Chapter 14 - The Same Brown ShoesLate in life, Ruth still owned the shoes.
The brown leather had cracked.
The soles had been repaired twice.
They had been unwearable for years.
Still, she kept them in a box.
One afternoon, her granddaughter found them.
“These were yours?”
“Yes.”
“They’re tiny.”
“I was fifteen.”
“The auction shoes?”
Ruth smiled.
“You know the story?”
“Everybody knows it.”
Her granddaughter lifted one shoe.
“Was this when that man hit you?”
“Yes.”
“Were you scared?”
Ruth paused.
“Yes.”
The girl looked surprised.
“You never sound scared in the story.”
“Stories clean things up.”
“How?”
“They remove shaking hands.”
Her granddaughter sat beside her.
“Did winning the auction make you brave?”
“No.”
“Then what did?”
Ruth ran her thumb along the old leather.
“Being prepared.”
“That sounds boring.”
“Often is.”
They laughed.
Then Ruth became serious.
“Bravery is useful. But being prepared enough to do the right thing while you’re afraid is more useful.”
Outside the window, a field moved beneath the wind.
Different farm.
Different generation.
Same soil.
It remembered whatever was placed into it.
Seed.
Rain.
Work.
May you like
Loss.
Sometimes kindness.
