The Mishmash

By

Chiksunny

Without realizing it, I suddenly burst out laughing because it now seemed so very amusing. A black shoe and a blue! For the past ten minutes, the voice on the other side of the phone; that belonging to my father-in-law’s friend X, was going on and on about how my FIL had left the meeting hall with one of X’s pair of blue slip-in shoes and X had no option but to make do with his remaining blue shoe and my FIL’s black one.

“This has happened for the fourth time,” he accused, as if I was the culprit. It was nearing 9 pm. And as his tone grew angrier by the minute, I realized that I had inadvertently annoyed him by my earlier expression of merriment. But then I could not help it. How could my father-in-law have missed the distinct colour of the shoe, the difference in size and make and it’s different feel?

“…And now, how can I go for my morning walk tomorrow with the two dissimilar shoes…? It’s very exasperating!”

“Uncle, I shall immediately contact him on his cell phone and inform him about this mix-up. He is attending a senior citizens’ meet right now. I shall ask him to drop in at your home afterwards and return your shoe.” I received a grumpy acknowledgement after this exchange.

One hour later, the phone rang again. “Where is he? He has not returned my shoe!”

“Uncle, he has not arrived home as yet. I assumed he was at your place.” I was apologetic. There was nothing much I could do, sitting at home.

“What about my walk tomorrow? If I miss it, my legs will ache the entire day!”

“Uncle, please do one thing! If my FIL does not come to your house today, please attend the laughter club as you do every day, but before your long walk. It’s very near to your place and my FIL goes there every morning. You can exchange the shoes there!”   

My father-in-law follows a busy schedule. He is on a number of committees for senior citizens, attends countless meetings and is very active. He walks nearly ten kilometers every day. Whatever the occasion, he walks to the destination within the above-mentioned distance-limits. Many meetings are held in halls, which require the removal of footwear. And through his fault or someone else’s, he has either forgotten his own shoes and/or been forced to return home in another pair, nearly half a dozen times.

“I think I made him angry by laughing. For some time I was under the impression that he was amused by the incident, but later I realized he was furious. Please return his shoe quickly.” My FIL smiled at my concern.

“His voice is like that…booming and loud. I’ll return it tomorrow.”

The next day, when my FIL came back from the laughter club, the first thing I did was notice his shoes. They were both his own. I was relieved.

Later I came to know that both had had a hearty laugh- not at the episode, but at the fact that no one had detected that each had worn a different shoe!

Or maybe no one had dared to comment?