An Awkward Situation

This morning while waiting for the train at the train station, I spotted a teenager looking really candid in an ankle-length flowery skirt and off-white blouse with pouffy half-lenght sleeves. If not for the fact that she had on her a pair of converse-like shoes, carrying a side-sling canvas bag and spotting a spunky bob haircut, I would have mistaken her to be a lady in her fifties.

She looked awkward and I felt the same way for her. The first thought that ran through my mind profusely was why would she have placed herself in such a situation and openly asked to be ridiculed by whoever she might be meeting later. Why didn’t her parents get her something more befitting for her age?

I lost sight of her in the crowded train. I didn’t notice when she got off or if she did.

It was after a good stretch of time before I was reminded that I too was in that same position twenty years ago.

I was part of the school choir then and for one of the performances in school, we were told to prepare a pair of white heels to go with this truly horrible dress in orange colour that was tailor made for each of us by the school. I dutifully took home this piece of instruction to my mum and her reaction was it will be such a waste of money to buy something that will only be worn not more than twice. She then suggested that I make do with hers, which by the way was easily 2 sizes up from what I could fit.

I didn’t dare disobey her and partly because I agreed that we shouldn’t be wasting money in such manner knowing how hard my parents had to work just to make ends meet.

And so I did, I dragged my feet around (in every sense of the word) that day in the shoes that were obviously way too big.  To fill up the empty space, I resorted to stuffing pieces of tissues into the toe area but it only helped that much.   I could only wishfully hope that nobody would take notice of it.

It may seem comical now that I think back, however it is without a doubt that I didn't find it funny back then.

Over the years, I lost that bit of my memory and seeing the girl at the station today brought it all back and I am thankful for that reminder.   I no longer need to bat an eyelid to buy another pair of shoes whether it is for myself or for my children, but I am sure that there are many people out there who deem buying an extra pair of shoes as luxury.

The definition of necessity and luxury is dependent on the person who defines it.  I am not sure if my children will grow up to appreciate it like I do seeing how they never have to worry about whether they will have shoes to wear, and only about which one to wear today.