My Shoes

2/27/2024 A. R. Bergman

My Shoes

I looked down at my shoes in amazement, they had been with me for such a long time. They kept my feet warm and dry and they never wore out... they grew as I grew. I don’t know how this was possible but it was and I was grateful. My shoes were extra-ordinary.

When I was a young boy, about to start my journey to my destination, my Father came to me and simply said, “You’ll need these.”, and gifted me a pair of beautiful shoes. I put them on, startled at how perfectly they fit and began down the road in search of what I was looking for...my destination. I looked back to see my father in the distance, his expression seemed to be both concerned and proud. I turned and walked a distance then looked again, he was gone but his shoes were with me.

I traveled down this road for awhile and found myself in need of rest. Noticing a large shade tree, oak I think, very sturdy, I sat at it’s base and removed my shoes to relax, surely they needed rest also, they had walked as far as I and had supported me the entire way. I placed them next to me under the tree and soon fell asleep.

I must have slept a long time when I was awoken by the commotion of a group of boys, laughing or arguing, I couldn’t tell which. They seemed to be about my age but acted older. Then everything became quiet. They saw that I had come out of my sleep and were all looking at me, wondering who I was and where I had come from. The one that I assumed was the leader of their group was eyeing me for a clue as to my identity, all the while exhibiting a half smile and not saying a word, I became anxious and reached for my shoes.

They weren’t there!

I was scared, I hadn’t been without them for so long, what could have happened. The leader then spoke and asked where I came from and I told him that I had been traveling this road looking for my destination and I had stopped to rest. The boys started laughing and claiming in a sarcastic manner that they were all searching for their destinations when I saw the leader was wearing my shoes. I exclaimed that he had my shoes and I wanted them back, besides they wouldn’t do him any good because they weren’t his shoes. Or would my shoes, in fact, do him good? Had I lost my shoes? My concern was obvious to the leader regarding my need for shoes and tossed a worn pair to me. He reassured me that he would replace my shoes with new, better made, more attractive shoes but we would have to travel a different road to find them. The group commenced walking down this road that I had seen, from a distance, in my travels but thought it better to stay on the road I knew. However, I had no choice if I had any hope of reclaiming my shoes. I had to follow. I put on the shoes the leader had thrown to me, they were uncomfortable and offered little support. As we walked down this road, I looked back and saw my road getting smaller and I felt alone. I wondered what my father would think of my predicament. Would his smile have lost it’s pride and become total concern. I needed my shoes but my father wasn’t here. We kept walking when, after awhile, we came upon another road. I could sense the group’s demeanor change to caution and I didn’t know why. We continued walking on slowly. Where the two roads converged we encountered another group of boys, similar in looks and movements, there was tension, uneasiness befell everyone. The leader of our group moved forward to speak with, what appeared, to be the leader of their group. Their leader motioned, admiringly, toward my shoes and made gestures indicating a trade of sorts. I couldn’t hear what was being said but felt hopelessness at the prospect of my shoes going to yet another individual was becoming a reality. I was breathing harder trying to formulate a plan to recover what was rightfully mine. The current possessor of the shoes was making gyrations discounting any trade for them triggering a slow subversive physical shifting in both groups in an effort to gain advantage. An advantage for what? I couldn’t read all these subtle dance moves. A reflection of sunlight off a metal object caught my eye and instantly gave me insight into the probable outcome of this confrontation; it was a knife. At that moment, the other leader lunged, with knife drawn, and took down his adversary. Chaos and violence erupted. I didn’t dare fight, I had no allegiance to either group, they were all my enemy at that point. But I did have the presence of mind to try to retrieve my shoes. I looked over and saw the other leader removing my shoes from the limp body of the loser of the knife fight and panicked. I started toward the perpetrator not knowing what I was going to do but I had to regain my shoes. A searing pain ran through my feet as I began to run causing me to fall. I tore off the shoes that had been given to me in place of mine and got to my feet and began to run at the leader. He looked up and began to stand in defiance of my attack when, in an involuntary action, I flung the shoe that I had ripped off my foot. The shoe’s flight was on mark to the leader’s face, specifically his eye, and dropped him...the damned things were good for something! I grabbed my shoes and put them on as fast as possible and began to run in the direction off my old road. My feet felt rejuvenated and I ran like an elk. A couple of the group had taken off after me but were no match. I kept running. My old road was coming into view and no one had followed.

I had trepidations of returning to the tree where this experience began but came to realize that the tree was sturdy, it was I who had been weak. I stepped back onto the road to resume my journey and glanced back to see my father offer a brief wave and his smile had regained it’s concern and pride.

I‘ve had many more experiences, some good and some not so good, on my journey to find my destination but have come to know that it’s a series of destinations supported by my father’s gift that enables me to look forward with curiosity and excitement to each bend and turn in a neverending road.