"THE SHOES" - a story of love
As most of you know, I am a designer for a Holiday Decor company. My job involves designing huge decoration installations (i.e. 40' Christmas Trees etc.). Part of my job also includes going to locations around the end of November to manage a crew installing these components. This year, in November, I weant out to an ourdoor mall in Portland, Oregon to manage the installation of a design that I had done.
The trip was a raging disaster. The weather was horrible and most of the things that could go wrong did. It was my first time going on such a trip and at the end, the memory of that place was seared into my brain as misery I hadn't known since, well, Basic Training.
There was a bright spot for me and that was the installation was in a shopping mall. Each day as I trudged to the center court in the pouring rain, I would walk by this shoe store with this pair shoes in the window. The shoes were round toe patent mary-janes with 4 inch heels. They would glow in the store window and wink at me each morning in the carefully crafted accent lighting.
I only looked at them longingly, for I knew that the store was out of my price range by a long shot. The last day that I was there, I decided to pop my head in and see just how far out my range they actually were. I picked them up and looked at the tag. $295.00. Ulp..... So I walked out and headed home.
Upon returning to Denver, I emailed the link to my BFF Gillian to show her how I'd fallen in love and she pointed out that they were on sale for $207.00. Still way too much money.... So she kindly sent me links for similar styles of shoes in affordable prices, but I knew that if I couldn't have those shoes, I didn't want any like them at all.
At the beginning of January, I flew back to the same mall for the installation disassembly. I peeked in the store, and saw them glistening on the shelf. I visited the window every day. When my Mother came to visit me at the mall, I showed them to her. We agreed that they were VERY beautiful, but too expensive.
The last day before I left, I went in to the store to ogle them again and the cashier told me, "you know those are 25% off right?" I broke down and called Gillian. "THE SHOES are 25% off!" I squealed, "and they have one pair left, in my size and I have them on now and they WANT to go home with me. I think it was meant to be." Gillian, ever the voice of reason, pointed out that they were still too expensive and I knew she was right. I sadly took them off and left the store.
I called Tim and told him the tale of my will power. He appreciated that Gillian had talked me out it and reminded me, as she had, that we were saving for our trip to Europe and it wouldn't be smart of us to blow so much money on shoes. As a girl with a serious shoe addiction, it was hard for me to accept that they were right. A few weeks later we realized that if we were going to try to buy a house this year, the Europe thing might have to wait as well. Saving is not in my nature, but I understand that sacrifices must be made.
Yesterday, I was getting ready for a party our friends were having. The dress I had ordered just wasn't fitting right, so I threw on an old skirt and top and was feeling rather down about my outfit. Tim came into my office with a brightly wrapped package and said, "Do you want to open your Valentine's Day present now?"
I tore through the paper and ripped open the box to see the black and white checkered shoe box that I'd seen back in January. I stared at him, "OH NO YOU DID NOT!" I screamed.
There they were, THE SHOES. The very ones I had tried on in the store. My size, the ones that had begged to come home with me. Tim had called Gillian, found the website of the company that I had sent her before, looked up the mall I worked at, found the store, called them and had them grab this pair, ship them to him and had sat on them for the past month.
The man done good people. The man DONE GOOD. And now... My shoes and sit here, enjoying this lovely Sunday together, the way it was meant to be.
The trip was a raging disaster. The weather was horrible and most of the things that could go wrong did. It was my first time going on such a trip and at the end, the memory of that place was seared into my brain as misery I hadn't known since, well, Basic Training.
There was a bright spot for me and that was the installation was in a shopping mall. Each day as I trudged to the center court in the pouring rain, I would walk by this shoe store with this pair shoes in the window. The shoes were round toe patent mary-janes with 4 inch heels. They would glow in the store window and wink at me each morning in the carefully crafted accent lighting.
I only looked at them longingly, for I knew that the store was out of my price range by a long shot. The last day that I was there, I decided to pop my head in and see just how far out my range they actually were. I picked them up and looked at the tag. $295.00. Ulp..... So I walked out and headed home.
Upon returning to Denver, I emailed the link to my BFF Gillian to show her how I'd fallen in love and she pointed out that they were on sale for $207.00. Still way too much money.... So she kindly sent me links for similar styles of shoes in affordable prices, but I knew that if I couldn't have those shoes, I didn't want any like them at all.
At the beginning of January, I flew back to the same mall for the installation disassembly. I peeked in the store, and saw them glistening on the shelf. I visited the window every day. When my Mother came to visit me at the mall, I showed them to her. We agreed that they were VERY beautiful, but too expensive.
The last day before I left, I went in to the store to ogle them again and the cashier told me, "you know those are 25% off right?" I broke down and called Gillian. "THE SHOES are 25% off!" I squealed, "and they have one pair left, in my size and I have them on now and they WANT to go home with me. I think it was meant to be." Gillian, ever the voice of reason, pointed out that they were still too expensive and I knew she was right. I sadly took them off and left the store.
I called Tim and told him the tale of my will power. He appreciated that Gillian had talked me out it and reminded me, as she had, that we were saving for our trip to Europe and it wouldn't be smart of us to blow so much money on shoes. As a girl with a serious shoe addiction, it was hard for me to accept that they were right. A few weeks later we realized that if we were going to try to buy a house this year, the Europe thing might have to wait as well. Saving is not in my nature, but I understand that sacrifices must be made.
Yesterday, I was getting ready for a party our friends were having. The dress I had ordered just wasn't fitting right, so I threw on an old skirt and top and was feeling rather down about my outfit. Tim came into my office with a brightly wrapped package and said, "Do you want to open your Valentine's Day present now?"
I tore through the paper and ripped open the box to see the black and white checkered shoe box that I'd seen back in January. I stared at him, "OH NO YOU DID NOT!" I screamed.
There they were, THE SHOES. The very ones I had tried on in the store. My size, the ones that had begged to come home with me. Tim had called Gillian, found the website of the company that I had sent her before, looked up the mall I worked at, found the store, called them and had them grab this pair, ship them to him and had sat on them for the past month.
The man done good people. The man DONE GOOD. And now... My shoes and sit here, enjoying this lovely Sunday together, the way it was meant to be.
posted by saucybritches at
2/11/2007 11:00:00 AM
3 Comments:
Tim is waaaay too cool. That is such a terrific V-day present!
great present, he's a keeper.
I know it's all about you, and Tim, and the shoes, and how fabulous TIM is for getting YOU the SHOES... but I hate my feet in this photo. I still love you, and Tim, and in a way, the shoes.
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