A mile in Heels

Chapter 1
A mile in Heels

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Chapter Description: Michel Roberts decides today is the day to actually produce a social life for himself. He starts out with changing his wardrobe, something that becomes more complete than he ever realized.

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Things have been slow for Michel Roberts. All he’s managed to do recently is go to work, and come home. Then home, its just the place were he eats and sleeps, nothing more. His one bedroom flat is as plain as can be. It’s kept clean, but that’s about all the pride Michel has taken in it. There are no pictures, no knickknacks, no signs of personality what’s so ever. Even the furniture isn’t his, its managements. After all, he set up his life to be the perfect mate. He has a decent career, a banker, no skeletons in his closet, no nothing. Well, that has come to bite him in the butt. He’s considered boring, dull, lifeless. He has no children by any woman, or any dieses because he’s slept with no one. Every year that Forty Year old virgin movie is becoming more and more of his life story.

So, today, for the first time ever, this banker has decided to go out on the town, ?club’n’ as he heard it called. Of course, going out on the town means something a little more hip than he has in his inventory. He passes out into the small shopping strip. This open concept mall has plenty of stores, but seemingly few people. He chalks it up too it being two on a work day. He passes into a small side wing, one he’s never walked down before. This place seems even emptier. He walks up towards a small shop where a small sign in the window reads ?Walk a Mile.’

“Huh, a shoe store.” He immediately picks up on the pun. “Why not.” He passes inside to see what must be the most disorganized shoe store he’s ever seen. There are shoes everywhere with no logical format other than pure randomness. He sees business shoes next to tennis shoes, men’s boots next to heels, children’s shoes next to some of the largest pairs of shoes he’s ever seen. “Okay.” He says while looking over the selection.

“Oh, good afternoon.” Out of nowhere, an old woman comes up to him holding a rather ancient looking pair of sandals. She places them down next to a pair of new looking Stilettos.

“I don’t think those go there.” He says to the woman.

“Oh, is the positioning of things that important to you?”

“Yes, I work in a bank. You loose a form it might not just hurt you, but hundreds of others.”

“Oh, you bankers and your precision. Well, look around any shoe is yours to try for the first mile, then it’s yours.”

“Like the saying?”

She shrugs. “I guess you can say that. Try anything here, you may find it interesting.”

“Interesting? All I’m looking for is a set of shoes to go to a club in.”

“Well I have plenty of those.” She says, then immediately picks up the Stilettos. “How about these?”

“Those are woman’s shoes.” He states looking at the woman.

“So, sometimes we need a change.”

“Not that type. I’m not a cross dresser.”

“And who’s going to know? Just try them on, entertain me.”

She pushes them to the man. He takes them watching the woman strangely. He walks over to a set of seats in the center of the space, and sits. He takes off his own shoes, and reaches for the first ?shoe.’ He places the first one up to his foot.

“Its too small.”

“Just place it on.”

He reaches pulls the item up to his foot, and attempts to place it on. The shoe, which is at least three sizes to small, pulls right over his foot easily.

“Secure the straps too.” The woman says.

He does, still wondering why the shoe fits, specially over his socks. He then reaches for the next. He pulls it on too and has slight change in vision. The room seems to darken, and the floor seems to go from an area rug over linoleum to hardwood. He shakes his head, to find the grey carpet.

?Stress.’ He thinks.

He secures the strap. Almost instantly the hard woods return and the light goes dim. His view bolts up immediately. He is surrounded by people, all of which are dressed in fancy and odd dance costumes. He looks back down over his feet, and then his body. He has breast!

“What the...” He pauses. His voice is different, high pitched. “What’s going on?” He says. Still looking down, he sees the tight red dress that raps his new, very blessed body. The dress is highly stylize, having a sort of cross cut bottom, and a long V neck set up. His long, smooth legs are draped sheer seamless black nylons. He becomes short of breath as his heart races. His first instinct is to run, but he looks up and realizes there’s no where to run. He looks around, not at one specific thing but as he does, he realizes one thing in particular. The place seems familiar, he’s been here recently. The room is dressed in long curtains, some orange, some dark red. Even so, the obviously white, painted concrete high ceiling look familiar. He then spots a sign in the distance that tells him everything.

“This is the convention center, but...” He READS the sign which states: The 27th annual 2007 Paradise City Dance Competition...sponsored by Paradise City Bank.

?What?’ He thinks to himself, ?we sponsored this competition last year. I was here. I gave the check to the winner, but this was a Jr. competition.’

He looks over the people once again. There all teens, anywhere from 13-17.

“Hey.”

He continues looking around. ?But how can I be here? This is imposs...’

Then he remembers the sign, and what the woman said ?sometimes we need a change.’

“Hey, Claire.”

?She wasn’t serious was she. Then again, I’m here, I guess she was.’ Something then hits his/her shoulder. He looks to his left and up. Standing there inside of some sort black almost mobster suite is a young boy, maybe fifteen. But there’s something familiar about him.

The boy points a bottle of water to him as if offering it. He takes it for no obvious reason.

“You look nervous. Don’t go loosing it now.”

The boys brown hair, dark grey eyes, youthful appearance, it all seems familiar. ?That’s right.’ He remembers. ?I remember him because...because his dance partner died a few days before. He came as a spectator. They made a big deal about it, that’s why I remember him. But, he didn’t dance, nor was he dressed up.’

As he deliberates, the boy sits on the bench next to him. “Well, only a few minutes now. You okay?”

“Yea...yes.” He says in this girl’s voice.

“Are you sure, you know, if your still shaken up, we can go.”

