Being in someone's shoes

'The finest Moroccan hand-tooled leather,'the salesman assured them. 'The shoes are manufactured in Italy, but the leather comes from a very small village. The leather is cured by local artisans according to an ancient family tradition. The process takes three years. And there are no chemicals involved- the process is wholly organic. This is why there are only four colours available. The manufacturer has an exclusive contract. They are very expensive.' (p.138)

Lucky was quite surprised when the stranger in the shop unhesitatingly bought these expensive shoes. Shoes do serve a greater purpose than just protecting one's feet - they also enhance an outfit.Which is why, when people travel, they always carry a special pair to wear for formal occasions.

This reminds me of the time when my friend Ann was coming to Mumbai for just 24 hours to attend a very formal function. Because her best shoes came in a very fancy box, she had to carry a check-in bag instead of a normal carry-on bag. Unfortunately, for her the bag, was checked onto the wrong flight and the poor lady had not only no shoes to wear but no clothes either!!

Since the function was slated to start much before the shops opened and it was too late in the night for her to shop for anything, she had no option but to make do with my stuff..........

So all for the sake of her fancy, formal shoes, the poor lady had to suffer the ignominy of being on stage in someone else's clothes and shoes