In My Shoes

One thing- Whoever stitches shoes over in China is always fidgeting. If it is a machine, it must be running on vibra-mode. No two pairs of shoes are the same. Even worse- every season they change the design and the designer. If I should acquire a new pair, I have to rejig my walking style to fit the new whim. Otherwise I have to stay put in my old shoes!

In my shoes

If there is anything I cannot put away easily; it is my old pair of shoes. I wear my shoes until they become a second skin. Then, they feel so comfortable around my feet. In fact I do not feel them at all. I could sleep in them or if allowed- make love in them. They fit so snugly, follow the contours of my feet and the shuffle of my legs. If you see me in a different pair it is likely I am dressing for an occasion and not my liking.

At any given time I will have four different pairs. One will be my liking, another for special occasions and there is always the odd pair forced on me by my partner. I will dutifully wear my partner’s liking every time she insists but will always find an excuse to wear my liking every other day and every day. I will keep a pair of sandals for loafing around weekends.  

Then there are the formal occasions where all men where black shoes. For these I have an inordinately expensive pair that has lasted four years. On my feet, they do not feel like shoes at all. They feel like some sort of protective gear. It took half of forever for me to learn their step. The soles are stiff in all the wrong places. The idea, I suppose, is to make me walk in a certain way. I should think the Men in Black must wear a certain type of shoe to make that stride.

I am the informal sort who is most at ease in jeans and T-shirt. Weekdays I will be in shirts and slacks. I have never found good cause to wear a suit. The last suit I owned was stolen during the 2008 post-election violence in Kenya. It was still brand new having been worn twice. Once, it was to a cousin’s wedding. The second time it was to disguise myself during a clandestine rendezvous. I changed my glasses and walked right through town with even close friends failing to recognise me. None had ever seen me in a suit.

The same goes with shoes. I find myself comfortable in nearly flat, tough shoes. They’d have to be boot-like, heavy and must not be too sensitive to colour. Dark tan shoes that can forgive the occasional black polish are my favourite. There is always black polish in my house. That is because I wear the black shoes countable times in a year. The morning the dark tan polish runs out, I ask my shoes to forgive me for applying black polish. They always do. I must confess they do not look too happy with an unusually dark hue to their look. Shoe-shiners always ask which polish to use on this pair.

These shoes know me. They tell me when I have walked too long or when it’s too hot. They will ask for a wash, a new pair of in-soles or a fresh coat of dye to keep me walking. On an average day I will walk no less than five kilometres and only this pair of shoes can take that comfortably. The glue, the extra line of thread keeping the leather stitched to the soles will show no signs of stress. Now I have to go for a new pair.

The tilt of the soles is no longer comfortable. I have this odd way of walking that sees shoes wear out from the inside of the right leg first. I tend to drag my right leg along as I walk. Then the leg twists inwards with my right shoe rubbing on the left shoe at the back. When the soles wear out, the discomfort registers in my hip. Then I have no choice but to shop for a new pair. The headache starts here. The Chinese change their shoe designs every waking day. Finding a similar pair is almost impossible after years of use.

A local cobbler could be the solution but these are few and haven’t the requisite material to make my kind of shoe. The dour black, poorly tanned leather they brandish will not last the years. Plus it is likely they will come apart before my heart takes a liking to them. It is not to say Chinese shoes are best. I would buy Timberland or Jack Daniels if the exchange rate adjusted in my favour. Meanwhile, I am shopping for shoes- have you any suggestions?