I am taking 3 pair of shoes to China with me: a pair of flats to work in, a pair of Okabashi to bum around in and a pair of white Sketchers with the strap that crosses over the top of the foot that I’ve had for at least 3 years. Those are to be worn with my capris and other summer outfits. They have really held up well but face it: they are 3 years old. They do not look good. The velcro closure does not hold really well and, at awkward moments just lets go and causes me to trip over my own shoes. Marjorie recognized this and thus decided to gift me shoes.
Now you know why it was such a huge deal.
Truly: my grin was fully 5/8ths delight at getting new shoes and 3/8ths mocking her for daring to challenge my impossible feet, because shoeing them is sometimes is an impossible feat! Nevertheless, my friend, the Shopping (and other distinctive types of) Queen set off with me in tow (toe? Pun intended) to find shoes.
We started at the local mall – a logical choice for people with normal feet. At the mall, shoes stores abound. We checked Macy’s, Sears, Payless… where else? There were several stores, and it was all a blur: one store after another, each selection stopping at size 10. We moved on.
T.J.Maxx, Ross, Lane Bryant just for fun. Admittedly, Lane Bryant had attractive shoes in my size, but because of the crossed toe, I cannot wear a deep cut shoe. There has to be a generous amount of toe covering for me to be able to wear it. We moved on.
Do you get now, why I keep my shoes forever?
We went home unsuccessful. Marjorie was undaunted – she is the Shopping Queen, after all. I… was along for the adventure. Could my feet defeat and unseat the Queen?
The next day – Sunday, we set out again, as early as possible. By 11:00AM we were at Bon Ton, no luck. Although there were cute shoes there, none fit the bill. On to the Outlet mall, 5 towns and a 1 hour drive away. There we would visit Easy Spirit – the one Marjorie was banking on, Naturalizer – the one I had high hopes for, Bass-Weejuns, Eddie Bauer and more. No luck on Marjorie’s horse or mine, and I noticed…
I noticed the façade cracking. Marjorie was no longer looking optimistic, or even hopeful. I, on the other hand, started gloating. Not that I wanted Marjorie to fail – if she did, I’d be shoeless, but because my feet trumped the indomitable will of my friend, the Queen. I was not happy about her being flummoxed, I was just so amused that I am truly THAT hard to fit!
Uniform World saved the day. Just for fun, we went and looked. They had Sketchers that had the generous foot covering, the crossing straps over the foot, they were white, they were my size. They accommodated my orthotic insoles (another painful aspect of shoe shopping I had previously forgotten to tell you about). They were… PERFECT! It was simply amazing that, after 2 days of nearly constant shopping, my feet were ‘beat’ – literally and figuratively.
Marjorie won, and I’m so glad she did. We giggled about finding kicky shoes at such a functional store while we munched pizza at the mall’s food court. We deserved a reward for all of that searching, right? I have new shoes to wear in China, and I will take good care of them so that they will last as long as their predecessors. Who knows if I’m going to be able to find shoes in my size in China, and obviously, ordering online is out: I wouldn’t be able to try them on. The act of trying on is a must for feet as difficult as mine.
But the most important reason I’m so glad she won is that, when I’m feeling sad, missing my friends, wondering if I’ve made the biggest mistake ever… I can just walk a mile in my friend’s shoes and be comforted and cheered by the memory of spending this time with her.
Marjorie, thank you for your most wonderful and comfortable gift.
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