Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49348 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49348 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
“That’s okay. I’m here to help. First of all, what is your main activity? Biking, running, weightlifting?” I shake my head. None of those pertain to me. Voluntarily working out would have never happened at my old job. Working doubles meant a lot of wear and tear on my body. There were some days I could barely make it from my car to the inside of the apartment without limping of some kind.
“I’m a waitress and stand on my feet for eight hours a day.” She taps her finger on her chin, thinking about what I said. I should have asked Olive what shoes she wears, though if memory serves me correctly, she usually goes for looks over comfort. We are not the same. She’s younger, trendier, has a great outlook on life. I’m older, go for affordable any day of the week, and am somewhat jaded. Alright, maybe not jaded. I do have a lot of apprehension when people do something out of the kindness of their heart. Childhood trauma is a bitch. The promise I made to myself sits at the forefront of my mind. When the time comes and I have children, I’ll make sure they never know what it’s like to experience the pain I grew up with.
“I have just the right ones for you. We get quite a few customers who are on their feet in retail. A lot like myself.” She winks and starts walking toward one of the walls for women. I look at Taylor’s shoes. Hers are cuter than the ones I currently wear on my feet, so maybe she knows her stuff. I follow her lead. She’s faster than I am, so I’m a few steps behind her. Apparently, when I’m not at work, I like to take my time, probably because I’ve never had a slower pace of life before and I’m currently loving it. “Okay, so, this section would work really well. Price point?”
I start to say, “Nothing over a hundred,” then re-evaluate that number knowing it’s not feasible in order to get something really good. “Under a hundred and fifty.”
“Perfect. Here are a couple of pairs.” Taylor shows me a black pair, which aren’t my favorite. Would the color be smart? Absolutely. Do I like them? No. Of course, the white pair catches my attention, and I have no problem reaching out when she hands them to me.
“Wow, they’re so lightweight.” I bend them and look inside, my hand hitting the arch support. “These. Do you have them in a size seven to try on?” I’m usually a six or six and a half. After years of being on my feet, I know they’ll swell, and you should be a size bigger.
“Let me go look in the back. I’ll be right back.” Refraining from looking at the sneaker in my hand is hard, specifically because of the price. I’m trying not to stress about it, to not think about what it’ll set me back and justify what I can do to pinch money here or there. My rent is inexpensive, my car is paid off, and I’ve managed to keep comprehensive insurance on it. Basically, the minimal I could possibly have to keep the monthly payment down. Plus, my car gets me from point A to point B. It’s nothing special, it runs, has heat, a radio, and a recent oil change. If it were to break down, I’d sadly have to junk it, unless it only needed a few hundred dollars’ worth of work. My grocery bill isn’t much. Nikki and Denny keep me well-fed, so I can afford to go a little more on the shoes. It was only when I started thinking about needing winter gear that my chest started tightening with anxiety.
“Here you go. The last pair in your size.” Taylor returns, calming my overthinking self trying to put me in a tailspin.
“Perfect, I appreciate your help. A lot.” I sit down on the bench. It’s time to take off my shoes. This pair isn’t my work shoes because yuck. I put on a pair of canvas sneakers, not a lot of support or warmth, which wasn’t smart considering the temperature only reached the low fifties today. Tonight is when the weather is supposed to really dip low, and I’m hoping to be back in town before that happens.
“Anytime. I’ll let you try those on and see how you like them. I’ll be right back.” Taylor leaves me to my own devices. I slide one foot into the new shoe. My eyes close when I feel the support hit my high arch. There’s no way I’m not getting these sneakers. I’ll eat ramen for a month to make up of it if need be. I slide my other foot inside and walk around the store a bit, already knowing with these shoes, my lower back won’t be killing me, my feet won’t ache near as much, and maybe I won’t need to soak in a bath nearly every day just to ease some of the pain. However, that’s not the only reason I enjoy my oversized tub and burn my skin during hot bath time. That would be my book, especially with a certain duke to keep me company.