Of Boots and Biers

I left the store exhilarated! Two pairs of shoes and a pair of boots! The shoes were 70% off, and the boots were a bargain, too! They were the only ones I liked of the many pairs on display. They actually didn't have them in my size, 8, so I had tried on a 9 and a 7. The sevens felt great, but the size 9 slipped and felt clumsy. I took the smaller size. My husband and I were in an upbeat mood that I'd found something I liked and stopped for a pleasant lunch before going home.

Putting my purchase aside to wrap a Christmas present when I got home, then being distracted by phone calls, I finally pulled the box out of the shopping bag about two hours later. Admiring the boots before putting them in the closet, I happened to see the size on the box. They were the wrong ones! I put them on and noticed in dismay how loose they were! I immediately called the store. The clerk said she didn't have a size 7 left in the boots I wanted! Busy with a customer right then, she called me back a little later.

"I found your boots," she said. "They were mixed up with a pile of other boots." I breathed a sigh of relief.

I asked her if they were the style I had picked out, naming it, and she said yes. "Are they a size 8?" I asked, forgetting they had been out of that size.

"No, they are a 7. Did you want an 8? I don't have any 8s in that style," the harried clerk said.

"That's okay," I assured her, and asked her about the style again. This time she gave a different style name, but I was willing to consider them. "How high are the heels?" I questioned, to which she said, "About an inch-and-a-half." That sounded good so I asked her to hold them until I could go back later to see them.

The nice employee had checked in vain online for the other boots, giving me the idea to go on the computer and see for myself the new possibility she had described to me. Looking through pictures of dozens of boots, I finally found the ones of that style. I was shocked when I read the description. Heels: 3 1/4 inches. Yikes! I may just have to get a refund!

Meanwhile, my husband was on a hunt of his own, filled with as many dead-ends as my shoe search. A retired former pastor at church had read an obituary and concluded that a relative of the deceased had visited our church sometime in the past. Unable to track down the family himself, and since Howard is new at being interim pastor there and doesn't know a lot of people, our friend wanted to give him this clue to a contact possibility.

Howard went by the funeral home this morning and obtained the name of a sister of the former visitor, but not her phone number. He called me earlier with the news that his employer had gone to the aforesaid funeral this afternoon! Calling back a few minutes ago, he wanted the number of the other minister, eager to tell him that his boss had gotten back from the services and knows the family well. Maybe they'll be more successful in their soul search than I have been in my search for a sole of the shoe (boot) variety!