?That’s right. The car she was in was hit by a drunk driver. She was killed instantly. I get it now. All those shoes must be of people who’ve died some how, or former customers. I must have taken over her life when I put the shoes on, now it’s as if she hadn’t died. But that doesn’t matter; I don’t know how to dance.’

“No that’s fine.” He says for some reason.

“Okay then.”

?The accident must have still happened, but this time she, or I lived.’

The boy stands then reaches out his hand. She as well extends her hand and is pulled up. For some reason, an ounce of information passes into her mind. It instantly makes him accustom to wearing the high, somewhat unwieldy Stilettos. But there’s something else, she feels some information, something she expects him to do.

“Why aren’t you flirting around?” She states, wondering what that’s all about.

“Hey, you’re my sister, I’ll flirt later.”

Another wave of intuition hits her, “Yeah right, thanks though.”

Her brother emits a sweet smile, one that causes the though ?I wish he wasn’t my brother.’ To run threw his head, followed by, ?Crap, what the hell am I thinking. These aren’t my thoughts. There hers!’

“Dancers!” A woman calls. “To the stage.”

?The competition format has one person going at a time, then they get scored. They have two dances, then usually a third final one.’

The group of dancers line up, then all walk out. As they do, a sizable crowd cheer for them as they all walk outside. The groups are announced. They all line up one by one. Michel grows nervous. But as they walk onto the dance floor when there time comes, the moves he needs flood into his mind. Once the music starts, he turns into a dance professional. The two dance in perfect harmony, and by the end of their first dance, they take the lead. By the end of the second dance they become the winners by a full point. While he knows little of this world, he find himself out of breath, and truly excited over the win. He can’t help but to look around at all the people cheering at him. He becomes excited, but tries his best to come down off the adrenalin. The two are handed a trophy and then, a check. Its at this time, he remembers just what has happened to him. He looks nervously to the man as he presents him and ?his’ brother with the check.

?Its me.’ He realizes looking himself over. This new vantage point tells him something about himself. He dressed in a plain, cheep looking suite with a bow tie. He’s only thirty nine, yet he looks like he’s fifty, or at least he’s dressed like it. His eyes look weak and his smiles is as fake as can be. He’s a pencil thin dweeb. ?That explains a lot.’ He thinks once again. He looks towards the crowd as camera flashes fill the room.

Twenty minutes later finds her back in the waiting area. Most of everyone has finished dressing as he held outside, ?killing time.’ He leans over and begins to unfasten his shoe strap. As she looks to the floor, her brother comes around and sits on the bench next to her. Of course he’s dressed already.

“Why aren’t you dressed? Mom and dad are taking us out after this.”

“Was crowded in there.”

“Well, now there’s no one there to help you with your dress. You know you can never unzip these things.”

She turns from the shoes and to his brother. “I guess I’ll be fine.” She says.

“Let me do it.” He says. He reaches behind her and unzips the dress to just above her bra.

“You know, Ashley Kevenal is calling on that date proposal I made with her at the beginning of the season. Were going out next week.”

“Why not this week?” He asks, somewhat concerned.

“Because, I wanted to...ask...you out.” He responds quietly.

“What?”

“Well, I guess I sort of feel guilty after...that accident.”

“Why?”

“Well, if I hadn’t left swim practice late, we would have taken the train like we always do...and you wouldn’t have had to go with Marci, and she wouldn’t be dead, and almost...you too.”

The whole speech causes Mike to smile. “That sounds sweet. But I’m alive.”

“I know, but I still care.” He smiles. “I know. That’s why I’m taking you out. Now get changed, I’m hungry.”

“Okay, let me get these things off.”

He whips off his shoes. Suddenly the hardwood floors drift back to carpet, and the lights come up.

“Huh, what?” Mike’s head flies up.

“Oh, back?” The woman says.

“What happened, why am I back here?”

“You didn’t walk a mile, I guess you didn’t like it.”

The man thinks for a moment, but only a moment. “How can you walk a mile in these?”

The woman walks over to him. “So you wish to go back and be that lovely girl?”

“I..I guess.”

“Well then, just buy the shoes.”

“Fine.” He takes out some money. And hands it to the woman.

She starts for the register. “So what part did you like?”

“Huh, well I guess its was everything, well except for the future period issue, that may be a problem. But I like people knowing I was there, knowing that I mattered, not being ignored.”

“I never ignored you. I told you what happened. I know its no excuse, but I love you Claire, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Mike is caught of guard and looks around. He’s back in the convention center. He looks to his left, were his brother sits. He then looks back down. He’s her again.

“Thanks.” He says. “But while I have a crush on you, you’re my brother, and that’s just too sick.”

“WHAT!” The boy yells.

Mike lets out a laugh as he stands to his feet and steps away from her brother’s playful reach. Then he realizes something. He feels shorted, and his weight is on the back of his feet, not his toes. He looks down as his brother flies up towards her. Her shoes are now sitting next to the bench, were he left them. Then her brother grabs and hugs her.

“I don’t know what your thinking, but while your cute, I don’t like you that way.” He then backs off. “Now go get dressed. Now that the dance seasons over its open season on your hair.”

Smiling, Mike responds, “No you don’t.”

“Just go.” The boy says with a smile.

Mike heads over to the bench and picks up his shoes. ?My brother.’ She thinks. ?I don’t care. He’s still doable cute, even if we did share a womb once.’

Claire leans up and heads towards the changing area in the back, not caring or even remembering that she left her shoes, and a life behind; A life that has just been put up for sale.

 

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