Ok, so maybe this is more about the shoes than the boy, but still…

His Name was Louie, and he was in the same school as I, but I am not sure how old we all were…probably 5th or 6th grade?

He used to sit on the steps, outside of the school, during lunch break every day. There was a group of boys who always congregated around him, fully inflating his ego maybe. I would wander over to where they sat, nearly every day, just to get him to look my way. In my silly mind, I was sure that he liked me, by the way he always smiled and laughed at what I thought was funny. In reality, it was probably him just being kind, as I think he must have been a nice kid.

One particular afternoon, I had worn my new Cherokee Wedge high heeled shoes, just to look especially pretty. They were really just giant floor level erasers, I am now certain of it! Anyway, as soon as the class bell rang, I was up and off to freshen up in the girls lavatory. Feeling like a model, I began my promenade down the corridor toward the schools courtyard. Out the doors, and down the steps I sashayed, coming to stand near the group of boys.

Now my friends had been teasing me earlier that week, regarding my view of how he must feel about me, saying that I was making it up. I was intent on showing them all!

I started up my usual flirty convo, laying on the demure smiles and light giggles that were supposed to be what you did to get a man. What happened next must go into a play by play of sorts, or a back and forth screenshot for your brain…

*I teased him about something, and to this day, I have no idea what it was…

*He made the gesture as if to pursue me, maybe to tickle or pick me up in his arms to circle me around in the air for the world to see his true love for me, showing all those girls a thing or two… wait… ok, maybe that was my thoughts, but all he did was lean forward with a smile on his face… I know Right? God bless my imagination!

*I turned around, thinking him to be in pursuit, and proceeded to run across the entire front courtyard of our school, just like Julie Andrews did in the Sound of Music. The only differences were, for starters, I was wearing those ridiculous eraser shoes, and the other key thing to remember is that he was NOT following me. I thought he was, but never looked back to confirm.

*When I got to the other end of the yard, I turned to realize what had actually been the scene… no one following me…me running like a Robin Williams version of Julie Andrews, the majority of my classmates, rolling on the grass laughing, and the boys on the steps hooting and hollering to join the chorus…

We were all so young, and it might seem as a bad memory, but it one of the funniest things I remember doing, and you know what, I think that nice boy really did like me. I actually remember him laughing with the others but he did not look like he wanted to laugh… I think he actually felt bad for me…

Kids say and do some of the funniest things, and I am forever grateful for all of my youthful funnies, as I am sure that you are as well. I was and am a pretty funny person! Not because I am a great mixer of words and jokes, but because I can laugh at myself without being judgy, and I love to tell others about something I did that I thought was really silly or funny, and they get to laugh with me, not at me, there is a difference…