How big? “He needs them for his honor guard
uniform,” one of the four firemen explained. All were in their early to late
twenties. One carried the tiny iPod device that was being used to update
information about our store. I mentioned that I live upstairs.
“That’s important,” said the lone black fireman. With a tiny
pointer, he marked a specific box, then found SAVE.
“That’s it?” I wanted to ask, but didn’t. I didn’t want them
to ask for a tour of my just-completed apartment upstairs. My store was too
busy.
“You have a pair of shoes for him?” asked one of the white
firemen. He was about my size, almost a foot shorter than the young black
fireman who had reviewed my personal data.
“Size 16,” he volunteered. The youngest white firemen
giggled. That didn’t bother the black man at all. It was easy to tell that they
enjoyed picking on each other; also, I knew they thought that the real joke was
on me. They knew I couldn’t possibly have such a shoe.
But I did. “Try this one,” I insisted. In a box big enough
for a set of truck tire chains was a size 16 EE, a dress oxford shoe, exactly
what they needed.
All the chatter and joking stopped. To their amazement, the
white firemen watched as their black buddy slipped into his 16 wide right shoe
as easily as an oversized Cinderella.
“Perfect fit,” he said, without a hint of humor.
“Please hold them for us,” said the young white man who had
started the conversation.
“I will,” I said, as I waved goodbye. I didn’t tell them I
was as shocked as they were. Indeed, I couldn’t remember how long I’d looked at
those huge shoes and wondered whether they would ever be sold.
“Meant to be,” I told myself, thankful I’d acquired that
convenient epithet for just about anything I couldn’t have expected. That’s
when I glanced at the newspaper, our shrinking daily that I hadn’t had time to
read.
On the sports page, there was very good news. Our own David
Wilson, a Virginia Tech star who’d been drafted by the N. Y. Giants of the NFL,
had performed like an All Star against the New Orleans Saints. He’d set a
record that no one else had ever made!
I felt like cheering. Years before, I’d joined David’s
parents to watch David play against Duke University in a Tech victory during
David’s freshman year. The three of us spent much of the game discussing
David’s future with Tech because he was allowed so little time on the playing
field. We knew how good he was. Why didn’t his coaches?
That eventually changed. Some sports writers mentioned David
as a Heissman candidate in his junior year. Then he ran like a Harley in a
ten-speed bike race.
That’s why I wasn’t surprised to see him at my store the day
before the professional draft was to be televised on CNN, the network that was
flying David to their show that featured first round choices. David needed something
to wear for the occasion.
“I’ll take these,” he said. His eyes twinkled; they matched
his mirthful grin.
The pants, the ones he wore on national TV when he was
drafted near the end of the first round, were pink. Bright pink a prankster
might wear after doing a backflip following an NFL touchdown on Sunday.
That’s what David did. According to David Vacchiano of the
New York Daily News, our David Wilson’s performance was unprecedented. How
unprecedented? Take a look:
Wilson set a franchise
record with 327 all-purpose yards and became the first player in NFL history
with 200 kick return yards and 100 rushing yards in the same game. He also was
just the fourth player in league history with two rushing touchdowns and a
kickoff return touchdown in the same game.
(http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/wilson-time-shine-article-1.1217101#ixzz2EnsTpyZR)
Cheering for David is something I’ve been doing for years.
But, now that his pink pants have caught everyone’s attention, it may be time
for me to suggest that David shift into something even more catchy, a color
that suggests something bigger, even brighter.
Bright red next time, David?
B. Koplen 12/12/12
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