\u201cIf you want style and comfort, there is nothing better than a pair of wingtip shoes!\u201d said the shoe clerk to George, his customer.<\/p>\n
And George had to agree as he sat back in the chair marveling at their shine and style. With the shoes clerk\u2019s 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\u2019s wardrobe, he figured.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the money, you\u2019re going to get a lot of wear out of them,\u201d said the shoe clerk.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t help but admire how his shoes gave off such a brilliant shine.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
On the bus ride to work, he felt the pinch on his feet grow worse, George fretted that he made a mistake \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy, this is a nice day, but they say it may rain, I forgot to bring an umbrella, but I see you didn\u2019t forget yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the woman only gave him a blank stare and quickly put her nose back in the newspaper. <\/p>\n
When George arrived at work he braved a smile and greeted his fellow workers. They asked him about his vacation, and in his jubilance of relating his trip to the Twin Cities, he forgot all about his aching feet.<\/p>\n
At his teller\u2019s window he began to wait on customers with his usual rapid speed. Oh, how he did enjoy his job. He was fast. He was efficient. His hands were a blur as he counted out money. George handled payroll checks, savings bonds, traveler\u2019s checks, and opened an IRA account for a customer. He thought he could forget the pain in his feet by throwing himself into his work. But alas, no dice, his feet ached and howled because of those blasted wingtip shoes. Under the glaring florescent lights his shoes did shine, and George thought how deceiving a new pair of shoes can be, no one really knows the suffering they can bring! The pain became so critical that it disturbed his concentration.<\/p>\n
\u201cYoung man,\u201d said old Mr. Cimble, \u201cI think you\u2019ve given me ten dollars too much.\u201d<\/p>\n
George recounted the money and discovered that he had indeed given him an extra ten dollar bill. George blushed with embarrassment on account of his mistake and thanked Mr. Cimble for being an honest customer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank your lucky stars that I\u2019m an honest man,\u201d said Mr. Cimble for the fourth time as he loitered about George\u2019s window as if waiting for a reward.<\/p>\n
George worried about his mistake and knew that his lunch hour would be his salvation to take off his shoes and rest in the company lounge. He knew that he must give his poor feet a reprieve from the punishment they had received.<\/p>\n
But poor George didn\u2019t have the luck of having a lunch hour to himself. His boss, Mr. Sammon, put his arm around him and said, \u201cListen George, a group of us are going to Perillo\u2019s for lunch, why don\u2019t you join us and tell us all about your vacation?\u201d<\/p>\n
And George sadly accepted the invitation, how could be refuse his boss because of his short-sightedness on wearing a new pair of shoes? <\/p>\n
At the restaurant his feet felt squeezed with such pain that he lost all appetite for food and conversation, but being brought up to be polite he didn\u2019t dare take off his shoes at the table. George forced himself to eat his sandwich and forced himself to laugh when the others would tell a joke, and when he thought that his feet couldn\u2019t stand any more torment, he excused himself to go to the men\u2019s room. He decided he would sit in one of the stalls and take off his shoes for a few precious minutes. But when George entered the bathroom, all the stalls were occupied. George stamped his feet in anger. Wouldn\u2019t anything go right today? And he stamped his feet again but stopped when he realized the stamping only made his feet feel worse. In his agony he decided right then and there, next to the urinal, to pull the shoes off his feet, but when he grabbed for the lace to untie his shoe, Mr. Sammon walked in and loudly proclaimed, \u201cWhy George, those have got to be the brightest shoes I have ever seen!\u201d<\/p>\n
George was happy to receive such a nice complement from his boss, and let go of the lace as he pretended to be only tying his shoe. In fact he felt a little guilty for getting so angry at these handsome shoes.<\/p>\n
So George went back to work and persevered through the day. He handled more traveler\u2019s checks, payroll checks, saving bonds, and opened another IRA account for a customer.<\/p>\n
But no matter how hard George worked, the pain grew worse, and it was almost impossible to concentrate. He was giving too much money to some of his customers while shortchanging others. Soon a few customers complained to Mr. Sammon on the mistakes he was making. \u201cHe\u2019s gypping us!\u201d \u201cWatch that boy, he\u2019s got itchy fingers!\u201d \u201cHe\u2019s drunk!\u201d \u201cHe\u2019s a thief!\u201d \u201cSuch dishonesty should not be tolerated by a bank!\u201d And a few customers even threatened to close their accounts. Mr. Sammon was disturbed by this news, but assured the customers that the matter would be swiftly resolved. As he summoned George to his office he thought how a bank must instill confidence and trust, nothing less will do.<\/p>\n
\u201cGeorge,\u201d said Mr. Sammon, \u201cthere seems to be a problem, I have received numerous complaints about your work from some angry customers. I would like an explanation. You even seemed to be in a peculiar mood at lunch today. Are you ill? Or is there a problem at home?\u201d <\/p>\n
