510: Displaced fairy tale

It wasn’t until Kathy’s foot spilled out of her shoe that she discovered the broken strap. Cursing at her new Manolo Blahniks, Kathy hopped over to a nearby bench to assess the damage. It wasn’t until his shadow blocked out the sun that she realized a man had stopped in front of her. Knowing the danger of acknowledging another human being in Central Park, Kathy hesitantly looked up.

“I see you’ve broken your shoe,” said the short, stout man in a very bland woolen coat.

Knowing that under normal circumstances she would never speak to such a frumpy person in public, she attempted to brush his presence off.

“It’s not big deal. I have a hundred pairs at home,” Kathy said, not making eye contact in hopes he would leave.

“They look expensive,” the man pressed.

“They are. But like I said, I have more at home,” Kathy sneered.

Undeterred, the man remained.

“You’re in luck. I used to repair shoes.”

Her interest slightly peaked, Kathy looked up and inquired on the cost. To her dismay, the man’s only request was to hang out the following Sunday.

Kathy paused and pondered. The thought of spending a whole day with the man frankly made her stomach turn. But it was Sunday, and her usual shoe-repair shop was not open, so Kathy agreed to the man’s conditions.

After the man finished sewing the loose strap, Kathy quickly slipped the shoe back on and walked away. The man called after her, reminding her that she had failed to give him her phone number, but Kathy kept walking and did not look back.

That Sunday, the encounter with the man was forgotten. As she ate breakfast with her father, however, the doorbell rang. A minute later, the maid appeared and told Kathy a man was there to see her.

When Kathy reached the door and saw the stranger from the park at her door, she quickly shut the door without saying a word. Kathy returned to the table. Unfortunately for her, her father was in an inquisitive mood.

“Who was that, dear?” asked the old man.

“Oh, nobody,” said Kathy. “Just some guy who fixed my shoe last week and actually thought I would hang out with him.”

“Did you tell him you would?” asked her father.

“Well, I kind of implied that I would,” said Kathy, “but he couldn’t think that a girl like me would actually hang out with a complete stranger. Especially one who repairs shoes.”

Upon hearing this, Kathy’s father rose and walked toward the foyer. When he returned, he was followed by the stranger from the park, who introduced himself as Doug. Kathy cursed to herself; she had forgotten how her father felt about promises. Her father and Doug talked throughout breakfast while Kathy pushed her eggs around her plate.

After the maid had cleared the plates, Kathy attempted to dart from the room. Before she could reach the door, however, Doug asked if she would join him for a matinee and some coffee. As Kathy began to make an excuse, her father told Doug that Kathy had no plans and could certainly join him. Seeing no way out, she conceded.

After the film, Kathy led Doug to an obscure coffee shop where none of her friends would see them. As Kathy sipped her skinny café mocha, Doug started to talk. Curiously enough, as Doug relayed his life story, Kathy became intrigued. It turned out that Doug’s parents were killed in a car accident when he was small, forcing his older sister to raise him and his brother. Unfortunately, his sister ended up squandering most of the parents’ money on some business scam, and he and his siblings were basically homeless. Luckily, Doug won a scholarship to college and had gotten himself and his sister and brother out of the streets.

Upon hearing his story, Kathy began to regret how she had treated him. When Doug dropped Kathy off at her townhouse, she felt the inevitable question approaching. Surprisingly, when Doug asked Kathy if she would have dinner with him, she accepted. As the two made dinner plans for the following Saturday night, Kathy couldn’t help but think how silly she had been for brushing off a man who knew how to fix a pair of Manolo Blahniks.



Can you figure it out??