Original Trigenic Flex.

On Saturday I bought some wonderful shoes from Clarks. I hadn’t planned to buy shoes from there, but from a different shop but I was passing and decided to go in and have a look at the reduced section.

I saw them, they caught my eye, beautiful pale blue, leather suede laced shoes I just love the slight wide shape at the toes and the fabulous smooth curves, I love the chunkiness of them, yet they felt as light as a feather.

The sole and all around the edges is white in contrast, the suede is the softest of suedes both inside and out. They look perfect.  

But it said, it was a size 6 I haven’t been a size 6 for years, but they look at though they would fit, I had nothing to lose, I didn’t think, in my heart of hearts that they would fit me, to even think of trying them on I suppose meant I was in denial, like I am with clothes when I take them into the changing room, for in my eyes I’m still slim, but, it’s always the same wake up call, I’m not.

A Sales Assistant comes over to where I’m sat with the shoe in my hand, “Can I help you?” She asks, I said, in reply, “Can I try the other shoe to this one, but I doubt it will fit me, as my left foot is the one that gets swollen from time to time,” She took the shoe from me to check on her hand held scanner, and I said, “If you have them in a 7 then that would definitely fit,” The Sales Assistant said, “We don’t have them in a 7 only what is out on the shelves,” I said, “OK, I will try on the 6.”

They were reduced from £70 to £35 so still very expensive, but I had just got paid, so this would be my one treat and a very special treat at this price.

I didn’t have to wait long, as there was no one else in the shop, in the past when I was younger, I had a real fear of trying on shoes in shops or trying on clothes in changing rooms when I was on my own and not with a friend. I was just SO painfully shy. I remember buying the wrong colour lipstick, when I’d pointed to one when I was about twenty years old, and the Sales Assistant in Boots had opened it up and pushed up the lipstick, and because I was very nervous, I’d agreed to buy it. But it was the brightest pink I’d ever seen, how on earth could I have said, “No thank you, it’s the wrong colour,” So I bought it. I wore it once, but I looked terrible it didn’t suit me, I hated been shy, I hated walking into a shop and there was nobody else in there, all eyes seem to be on me, I wanted to walk back out, but I was scared to do that too, I hated when I was asked, “Can I help you?”

But that was now many moons ago, now I’m older, wiser, bolder and braver, not afraid at all. I tried on the right shoe first, it was a perfect fit, then I tried on the all important left shoe, it went on, I tied the laces and there was still plenty of room for when my ankle swells up, it too was a perfect fit, I walked a short distance and looked in the mirror, the Sales Assistant said, to me, “You can take them home for 28 days to see if they still fit you when your ankle swells up,” I thought that was really sweet of her and I said, “Thank you, but I will decide today if I will buy them or not.”

I loved them, I was chuffed to bits, and said, to her, “I will buy them,” I put my other shoes back on, which was my works shoes and in comparison now, they sudden seemed tatty, I felt like leaving them in the shop and walking out in my new blue suede shoes, but I didn’t.

The Sales Assistant at the till asked me, “Would you like to buy suede protector to keep them clean for longer?” I replied, “No, I like my shoes to get dirty naturally, I never clean them.” I was asked, “Would you like the box?” I said, “No thank you,” Then I asked her, “Have you got a paper bag?” As I pointed to my new Boots paper bag I’d just bought with my reduced pasta and wrapped chicken sandwich inside, that I’d just bought before I came into Clarkes. She replied, “No, we still have plastic bag.” I said, “Well if you did have paper bags, I would have bought one for my shoes, as I really like them.” She kindly wrapped up my lovely shoes in the soft white tissue paper that came with the shoes and handed them to me. I put them in my Boots paper bag, and left the store.

I wore my lovely shoes yesterday; I went somewhere special.

Today as I was getting ready for work, I thought, If I was a millionaire, I would wear my new shoes to work. But I’m not. Then I thought but, but if I knew I had one week to live, I’d wear them everyday and not just on Sundays, once a week. So, I didn’t wear them as they were just too nice for work. But because I am not a millionaire, they are special, if I was a millionaire, they wouldn’t be special.