The wearer knows where the shoe pinches. You know that. But has it ever occurred to you that 'the shoe knows where the wearer treads'? If shoes could talk then parents would ask the shoes and not the child as to whether he went to the college or to the cinema hall. Shoes are part and parcel of our life. They protect our feet from every external nuisance. In a gym, a proper footwear helps us immensely to do do the treadmill and others. An 80 year old is as possessive as a baby in the matter of their shoes. We have seen how a no. 8 and no. 9 pair has helped in identifying the villain in the cinema. More recently we have watched how shoes are thrown at bigwigs by common people to give vent to their anger. I have a couple of stories with my shoes. In both the cases they travelled back to me after being out of my life for some time.
The bus stop was outside our compound. Seeing the bus coming I ran the 10 yards. The old slip-ons I was wearing had actually got a bit loose. Finally when I jumped into the bus, one of them flew out. The conductor was in the front and the driver drove on. I stood on the foot board and travelled all the way to the next stop with one shoe on. When it finally halted at the next stop I got down - thinking how to get back to the point of origin, whether it would be there etc. I was pretty pissed off when I heard someone from behind calling out "Bhai Saab". I was in a foul mood and thinking it to be a beggar (and before turning around fully and without looking properly) I screamed "What Bhai Saab"? Can you imagine the next scene I saw? I saw the man standing behind me was actually having my missing shoe dangling in his hand. I also saw his scooter parked just beside us. Immediately I realized that this man on a scooter behind the bus had actually seen my shoe flying. He had picked up the same and was trailing the bus. The rest you read just now. Do you still feel that you do not get back in return for all the help you provide to others? And the best part was - I grabbed the shoe from his hand and climbed on to the same bus again. I did not have the time to say "Thank You". I'll remain ever grateful to this total stranger. "Be a happy man wherever you are - my friend".
Here is the second story. The doctor's chamber was full. We were required to take off our shoes before we got in. After my turn with the doc, I came out, put my shoes on and walked off. I got into a bus and then to the train. On getting down from the train, when I was walking to the office, I felt something was wrong. The shoes were proving to be too tight. Immediately I knew that my shoes were exchanged. What next? Slowly I walked to the office and called up the doctor. The recptionist, it seemed, had won a lottery when I told her the story. It seemed they were waiting for my call, at the same time not very sure if the call would actually take place. Anyway she took down my office location and conveyed the same to the affected party. In the evening the family from Pune arrived at my office and the re-exchange of the shoes took place. Fortunately it was a tame affair. Not for once did they blame me or pointed fingers at me. Again I turned out to be the fortunate guy after having played spoilt-sport with the businessman from Pune.
Months later when I re-visited the doctor, he still remembered the episode and was asking me "something had happened with the shoes" etc.
Here is the second story. The doctor's chamber was full. We were required to take off our shoes before we got in. After my turn with the doc, I came out, put my shoes on and walked off. I got into a bus and then to the train. On getting down from the train, when I was walking to the office, I felt something was wrong. The shoes were proving to be too tight. Immediately I knew that my shoes were exchanged. What next? Slowly I walked to the office and called up the doctor. The recptionist, it seemed, had won a lottery when I told her the story. It seemed they were waiting for my call, at the same time not very sure if the call would actually take place. Anyway she took down my office location and conveyed the same to the affected party. In the evening the family from Pune arrived at my office and the re-exchange of the shoes took place. Fortunately it was a tame affair. Not for once did they blame me or pointed fingers at me. Again I turned out to be the fortunate guy after having played spoilt-sport with the businessman from Pune.
Months later when I re-visited the doctor, he still remembered the episode and was asking me "something had happened with the shoes" etc.
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