Expensive shoes

I'm not an expensive shoes kind of person. I know that they're tremendously important, can prevent all sorts of debilitating medical complaints and have been linked to the salvation of several species of small mammals, but I'm still not prepared to spend money on them.

You see, I buy shoes for the express purposes of destruction. My shoes aren't there to provide me with happy feelings. Or to give me assurance that my Gore-Tex Enviro-Breathe Special-Track is helping to keep my shoes in tip top condition. My demands for shoes are much simpler: they should be able to withstand my pavement/hill/mountain pounding for a few months. Twelve is preferable. Eight is understandable. If I haven't paid too much, I'll even accept six. This way I spend relatively little money on shoes, but I feel happy.

But yesterday was different. There I was, in the shopping centre, surrounded by all sorts of unfamiliar shoe emporiums. I was weak. I was scared. I went into one of those natty 'outdoor' centres and asked for help. They bewitched me with their Gore-Tex, their nice big boxes and their ten percent discounts. I bought expensive shoes. And now, in the cold light of day, you know what?

They are very nice.