George was glad Mr. Sammon was so concerned about his well being and in his agony he blurted out, \u201cYou see Mr. Sammon, my problem is not due to my health or a problem at home, but rather the problem rests on account of my shoes!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShoes?\u201d said Mr. Sammon, and looked down at George\u2019s shiny wingtips.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, it is truly my shoes! They have caused nothing but pain all day, and I had the lack of foresight that they would hurt my feet this way!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy George, shoes may be stiff, and shoes may be tight, but I have never heard of shoes causing one to make so many mistakes! Are you sure it is not something else?\u201d<\/p>\n
But George only pleaded, \u201cBelieve me when I tell you that it is my shoes and just my shoes that has caused me to be so careless with my work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Sammon was troubled when George told him this. I manage a bank, he thought, my employees must show strong character, I can\u2019t have someone who blames errors on his shoes. Mr. Sammon thought of the bank, of financial responsibility and customer loyalty, and sadly told George, \u201cYou have been a good teller for the past two years, but yet I cannot condone so many errors in one afternoon, and what\u2019s more, I can\u2019t have an employee blaming his poor performance on a pair of ill-fitting shoes!\u201d<\/p>\n
And with that, George was fired. His shoes began to bite at his feet so hard that he ran out of the bank without saying another word. George took the bus home and never gave it a thought that he had just been fired because the only thing on his mind was getting those shoes off his feet. He pictured blisters and various open sores covering his feet.<\/p>\n
When he came into his apartment he threw himself on the couch to take off his shoes. I must get these blasted shoes off at once! George loosened the laces and started to pull off his right shoe, but to his surprise the shoe wouldn\u2019t budge a fraction of an inch. He loosened the lace some more and tugged even harder, but no luck, the shoe wouldn\u2019t come off. He tried the other shoe but he also had no luck. He even grabbed a spatula to lift his feet from the shoes, but as hard as he tried neither shoe could be removed. <\/p>\n
George lost his temper and threw himself to the floor. He rolled on his back and clawed at his shoes. He cried out, \u201cMy God, why won\u2019t these shoes come off my feet?\u201d He lay on the floor covered with perspiration and couldn\u2019t believe his plight. For a moment he thought this was all a bad dream. He tried to calm himself while thinking that there must be a solution to his problem. Remembering that he still had the receipt from the shoe store, George decided it was best to take the shoes back, perhaps they could help him with these faulty shoes. He got up from the floor, dusted off his suit, and carefully buffed away the few scuff marks that he, in his struggle, had so carelessly put on his shoes.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood sir,\u201d said George to the shoe clerk, \u201cI bought these shoes just yesterday, but I have a problem with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThose are certainly a nice pair of shoes, but we do have a policy on no refunds or exchanges,\u201d said the shoe clerk.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ask not for a refund or an exchange, I only ask that you help me get these shoes off of my feet! The pain is quite exquisite sir.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCertainly your shoes come off, why everyone\u2019s shoes come off.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBelieve me when I tell you that they won\u2019t even budge, you don\u2019t know how hard I tried.\u201d<\/p>\n
The clerk called the manager over and together the two of them tried to get the shoes off of George\u2019s feet. They sat him in a chair and pulled as hard as they could, but no matter how hard they tried, the shoes stayed put. Even a few customers joined in the effort of taking a crack at removing his shoes, but after an hour of honest effort, the shiny wingtips remained on George\u2019s feet. The manager was perplexed and told George that shoehorns were invented to help people get into shoes, but he had no knowledge of a tool that helped people remove their shoes.<\/p>\n
As the manager sent George on his way, he called out, \u201cBut those are a nice pair of shoes, you\u2019re lucky you got those on your feet rather than a pair of work boots!\u201d<\/p>\n
And the clerk added, \u201cTry the podiatrist down the street, perhaps he can help you.\u201d <\/p>\n
So George in agony and despair, stormed into the waiting room of the podiatrist\u2019s office and shouted to the receptionist, \u201cI must see the doctor at once, this is an emergency!\u201d<\/p>\n
And of course the receptionist, being an efficient type, told him he needed an appointment. But George was in such pain that he left all protocol aside and cried out even louder that he must see the doctor at once.<\/p>\n
The doctor came out of the examining room to find out what the commotion was about.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood Doctor, you must help me if you can, I have a pair of shoes that won\u2019t come off of my feet!\u201d<\/p>\n
The patients in the waiting room began to laugh. Even Mrs. Wilma who had the worst case of bunions and hadn\u2019t smiled for years let out a chortle.<\/p>\n
\u201cYoung man,\u201d said the doctor, \u201cIf you wish to complain about shoes then go to the shoe repair shop across the street! I work on ill feet, not on ill-fitting shoes!\u201d<\/p>\n
