I am unlike a lot of women in that I only have less than a dozen pairs of shoes in my closet.
There are my black heels and my white heels, dressy and rarely used. My black flat sandals that tend to slide off my feet so they sit in the back of my shoe tree. I have two pairs of sneakers, one for the angel side of me and one for the devil -- one is a white pair of Keds and the other is a black and white Converse sneaker. Both pairs match all my jeans. There's a pair of camel-colored mules with black tire tread bottoms and a tan pair of Timberlands that squeak with each step. Oh, and a couple of pairs of all purpose suede pumps -- one brown, one black -- that can be dressy with slacks or be just this side of casual with denim. And for very casual, I have this great pair of Premier Italian suede sandals that resemble Birkenstocks. God, they're comfortable.
And last but certainly not least there are my pair of black zip-up ankle boots. They are my go-to shoe; my default when all else fails or I just don't feel like standing there all wishy-washy-ing. They go with absolutely everything and if I had to make the proverbial "on a desert island" choice, these would be what I'd take along.
Until now, I've been very happy with my shoes. All of these pairs have been with me a long time and have had plenty of time to mold to my feet and I like them that way. I know what outfits they all go with and I don't have to stand there in my closet and fret about what shoe to wear with what shirt. I don't have to try. Or think. Or wonder. I just knew.
So imagine my surprise when I realized just last night that I'd left a pair of shoes behind in the Exh's closet! It was the pair I'd grown used to the most. I'd done all the breaking in I'd needed to do with those. They fit me to a T.
Well, at least I thought they had....until I saw Yo wearing them. Apparently she's trying like hell to fit into my shoes.
You know what, though? Looking at those shoes on her feet, I realized something. And no, it wasn't bitterness that she was trying to borrow my shoes. It must be hard to try to fit into someone's else's shoes and walk in them in all the places they used to go with their previous owner. No, those old things have outlived their usefulness to me, so much so that I'd forgotten I even left them behind. I don't have to (much less want to) wear hand-me-downs from someone's else's life. I get the chance to break in another pair.
I'm looking forward to shopping for a new pair of shoes.
((Song: "New Shoes" by Paolo Nutini. Lyrics here:
http://www.absolutelyrics.com/lyrics/view/paolo_nutini/new_shoes/))
2 comments:
For what it's worth, I think her wearing your shoes is highly inappropriate, not to mention oddly symbolic.
I think if I were to move in with a boyfriend the LAST pair of shoes on the planet I would ever want to wear would be his ex's. I would be much more concerned with emphasizing my own identity - but, that's just me.
I do hope my post wasn't obtuse....I was speaking figuratively about the shoes. :) I just found myself thinking about how odd it was that she was meeting his family, his this, his that....doing all the things I've already done. There's not a damned thing she can do that won't end up following my trail of bread crumbs. So to speak. :)
Thank god I don't want that life any more. She's welcome to it.
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