A Cinderella story starring my sister, the Fairy Godmother of Shoes – Part Two

In the first part of this post, Debby went to Italy in 2012 and bought a pair of shoes she’d been coveting forever.

They turned out to be slightly too small and, because she’d worn them outside, not returnable. She posted a small rant, accompanied by a photo from her hotel room in Rome.

“Slightly too small for Debby” = “probably perfect for Amy.” So I offered to buy them from her and told her (via social media) to go back and buy the bigger pair. I’d never heard of Superga, but I know my sister. We’re different in a lot of ways, but perfectly aligned when it comes to shoes.

She took me up on the offer. The shoes were so cute and so comfortable that I now own a whole crop. There are the work Supergas. When they get too ratty for work, they become play Supergas, then dog park Supergas. Once they’re unfit for the dog park, I go all librarian and weed them from the collection.

Fast forward to May of 2017. Sweetheart and I have just arrived in Edmonton where we’re going to hang out with Debby and her family for a couple of days before driving down to Calgary to watch my 31-year-old daughter cross the stage and collect a couple of graduate degrees.

We’re in the guest room hanging the nice stuff when Debby walks in carrying something small in her hand.

“My friend Linda bought these and they were a little too small for her, so she gave them to me. They’re a little too small for me so I asked if I could give them to you and she said yes.”

Then she handed me a pair of the weirdest shoes I’d ever seen.

That was my introduction to Tieks.

Ballet flats had always been a non-starter for me, what with my AAA gift for slipping out of the heels of just about every shoe that doesn’t lace or strap (and plenty that do).

“I’ll try them,” I said, “and if they don’t work, I’ll get them back to you.”

They matched the dress I’d brought to wear to Al’s graduation.  I test-ran them there, a several-hour marathon that involved getting to the venue two hours before the ceremony began, the ceremony itself and a party at her in-law’s house afterward.

They bit a little into the top of my foot by the end of the day on account of the elastic, but were otherwise comfortable. I wondered if I could find any information about them on-line.

I typed “Tieks” into the search box and there they were. In just about every color of the rainbow and several patterns, some found in nature (e.g. leopard).

I gawped when I saw the price, and asked Debby if Linda wanted any money for them, which she didn’t. (Inside my head, I thank Linda almost every time I wear them.)

They have turned out to be go-to work shoes and I have scoured the website multiple times over the past 575 or so days. I looked for sales. There were none. I looked on e-bay. They were expensive there, too. So, I just walked around wanting to get another pair while knowing it was not a good use of family resources.

Then, about a month ago, I got an unexpected dissertation-editing job. I talked to Sweetheart and he was okay with me putting some of it toward new work shoes.

The pair Linda gave me is Metallic Pewter. I would never buy anything with the word “metallic” in the description, another gift from Linda, who helped enlarge my world by showing me that I can be flamboyant and still feel like me.  They’re great with anything in the black/gray family. I wanted something that worked with browns. So, after much consideration and consulting with my team of stylists (read: library co-workers), I settled on Metallic Bronze.

Then, I went to place the order. And, of course, a wrinkle arose.

It was just before Thanksgiving and the big Black Friday/Christmas Shopping season rush.

There, at the top of the home page, was a photo of a box and two rows of chocolates. Raspberry Truffle was going to be available from the day after Thanksgiving until Monday. This was the description:

“Indulge in the decadence of the season with Raspberry Truffle, a sumptuous blend of delectable dark chocolate and deep raspberry red. Dusted with a metallic shimmer, Raspberry Truffle shines with splendid holiday gowns and adds warmth to casual ensembles.”

I have a lot of burgundy. After consulting with Brandie, my head library co-worker stylist, I decided to wait until I saw the color to make a final decision.

On Friday, I woke up and fired up the ol’ PC. There they were and they were perfect. So, I ordered a pair. I also noticed there was a three-pair limit. Because I am not an insect, I only needed one. Done.

Then, I ordered the Metallic Bronze pair, too. On Friday, they arrived. Long before then – in fact, within 24 hours of ordering, Raspberry Truffle sold out. Also, that three-pair limit? Insects were not buying them. Resellers were. Inside of the next 24 hours, eBay was crawling with Raspberry Truffle Tieks in all sizes. And significant markups.

On Saturday, I carried the Raspberry Truffle pair to work in their little pouch and did a “Mr. Rogers,” swapping them for my outside shoes.

By the end of the day, I was happy to switch back, because just like the first time, the elastic was digging into the side of my right foot. Even the most comfortable shoes need a break-in period. By summer, when it’s warm enough to wear them outside, they’ll be all ready for outdoor adventures.