Saturday, January 14, 2006

I remember feeling uncomfortable in my shoes...

The time, late 1986. The place, a high-rise office building in Vancouver, BC.

I had acquired a job as a receptionist/secretary for a legal insurance company that was just getting off the ground. I had to dress "office" for work, which I didn't mind, but I usually managed to show some sort of individuality by wearing funky shoes with my boring secretary clothes. My favorite pair of pumps were a bright turquoise satin pair with very pointy toes, straight from the 1960's, and oh, so new wave! I bought them at a garage sale down in America for about fifty cents.

I was sitting at my desk one day when one of the lawyers that worked for us, a weasel-like short little man, wandered through the office. He stopped at my desk, looking down at my feet. Without moving his gaze, he said slowly, "Nice shoes."

I felt uncomfortable.

"Thanks," I said.

His gaze didn't lift. "No, really...I like your shoes," he almost muttered to himself.

I felt really uncomfortable. Small-town girl in the big city, I had never heard of a shoe fetish, but I found myself confronted with a man who was becoming very, VERY interested in my shoes. I felt violated, and I wasn't even sure why! I crossed my feet under my chair, as far under my chair as they would go. Sounding as bored as I could, I said, "Thanks. Don't you have some work to do?"

Finally he looked up at me, kind of chuckled sneeringly, if you can imagine what that sounds like, and wandered out. After that day, he always managed to slither through my section of the office and check out what shoes I was wearing, which, because of my love for shoes, were usually pointy or buckled or leather. In fact, I didn't own any boring shoes. I seriously considered buying some.

What a creep.

8 comments:

Spoke said...

Clothing fetish-ism-es are an odd thing. YOU like shoes for shoes, no harm done. HE liked shoes being worn...Hmmmm. I remember noticing thigh high stilhettoed heeled boots some women in Vancouver would wear.I think I was MEANT to notice them,advertising thing sorta. I don't know WHY I liked them, but it all ended when I was with a friend who "worked" downtown and another "worker" came to say hi. Same kinda boots, only a very well made up man...kinda ruined the whole thing for me. From then on, when I would see those types of boots for sale in the store on Hastings near the Epitaph, I could only think of him...her...whatever he/she was??
Nowadays, I "notice" purses. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...purses.

Anonymous said...

Heheh...yeah, I've met foot fetish people...we had one in our program at San Fran....one of my friends liked to walk around bare foot, it kind of didn't work to well for her around when he was around. I've never met someone with a shoe fetish like that, though. That's creepy, 'yo.

Annacond said...

did i ever tell you about the time i was shoe shopping in market mall and saw the most outrageous boots i'd ever seen? including ones on downtown calgary *ahem* workers. anyway, they were thigh high, with heels more than 4 inches high i'm sure of it, and they were skinny heels, no bigger than a pencil eraser at the bottom. unreal. i was just looking at them trying to figure out who could wear them without falling over when another customer walked over, picked them up and turned to her friend. she held them like one of bob barker's girls holds an item up for bid and said in a semi-prissy voice (which made it even funnier):

now these would be strictly for 'work'.

uh huh. you know it. 'working' for someone with a shoe fetish undoubtedly!

Braden said...

yikes... all I can say is yikes

layne (herman) said...

One would think a lawyer would understand: "harassment."

canadiangirl said...

i pity you! sheesh..... but those shoes sound cool! the creep...

Anonymous said...

I tried chuckling sneeringly to myself, I sounded like an evil gnome....need to practice that one, could come in usefully someday.

The Poor Barn Mom said...

You know, guys just don't get the shoe thing.

What a weasel.