Black shoes
I’m proud of my packing skills. Living in Europe acquainted me with the burden that over-packing brings. As such I travel light. I am prepared for most scenarios, rain, snow, a formal occasion, a bullfight, etc. But I don’t overdo it. I rarely check baggage on flights; I don’t need to. I’m that good.
Which is why it really teed me oh when on a trip to a wedding in San Diego—I completely forgot to pack dress shoes. Who does that? Me. All I had were sneakers, and it was the day before the wedding. Since I was in America, I did the American thing. I went to Target.
(I want to take a moment and address the satirical pronunciation of Target as “tar-zhey” which we all know is a wry commentary on pretentiousness and working class affectations. I’ll admit the first time I heard it pronounced like that, I laughed. The first time; I don’t anymore. So let’s stop saying it. Consider that this joke is older than Rebecca Black’s “Friday”, which last time I checked, was so, so, old.)
Target has a decent selection of shoes. I spotted these in a flash, they fit, and cost only $39. They joined me at the wedding, followed me up the coast on a visit to other friends, and followed me home all the way back to Toronto.
Some time later, I found myself in California again under different circumstances. This time I remembered these shoes. As I caught a cab to the airport to leave, I rested the pair on top of a garbage can and never looked back.