Shoe fetish

Yeah you got it right. I am suffering from the guilt pangs of post shopping. I and why me everyone around me thinks I am a shopaholic and I am quite ok with the tag. But sometimes when you walk into the ATM and have a look at the mini statement and realise that you had spent a huge amount on something totally useless, you feel like burying yourself. This happens with me a lot!

I tell myself that I earn and so I spend. I cannot be categorised as being brand conscious either. You can leave me alone on a street with Rs. 200 and I would still find ways to spend it. I shop everywhere. The thing is with me is that I am not very focused with my choices. I love bags, clothes, jewellery, household items (since I stay away from home, I tend to collect a lot of junk...) and oh I love books and music.

But my weak point is shoes.
My other two roommates will throw me out of the house one day as I have taken over all the shoe cupboards in my house. I have spent money every month on different kinds and shapes of shoes. I think, it’s because I know that no matter what my body size would be I would still fit in a shoe, the reason for this fetish. It’s becoming slightly out of proportions these days. I look at people’s shoes when I meet them. For example, the other day I was sitting in a restaurant and I saw a lady wearing the same sandals as Shefali was wearing in Karthik calling Karthik. Now you know what I mean when I say I look at people’s shoes.

My colleagues in office know this so well that one of the girls happens to send me a link of a website which is dedicated to different designs of shoes. I religiously visit this website once a day. I even found out a place in my city where I can give these designs and get them made to order. Now you are interested aren’t you? I bet you are! Imagine getting your customised shoes. Those lovely red sued and those amazing stilettos and oh oh the best boots!!! Yeah all of them just for you. Sorry I just did a free advertising for them!

My mother is rather worried with this obsession of mine. She thinks that the guy who gets married to me (since I am in the marriageable age all conversations kinda lead to marriage!!) will be irritated with the shoe factory that I have collected. And considering I am in Mumbai where most of the times flats are really small, I wonder where my collection will go! So a guy who is ok with this obsession is added to the list of “what I want in a guy”!!!

I get this behaviour as a genetic quality more than anything so you cannot really blame me. My grandfather (who was very close to me) had this trait. He had collected shoes from all corners of the world and even till the end of his life; he had a fascination for buying shoes. I still remember when we were cleaning up all his stuff after his death, we had about 30 to 40 pairs of shoes and we did not know what to do with them! Each pair was his favourite. I still remember how I got my first pair of red belles. It was a gift from my grandfather and I think I still posses the pair! He was a man who loved his shoes. Every Sunday he would line up the army of shoes and polish them with his own hands. For hours he would sit in the balcony and polish them. Even if they were never to be worn again! All his shoes were well maintained and well kept. He never threw his shoes away. He was emotional about his shoes and somewhere I too am about mine.

Each pair has a memory attached to it. Each pair has story to tell. A shoe when I cried after my break up. That red sandal when I wanted to spend my own hard earned money on a big brand. And that amazing black stiletto that I got for my first dance! And yeah that beige when I felt happy about something. And so goes on my love for my shoes.