On Wednesday afternoon, Speedy and I picked up the kids from school to go to the wake of his mother’s youngest sister who passed away two days earlier. I was properly dressed for the occasion, not wanting to appear at the wake looking like I intended to go strolling in the neighborhood. I wore a long-sleeved blouse, matching slacks and footwear. The footwear, something I had not used in over two years, was in powder blue which matched the floral prints of my blouse.
So, we were driving down Sumulong Highway on the way to Mount Carmel Church in Quezon City when I felt that was stepping on something that just wasn’t there minutes earlier. I thought it was Speedy’s office stuff or something that he forgot to move to the trunk. I looked and, lo and behold! It was the entire sole of my left shoe. Whatever it was that kept it glued to the insole gave way and I was wearing a shoe with only the insole left. When I checked my right foot, the sole was already partially detached. When I moved my foot this way and that, a little more of the sole got detached. Gee, it was disintegrating before my eyes. Speedy and the girls were already laughing.
I asked Speedy if he had some adhesive in the car (he works in a company that manufactures adhesives, including shoe adhesives, so that wasn’t a strange question to ask) because I intended to just glue the sole back on and be done with the problem. But there was no adhesive in the car. And I definitely didn’t want to go to the wake wearing sole-less shoes.
A hundred meters or so away was an Otto outlet. We were going to pass it and I asked Speedy to stop there, give me ten minutes, and I would get myself a decent pair of shoes. And I did. Then, Speedy told us a story that made my experience look trivial.
He was in a wedding (the wedding of a client’s son), dressed in wedding finery, when the front half of the sole of his shoe got detached. He was walking like, you know… imagine a crocodile moving forward with its mouth alternately opening and shutting close. That was how Speedy’s foot looked. I mean, last Wednesday, I was still in the car and I didn’t have to suffer the embarrassment of having everyone see my predicament. But in Speedy’s case, where could he have looked for adhesive or a replacement shoe? He was in a wedding, for goodness’ sakes.
So what did he do? He asked if anyone had a piece of rubber band. I don’t know who brings rubber band to a wedding but someone did. Speedy wound the rubber band around his shoe to make sure that it wouldn’t gape open when he walked.
Embarrassing, darn. But we figure that a sole-less or gaping shoe can’t be as bad having the seam of one’s pants, especially in the bum area, split open in public. If that happened to a female and she’s wearing a long blouse, she can probably hide it long enough to get to the rest room and call for an SOS. But a guy with his shirt tucked in…??? If that ever happens to Speedy, I hope that the girls and I are not with him. Of course, I’d help him solve the problem but I can’t promise that we won’t laugh.
Mom’s sole got detached too at the parking lot of Podium. Good we were already on our way home and had finished breakfast.
Masakit if you’re just on your way out. hehehe
Same thing happened to my father-in-law while we were on our way to a day at the zoo. Good thing we were having lunch then and there was a shoe store nearby.
it happened to me on my way to dinner with friends. the straps of my wedge sandals came unglued while i was walking in the parking lot. good thing, a mall was nearby and i had extra money to buy a new pair.
hehe natawa ko dito sa post mo… ano ba yang mga brand nang shoes nyo at nang maiwasan?
May neighbour kami nuon sabi nya bumili sya ng “leather” shoes sa bangketa. He wore it the next day and the soles just “melted” away
Since mga dukha lang kami, wala syang pambili kahit tsinelas he went home barefoot. I assumed nakapag-tricycle naman sya. Ang nakakatawa yung “facade” ng shoes nya buong-buo.
On a more personal note, some months ago I realised my fly was open. Ewan kung gaano karami nang tao sa London ang nakakita nang undies ko… pero goodness near lunch na nung nag-CR ako at narealise kong “the door to my office is open”. Imagine I already had a management meeting! EEEKKK
Auee, I was attending a workshop once and I was seated in the front row. The speaker was writing on the board and when he turned around to face the audience, he thrust the mike into my face asking if I had a question. He was standing up, I was sitting down, his crotch was eye level, and his fly was open. With the mike still in my face, I blurted out, “Your fly’s open.”
I went on a vacation in Myrtle Beach one summer, & spent the vacation trip barefoot. I was meeting a friend at the airport, & while I was waiting for her flight to arrive, I noticed a woman wearing only one sandal, holding the other in her hand with her other foot bare. She had apparently broken a strap. I heard her commenting about how she felt like a dork wearing one sandal. Then she saw that I was barefoot, & I heard her say “Oh the heck with it.” She took off the other sandal & tossed the pair into the trash.
Lol..Ms. Connie, that would be so embarrassing..imagine for all the people to ask, he had chosen you..if the workshop was a boring one, that statement “Your fly’s open” will definitely rouse everybody’s interest back to the subject and certainly a workshop that will be remembered by everybody.
Sir Speedy’s experience was a little similar with the old commercial of mentos..lol
Ryan, nature trip eh?
Aian, actually, the story’s longer than that. I was actually playing with a box of matches and that was why he noticed me LOL Yes, it was boring or I wouldn’t be playing with matches.
Hahaha! Ako, natanggalan ng takong ng sapatos sa bahay ng isang kaibigan. My husband naman, while playing bowling with officemates, ripped his pants in the middle – as in, right in the crotch! Ang mas masakit – na canal pa ang bola, double embarrassment. Good thing I was not with him. LOL!
Aray, kung asawa ko yun tapos kasama ako, tatakbo na ako sa kotse at magtatago dun — di ko sya kilala HAHAHAHAHAHA