My friend had paid me a visit. We had a good time catching up. It’s been a few years. We hadn’t met after college. He is working at a top private sector company, I am still looking for a job. As he was leaving he needed to tie his shoes. He had taken them off on our veranda as per common Indian tradition, people leave their shoes outside before entering the house. As he was having difficulty bending down and putting the shoes on, I told him to bring them inside and sit on the sofa so it would be easier for him to tie the laces. He did.
It should have been a fairly innocuous event, watching someone sitting down tying his shoe laces. But it wasn’t for me. I couldn’t help but notice his relatively brand new pair of shoes. They were Reeboks, they looked nice, they looked expensive.
I looked at my only pair of shoes tucked away in the shoe stand in the corner of the room. They have faded considerably. I had bought them from a seller on the footpaths of Calcutta a few years ago when I was still in college. They were faux leather. They looked kind of cheap when I had bought them. Now they look even worse after a few years of wear and tear. I use them only during job interviews. That’s my only pair of shoes that can pass as dress shoes. Before an interview I try to get some shine on them by putting some shoe polish on them.
My friend tied his shoe laces and left. I looked at my old pair of shoes and hoped they don’t come apart before I get a job.
