Author – Jman
In the front of the classroom stood the bench and the black box. If you were summoned to the bench you had better have on clean socks with no holes and hope that the shoes you were wearing were not your favorites. When students broke the rules they would have to forfeit their shoes to the school. Offenders were summoned to the bench. They would have to take off their shoes, sign them and place them in the black box known as the shoe jail. The forfeited shoes would then be sold at auction.
Josh has seen several students sent to the bench, having lost their shoes for breaking the rules mostly minor offenses such as forgetting books or pencils or being late for class. Josh has managed never to lose his shoes but deep down inside he always wanted to.
One day Josh decided that the next day he was going to lose his shoes. He would forget his pencil and come to class unprepared. He was so excited about the prospect that he did not sleep well that night. He got up early the next morning full of energy looking forward to his shoes being gone. He packed everything in his bag except his pencil. As he left for school, his mother asked him, “Do you have everything?” “Yes,” Josh replied, knowing his pencil was not in his bag.
He got to school and got out his supplies minus his pencil. Bill noticed this and said, “Forgot your pencil”” “Yep” said Josh. Josh figured that since he was going to be summoned to the bench eventually he might as well go up there now and face the consequences of his actions. He sat down on the bench and took of his white converse all stars, signed them and handed them to the teacher saying, “I don’t have a pencil.” (Students who lose their shoes have to sign them before handing them over because the amount that shoes go for at the auction can depend on their former owner.) The teacher was puzzled at Josh’s eagerness as most students begged to not have their shoes taken and Josh gave his up without a fuss. The teacher took Josh’s shoes and placed them in the black box where they were joined David’s blue pumas that he lost for being late.
Josh went back to his seat in his white socks with a green toe. After class Julie told Josh that she was sorry that he had lost his shoes. Josh said that losing his shoes was actually fun. Josh spend the rest of the school day in his socked feet enjoying the feeling of his socks walking on the carpet and the wooden floors in different parts of the building.
Then the school day ended as it sank in that he did not have any shoes and he no longer had his only pair of sports shoes. He left the school in his socks and his mother was there to pick him up. She noticed that he had no shoes on. He explained how he lost them. She was upset and said, “You said that you had everything you needed for school. Do you know how expensive shoes are?”
Josh’s mother took him to the bank and take money out of his account. Josh went up to the bank teller in his socks. The teller asked him where his shoes were and he had to explain how he lost them in school that day.
After Josh got his money, his mother took him to the mall so he could buy a new pair of shoes. Josh wanted to get his new shoes and go home right away but his mother decided they should eat at the food court first. There he was in his stocking feet and his schoolmates were also they and they teased him about his shoeless state. After eating he went to the shoe store and once again had to explain why he did not have any shoes. He spend his hard earned money on a new pair of tennis shoes.
When the day was over he realized losing shoes was not as fun as he thought it would be.
wheresmysneaks 