“If you want style and comfort, there is nothing better than a pair of wingtip shoes!” said the shoe clerk to George, his customer.
And George had to agree as he sat back in the chair marveling at their shine and style. With the shoes clerk’s few words of encouragement, George decided to buy the shoes. After all, he had been on vacation for the last two weeks, and he thought of no better way of starting his first day back on the job than by wearing a new pair of shoes. A pair of black wingtips should be a part of every young man’s wardrobe, he figured.
“For the money, you’re going to get a lot of wear out of them,” said the shoe clerk.
But the shoes felt a little tight to George who was concerned as any consumer would be, but he quickly reasoned that with a few days of wear they would be broken in just right. Why should a little tightness keep me from buying shoes with such distinct style, George thought.
And on that evening, George walked home with a box of new shoes tucked under his arm. He whistled and hummed and looked forward to going back in the morning to his job at the bank where he worked as a teller.
In the morning, George awakened and took his shower. He felt excitement as he put on his white dress shirt, his grey suit, and of course his new pair of shoes. George preened in front of the mirror and couldn’t help but admire how his shoes gave off such a brilliant shine.
But as George ate his breakfast, he began to feel his shoes pinch at his feet. For a moment he thought of taking them off and putting on an old reliable pair, but he quickly changed his mind when he told himself, this discomfort is only temporary, it will surely go away.
On the bus ride to work, he felt the pinch on his feet grow worse, George fretted that he made a mistake — new shoes are for Sundays and never for work! For a moment he became self-conscious that his pain showed on his face, so he started idle chatter with the woman who sat next to him.
“My, this is a nice day, but they say it may rain, I forgot to bring an umbrella, but I see you didn’t forget yours.”
But the woman only gave him a blank stare and quickly put her nose back in the newspaper.