Old Shoes

Old Shoes

Noel Laflin

9-10-21

Jeremy came home from work one night - some thirty years ago - and was pretty excited. He immediately sat me down, and began to tell me why.

Now, Jeremy's way of explaining anything was as adventure in itself, as it was always in rapid sign language (ASL), since the lad was deaf. But after five years of living together, I was able to keep up with his tales of wonder.

But his excitement this particular evening was even more intense than usual as it had something to do with Abraham Lincoln and shoes.

You see, Jeremy worked in the display department at Nordstrom, and to make a long story short, he and an associate were assigned the task that day of showing off some famous presidential shoes that were on loan from Johnson and Murphy, a shoe manufacturer first established in New Jersey in 1850. In fact, the new company's first presidential customer happened to be the forgettable Millard Fillmore, leader of the No Nothing Party.

Filmore's shoes weren't part of the traveling show, but pairs worn by FDR ( custom braces still attached), Woodrow Wilson, LBJ, Ronald Reagan, and Abraham Lincoln were those that were to be arranged behind a large glass display window.

With the curtain drawn, Jeremy, and his fellow employee began to arrange their inventory, the history cards informing viewers who's shoes were who's, etc.

When Jeremy read the original thank you note from Lincoln to Johnson and Murphy, extolling the quality of their work and asking for another pair of shoes exactly like the worn pair he was now cradling in his own hands (size 14, it turns out), Jeremy said he could no longer contain himself and just had to smell the shoes. He demonstrated to me how he first carefully caressed the ancient leather, admired the well worn sheen, and then brought them to his nose, and inhaled deeply.

He stopped then, hands now quiet, and just smiled.

I don't think that I have ever been so envious of anyone in all my life.