My School Shoes

I was on my way to work and I noticed a pair of holey shoes worn by a school girl. It was one of those ala BATA school shoes with velcro straps, yes those nostalgic BATA designs.

I recalled 8 years ago, I had my first Converse school shoes. I love my black Converse. To own a Converse is like owning a Steve Madden at that point of time. It was one of those classic designs with white tip and a classic Converse star marks its territory near the top side of my heels.. It was the classiest pair of school shoes I ever owned.

I wore it for 2 years. 2 years of pouncing in the mud and rain and these shoes joined me with my marching in the band. You can tell from my school shoes how much I walked. I walked SO MUCH. Here and there and everywhere. 6 days a week I'll be in school.

The sole worn off so badly but I still loved it endlessly. I know how expensive those pair cost my parents. Being mindful of my own school expenses (as much as I could) I politely rejected the offer when Dad asked if I wanted new shoes. He looked distraught every time it rains and I come back home,  with soaked socks.

Then he came out with an idea, Why don't I bring them to the cobbler and let him have them fixed? My shoes came back to me, but with pseudo "heels". Seriously it looked like my shoes had gotten *strange* heels (The sole is brownish, but the heels are tappered with black rubber). It looks weird but at that point in life, I didn't care much because all I want was to have something that I can wear to school Every Day.

Dad told me a story when he brought the shoes to the cobbler. He handed the laced Converse shoes (with a hole on the back of the EACH of the sole), to one of the 5-foot pathway cobblers and said Help me to get these fixed. 

The cobbler raised the shoes and laughed, a pitiful laugh while he looked at the sordid soles and told my dad, Your daughter's shoes? She must be a very smart girl. She won't mind I plaster it this way?

Probably my dad was gloating by then, but he said made the cobbler do what he can do to save my shoes.

I only thought of it today when I saw the girl with the holes in her school shoes. How easily can a person tell another person's character, just by looking at their shoes. A cobbler (not referring to Mister Minute. Meh) with years of experience under his wings can tell a persons character, through and through a pair of ill school shoes?

People amazes me sometimes. That is why I love stoning by the Riverside and just watch people streaming by. That said, if you don't want your life to be read, don't send your shoes to a cobbler, and vice versa. I am not implying that, that cobbler is accurate, but wherever it goes to, it always comes back to I am Not Smart, but I am just hardworking, good enough to take me to somewhere I have always wanted to go and determined enough to achieve I want to achieve.

Hope this gives an inspiration to you to continue working hard and excel, even it you don't have the Brains. "Capitalise on what you are good at" my lady boss told me the other day. "I'm sure you will go very far in the future"


Have a splendid Halloween weekend. Don't let the real ghosts bite you. 






P/S Seriously why are people paying money to see fake ghosts?