Travails of a 5-1/2 sized feet

I GREW up with size 6 and 6-1/2 sized feet. But that because I was a chubby kid and thus had chubby feet. When the baby fats were shed, the feet slimmed down as well, and even as the bilbil grew, the bilbil never made it as far down south to fill up the feet, and so now, I’m down to 5-1/2 or size 4 children sneakers.

Now this 5-1/2 size is close to obsolete especially when your idea of chic are really high heels and your idea of comfort are sneakers.

High-heeled ladies, the devil wears Prada types have huge feet, my toes would curl in fear beside them. Thus, all I can do is drool. There was this so cute pair of high-heeled boots. Yummy. Wedged heels as high as 5 inches maybe; just perfect. Except that, if you have feet that’s 5-1/2 in size, you will not have enough feet length to go all the way up to 5 inches. You’d literally be standing on the tip of your toes. Ouch and drool.

That doesn’t mean I can’t chance on a few not so high ones that look chic enough; except that, all these will be in size 6. Yep, shoemakers seem no longer interested to design too many 5-1/2 shoes, and shoe stores also are not interested to stock on them. That’s because even high school girls nowadays have feet ranging from size 8 and up. My niece who’s just in second year high school is size 9. This, I have this size 6 wedge for formal occasions. That’s a size bigger than my feet and since more than 3” high, my feet slide down further and leave more than half an inch space at the back of the shoes. Now try walking on high-heeled shoes more half an inch bigger, they’d flip and flop behind you, threatening to trip you anytime. Thus, you walk, ever so slowly, your feet picking up the back end of your shoe as it drops while you walk. This is hard work. Your calves would be hurting pretty soon.

So you turn to a shoe cork, those thin foot-shaped sheets of cork that you fit at the front end of your shoes to add some height to your soles and plug your feet snugly in place. Except that, when your feet are plugged tightly on high heels, sooner than not, they’ll be screaming murder, and so such recourse are only for short engagements; maximum of one hour. Beyond that, better take those corks off and fast. I didn’t do so fast enough in this cocktail party last week that was supposed to start at 6 p.m. but dragged on till 8:30. Cramps of the real kind, the type you get while treading water, was already threatening. My friend and I made a fast exit to look for a chair to seat down on and remove the corks. I survived the night, despite having to walk very slow to make sure I don’t kick off my shoes.

Later that night, I met up with a friend who just needed some advice as she was slowly losing her mind over everything she has to deal with. I looked down on my aching feet that by then were already very comfortable in flip-flops and thanked all the Gods and the high heavens and the universe for giving me just one constant problem -- my 5-1/2 sized feet and nothing more earth-shaking nor sanity-depriving.

"I never lamented about the vicissitudes of time or complained of the turns of fortune except on the occasion when I was barefooted and unable to procure slippers. But when I entered the great mosque of Kufah with a sore heart and beheld a man without feet I offered thanks to the bounty of God, consolder myself for my want of shoes and recited:

"'A roast fowl is to the sight of a satiated man
Less valuable than a blade of fresh grass on the table
And to him who has no means nor power
A burt turnip is a roasted fowl.'" -- (Story 19 of "The Gulistan of Sa'di" by Sheikh Sa'di first published in 1899)

Another day is over, another weekend starts, and I hike off to another friend’s house to bring consolation to yet another tired soul. There’s a lot of me to spare because all I’m saddled with are feet sized 5-1/2.

(saestremera@yahoo.com)