And the patients laughed even more.<\/p>\n
\u201cYoung people are so impractical!\u201d cried Mrs. Wilma and then said to George, \u201cbut those are quite a handsome pair of shoes!\u201d<\/p>\n
The doctor swiftly grabbed George at the collar and pushed him out the door.<\/p>\n
George went to Mr. Plummer\u2019s shoe repair shop that smelled of old leather and dye and pointed to his shoes that wouldn\u2019t come off his feet. George was surprised that Mr. Plummer listened so attentively. He was such a sympathetic listener that he took out a pad of paper and took notes. George was impressed that he measured George\u2019s shoes from every possible direction and then wrote a page of mathematical calculations. Mr. Plummer saw this as a challenge to his profession, and besides it was a break from the monotony of replacing heels and soles on old shoes.<\/p>\n
He made George lay down on his workbench and placed his feet in a vise.<\/p>\n
\u201cA few taps should loosen them, it\u2019s just a matter of hitting the right spot,\u201d said Mr. Plummer wielding a mallet in his hand. <\/p>\n
But after twenty or so hits from the mallet and a few screams from George, the shoes were as tight as before. Puzzled by this outcome, Mr. Plummer scratched his chin and went to the back room for a larger mallet, and George quickly loosened the grip of the vise that held his feet and knew Mr. Plummer\u2019s shoe repair shop was not the answer.<\/p>\n
George walked along the street and felt totally despondent. He didn\u2019t know what else he could do. Am I to spend the rest of my life wearing these shoes? He wondered how he would sleep at night, how would he shower? He even grew more depressed when he thought about his wedding night that was just a few weeks away. What will my Wendy say? Will she still love me even if I had to wear these shoes for the rest of my life? George knew that he had to go to Wendy\u2019s house and explain his problem. Surely she will understand, after all, he thought, she will soon be my wife.<\/p>\n
George rang the doorbell and Wendy greeted him with a hug. She immediately sat him on the couch and showed him a furniture catalog that she had been looking at. She told him how the furniture inside the catalog would be perfect for their new place once they were married.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy, this catalog sure is nice,\u201d George agreed, but then remembered that he came to tell her about the shoes that wouldn\u2019t come off his feet. \u201cWendy, please listen to me, I have something important to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wendy grew deeply concerned for what could be more important at that moment than the furniture catalog that sat on George\u2019s lap.<\/p>\n
George was near tears as he related the day\u2019s events of his aching feet, on how he lost his job, how he couldn\u2019t remove his shoes, and even how old Mrs. Wilma laughed at him in the podiatrist\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
Wendy was quizzical and thought he was joking, but George gave her a quick demonstration on how he couldn\u2019t remove his shoes. Wendy tried to remove them herself. She tugged and pulled with all her might until her face turned a bright pink.<\/p>\n
\u201cSee, I told you,\u201d said George. \u201cIt\u2019s no use, they won\u2019t come off my feet!\u201d<\/p>\n
But Wendy wasn\u2019t easily deterred, and again she tried as she used all the strength she could muster. She twisted his feet in different directions and yanked as hard as she could. But after battling with his shoes for more than an hour, all she had to show for it was a couple of broken nails and beads of sweat that dripped from her nose. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhy you freak!\u201d she cried. \u201cYou loser galore! How can I marry someone who can\u2019t take off his shoes? What will our honeymoon be like? What will my parents say? I\u2019ve wasted two years of my life with a man who can\u2019t take off his shoes!\u201d<\/p>\n
George quickly protested. He told her something can be done, perhaps hypnosis, maybe surgery, he wasn\u2019t sure. But Wendy was so distraught that she opened the door and told him to leave. As George walked out, she threw the furniture catalog at his back before slamming the door.<\/p>\n
George walked down the street and brooded over the day\u2019s events. He was certain his life was cursed and that he would never be the same again.<\/p>\n
After walking for a couple of blocks and cursing his fate, he felt a strange impulse to want to dance. He had never danced a step in his life, never had any interest, but the impulse grew stronger and he began to dance down the street. At first it was a slow dance, but quickly his steps became lighter, more fluid and he danced a little faster. He realized it wasn\u2019t him who doing the dancing, but rather his shoes. They carried him as if they had a mind of their own.<\/p>\n
His dance soon included spins and high leg kicks that only masters of dance could do. And George knew that he couldn\u2019t stop dancing even if he tried. As the dance carried him higher in the air and spun him faster around, his feet no longer felt any pain and he felt a joy that he had never experienced before.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 Copyright Wawzenek<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cIf you want style and comfort, there is nothing better than a pair of wingtip shoes!\u201d said the shoe clerk to George, his customer.<\/p>\n And George had to agree as he sat back in the chair marveling at their shine and style.<\/p>\n …<\/span><\/p>\n