Grown up Shoes

Back when I was young, I was so excited, anxious even, to finally be able to wear slip-on shoes. The kind that doesn’t have buckles or straps to keep them on your feet. I firmly belived then that the day I am allowed to wear slip-ons would be the day I am declared a grown-up.

One pair stands out in my memory. I was in my elementary years, grades one to two when I was obsessed to have slip-ons shoes for school.

My shoes back then are very sturdy black shoes. They are shiny black leather shoes that has a silver buckle. Since a child’s feet grows so much in just a year, my shoes are always one size bigger to save on money. Slip on shoes will logically be harder to wear if worn in a size or two bigger than one’s feet. So, I was fated to have stuffed shoes so long as growth spurts are in the foreseeable future.
My shoes owing to its size always had a shoe filler to make it fit me nicely. On better days, it would a “cork” that is available in the counter where you pay for your shoes. On could’ve-been-better days, my shoes are stuffed with wads of tissue paper, or worse, newspaper.

How I envy my classmates who were wearing slip-on shoes. I think they look very grown-up in them. One day, when I can no longer resist the urge and absolute need to know how it feels to wear one, I asked my classmate if she would let me wear her shoes for the day. I ended up taking it home with me and striking an agreement with her that I can wear her shoes for a week.

We were about the same size of feet, so the shoes fit quite snugly. Of course I had a hard time wearing those shoes, but I didn’t let that stop me. The tip of the shoes are pinching my toes and the I am already developing blisters on day one, but I grin and bear it. It was a small price to pay for being a grown-up, I thought.

Now, as a grown-up with an 8 to five job, slip on shoes, particularly the heeled ones are the norm. Interestingly, I now look forward to weekends when I can take off my grown-up shoes and wiggle my toes freely.