The Gentleman
By: Jennifer Crothers
There should be a preface, I know. A quick setting of the stage or a reason as to why I’m here in this dark room, but I can’t wait. My master was everything I had hoped for. He was a very tall gentleman with beautifully proportioned feet. But before I get too ahead of myself, let me tell you how I arrived in this dark room I inhabit.
Two years ago, I was sitting on a shelf in the front window of a quaint store. I was happily talking amongst three very attractive pairs of high heels, when I saw him. The man was a younger fellow about the age of twenty-five; he was dressed in a very nice tuxedo and beautiful black leather dress shoes. As he approached the service desk nonchalantly, he cleared his throat, and rang the service bell. As I watched the young man from my shelf, I began getting butterflies deep within my grooves.
Once the clerk noticed that she had a customer, she quickly rushed over to the desk and began the point him around to the things he needed. But as clerk pointed her skinny finger in my direction, everything began to seem in slow motion. The young man slowly nodded his head and smiled at the clerk then began to walk towards my shelf. He stopped abruptly in front of me and paused, examining all of his choices. As his finger came closer to my package, I held my breath and prayed. I was quickly relieved to see him choose me.
After he paid for me and all of his other items, we were shoved into a plastic bag and taken to his car. The next few moments after, were all a blur to me. When I awoke from my almost coma-like state I found myself to be in the place where I am telling this story. The room I was in smelled of fine leather and deodorizer. As I tried to see where I was, I began to hear footsteps at the door to the room. The door knob slowly turned and the door opened revealing the young man from the store, my new master. As he stood there fumbling to take his shoes off, I knew it was time to perform my duties. My master stopped fumbling with his shoes realizing that I was lying right in front of him. He quickly reached for my slender black body and moved me towards his tight spot.
As he slid my horn into his shoe I felt self-satisfaction. All my emotions just seemed to be flowing into his sole. The smells of the deodorizer filled the air around my body, and at that moment, I knew I was forever his faithful servant. The mood was quickly interrupted by a quick upward thrust signaling the end of my service. After he was done with me, the young man smiled, feeling relieved of his shoes. He then picked me up off the floor and placed me gently onto the shelf, in what I now realize was a closet of nice leather shoes. The young man smiled once more and said, “That’ll do, shoe horn, that’ll do”, and slowly shut the door.
