page 119, The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett
i miss wearing high heels.
the 3-inch stilletoes. i used to wear them 7 days a week. to school, to church, to office. anywhere. everywhere. i chased buses and jeepneys in high heeled shoes all the time, in all kinds of weather. i loved the ones that only had single strap at the toes and made the feet look bare. i wore them with skirts, short, really short, long and not so long.
and i especially liked the expensive ones. my clothes were tailor-made because it was cheaper to have them made (believe it or not!) but my shoes were expensive. when the average price of a pair of good shoes was 45 pesos, i would buy mine from brand name stores and sinfully paid 300 pesos for a pair. the most i paid for a pair was 450 pesos. i was 28 back then in manila. in canada i had a pair of shoes from bruno magli or something with an italian name for $280 sale price! brown leather patent with suede toes. the smell of leather. the smell of too much money for a pair of shoes. i should be sent to hell.
i still keep the last pair of high heeled sandals i had from 20 years ago (see the pair in the foreground). 3-inch heels, all leather, in black, size 5-1/2. i call it my cinderella shoes. the days when i was 110, a size 4 with 20 inches waist. after ten years, the shoes won't fit me anymore. i had become the ugly step-sister instead of cinderella, heavy and size 7 WIDE!!! yes, life happened to me, as with everyone.
now, i cringe at the sight of a so-so looking pair with a price tag of more than $50. no more high end, brand name pairs. i go to the cheap outlet stores, with BOGO options. now i go for comfort. years of abuse had caught up with my flat feet (the genes factor), the bunions, the calluses, the corns, and of course the arthritis is a given. on weekends there's no friggin' way i'd wear regular shoes unless i have to dress up to go somewhere. i'd marry my NB sneakers if it was possible. but, i see that they now have heeled rubber shoes - sneakers in heels. a total atrocity.
sometimes i still have some fantasies left in me. i see a beautiful pair of shoes, the 3-1/2-inch heels beckoning me. they'd make any ugly feet look lovely. i look at them and think of trying them on, just for old time's sake. i know i still can walk in them. then i'm jolted out of my reverie as my bunions start to scream: go ahead, bitch, let's see who's boss!
who's boss? dr. scholl's, that's who.
(from:
http://amatterofdistinction.blogspot.com/2009/11/i-miss3.html)
update:
@altadc made me remember the goddess of sinful shoes: imelda marcos. (and i'm reminded yet that i share the same birthdate as the old lady.) there used to be a payless shoes advertisement that spoofed her love of shoes! i miss that commercial.
@sbb1980 - thank you, sara. i have five more in the office and i use only one pair and that's during the winter when i'd be wearing pantyhose to work.
@pamfromcalgary - good for you, pam! however, i was brought up and couldn't shake it, to be well dressed and presentable when you're at work, especially that sometimes i get to see my boss' clients. thank you, pam.
@sunnygreenwood - aren't those NB's comfortable? heck, they protect your feet yet they're so light and cradle your feet like a baby! love my NB's. i should've included them in the shot! hahahaha. thank you, anne.
@karenann - mocs with beads? where'd you get them? tell me, tell me, please! thank you, karenann.
@steeler - all these shoes talk, howard. for all my moods when i don't have to dress up, i have my runners! thank you, howard.
@altadc - hahahaha! i forgot about mrs. marcos! we share the same birthday so that's probably why i like shoes, too! is she still alive? what is she now, about a hundred? thank you, alta.
@sanera - i know what you mean! been there, done that, not good! thank you, sam.
@danig - my toes are too ugly for flipflops, especially now in my old age :-D and if you're at the age when hot flashes attack you out of the blue, you won't want to be wearing gumboots. thank you, DG. hope you had a good vacay!