Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Running

My sisters and I have almost always gotten the knock-off Converse sneakers. We wear them into the ground and then squeeze a few more months out of them before getting new ones. The other day when Josh and I got back from our nightly run, he watched me taking off my shoes near the door and suggested I get real running shoes.

My gut instinct was to wonder how much it would cost, how many weeks of saving it would take, what other extras would get pushed aside to fit that in. Then, fuck it. "Want to buy me some?" Josh gave me a shit-eating grin. "Sure!" Today we went shopping.

Normally when I buy sneakers I just walk up to the aisle with my size and grab the box. This was different. A girl zeroed in on us right away and asked how she could help. She asked to see me walk. She asked what I'd be using the sneakers for. She laced them for me. When I leaned forward to grab the other one out of the box and lace it Josh caught my eye and gave a tiny shake of his head. So we sat there doing nothing while the girl did it for me.

She had me walk back and forth in a few different pair. On the second pair, I whispered to Josh to ask if this was taking too long. He shook his head no. It seemed like a boring thing to do - watch a person try on shoe after shoe, but the girl told me, "I've seen tons of bored boyfriends in here, and he's not one of them."

On the fourth pair I'd had enough. The girl was telling me all these things, they meant nothing to me since I didn't understand what she was talking about, I couldn't keep straight which facts went with which shoes, and despite what she'd said I felt bored on Josh's behalf. So I told her the fourth pair were great, let's get them. Then I made the mistake of asking how much they cost. Sneakers shouldn't cost $135 unless they come with two pairs of jeans.

I quietly asked the girl if she had a sneaker sort of like that, except at at least half the cost. She immediately looked at Josh like, "Help me!" That felt insulting. She told us, "Why don't I let you two talk," and walked away. I whispered to Josh that there was no way in hell over $100 was being spent on shoes. He kissed my nose. "Price is not your problem tonight. If you like them and they fit, you're getting them."

So. Hello. My name is Sam and I own $135 sneakers. Plus tax.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

You really have a talent for writing.

And yes, the price is atrocious, but you deserve it.

~C~ said...

I wish you had posted a link of the new sneakers - I would love to see them!

Anonymous said...

Yay! I love that you let Josh get you shoes! I think it's a wonderful step forward for you on so many different levels, and I'm sure that it made Josh real happy too.

Anonymous said...

They will last a long time and give you great cushioning to run.
gmg

Principled Slut said...

What you run on may not matter to you yet, but it will. The right running shoes can prevent all sorts of issues. Over $100 may be a bit much (I generally pay about $85-100 for the pairs I buy my kids) but you DO live in NYC and I live out in the middle of nowhere. So I'd expect costs to be more there.

You probably made Josh's day by letting him get them for you. Now make him run with you to pay you back... lol

Mizasiwa said...

Wow - thats R1100 without tax here! but to honest after spending some time looking for proper gym shoes that the minimum cost for proper ones. (you can get cheaper ones for about R100 - R250.00 which is still expenisive for me)
But WOW!!! you asked for shoes!!! well done! and i do think you deserve them, its not good for you long term to run in (not to mention the amount of walking you do) in a day.
Oh ja they will last forever - the last pair that I bought for R999.00 I still have and I bought them 11 years ago - other than the last 6 months or so ago the back of the shoe has started to become uncomfortable and I spilt paint on them... :-( I still wear them. I hope that you love them and dont ever feel guilty.

Alisha said...

I agree -- great that you let Josh buy you sneakers. Truth is, though, there's a huge "happy medium" between imitation Converse and $135 running shoes. I've bought "real" sneakers (New Balance, Avias and the like) but never spent more than about $40-50 on them. You find the ones that are on sale, that's all...