if the shoe fits: a true story

i looked at my feet and thought i need new shoes. i had just been to the dentist's office and was wearing my oldest and most comfortable pair of sandals. i looked closer and gasped. man, i needed a pedicure. my heels are cracked, nails are chipped. i needed a foot scrub, maybe a foot soak, and a pedicure.  great, i still have time before i meet my date.

as i walked towards the jeepney stop, i thought about the guy i'm meeting. we were in that phase where butterflies in my tummy are aflutter, when i would secretly wish and hope that the next text message would be his. i was excited to see him, to say the least.

as i got off the jeep, the strap on my sandals snapped.  my left shoe disintegrated right in front of everybody! i hopped over to the other side of the street, praying that the shoe would stay attached long enough until i get to the fastfood place on the other side of the street. unaware of the whispers and stares, i hobbled over to a table and considered my options. i would be meeting my date in two hours. i have to take another ride to go to the nearest mall to buy shoes.  the pavement was strewn with rocks, not to mention that it was a very hot day. i dont think the one i was wearing would hold until i'm able to do all that. with a sigh of defeat, i called my date and asked him to come pick me up from where i was.

the look on his face when he found me was priceless. i would've taken a picture, only i didnt own a camera.  i recounted the story and, gentleman that he is, suppressed his laughter. i walked barefoot to his car and we proceeded to the mall. from the parking lot, i proudly walked barefoot pass the guard, pass the surprised onlookers and bystanders. if this guy really likes me, he'll be amused by the quirkiness.

inside the shoe store, the salespeople werent sure if they were being punked. i made my choice and asked for my size. brown pumps with a little heel. after all, i was going out on a date afterwards. all this time, my date was watching me as i put on my new shoes. he came over and chose another pair,  ballet flats in bronze. he asked for my size, and declared that he was paying for both pairs of shoes. the butterflies were all around me! not only did he take this embarrassing, yet funny, episode in stride, he was buying me shoes! i secretly swooned.

two years later, i looked down at my feet. the day before, i pampered them. foot scrub, foot massage, pedicure, the works. the heels were smooth and pinkish, my toes were painted platinum pink. as i strapped on my white sandals with 2-inch heels, i felt the butterflies in my tummy aflutter. in a couple of minutes, i would be walking down the aisle, in my perfectly pedicured feet, faintly smelling of lavender, towards the man who rescued me that day.