The Shoe

Kids are evil

They were dirt poor, but I never knew just how poor until that morning on the playgrounds ...

Elizabeth was just one of the kids. We didn't know anything about her and she also didn't offer any information neither did the grownups knew anything about her and her family. But children usually don't mind if someone doesn't want to talk about themselves. So she was accepted for the friendly child she was, always smiling.

She wasn't in my class, but she was fun on the playground and she was pretty. She had a round little face, small mouth and clear green eyes that went well with her flaxen hair.

In front of the school was a large area of tarmac (perhaps it wasn't so large as I remember) for cars and other vehicles.

On this particular day we were kicking a ball around on that piece of tarmac. It was only a tennis ball, but the fun was the same. We were laughing and running around trying to kick a goal, which was through two small trees out to an open field beyond.

Riana's gang and mine were trying very hard to outdo each other. Elizabeth was with Riana and she was unfortunately for us a very good kicker. They were winning and I was a bad loser. If we could take out Elizabeth, I figured, then we could still win but the girl was nimble footed and quick, too quick for any of us to catch.

So we put pressure on Elizabeth, sure that she would rise to the challenge and make a mistake or hurt herself. But she was beginning to enjoy the whole competition thing and was laughing as she kicked the ball through the two trees.

Riana grinned triumphantly and I was getting hot under the collar.

And then we managed to corner Elizabeth and she had to get through us ... She kicked as hard as she could and the next moment her shoe came off and went straight up into the air. Of course we laughed, but when I looked back at the girl, she was anything but laughing, she was close to tears.

On her foot was only half a sock – for all to see. The front part was missing, and I could see that the other sock was in an even worse state.

The others were still laughing, but as I turned around to face them, I realized they were laughing at Elizabeth's half a sock. It was funny, it was very funny to them and I felt sorry for the girl ... and it wasn't funny anymore to me.

I hesitated, torn between becoming the laughing stock myself and taking Elizabeth's side. I heard the others laughing and making remarks, ridiculing the girl who was already close to tears.

No one thinks clearly when your own ego is in jeopardy and I could never remember the reason why 

I picked up her shoe and took it to her. I can only remember the holes in the soles and the cardboard that was placed inside.

I honestly wished I hadn't seen that. It placed an enormous weight on my nine year old shoulders. She didn't look at me when I handed her the shoe and all I could think of to say, was: "I'm sorry."

You know, having to say "I'm sorry" means that you are at fault, but I wasn't that day. I  apologized for all the people in the world who mocks the less fortunate. I always told my children years later that one should never be in a position where you have to say "I'm sorry", because sorry makes nothing right. You should rather strive not to find yourself in that position – being sorry puts you on the wrong side, it is painful and the feeling of the guilt that goes with it, never goes away.

Elizabeth and her family moved away at the end of that school-year and I never heard of her again. 

But I also never forgot her.

We all go to one or other school, find friends and enemies, learn what we like and don't like, but very few learn lessons that would help them in any way through life. Elizabeth unknowingly taught me to look at people past their outer appearance. Monsters hide behind beauty and beauty often hides behind the faces of those people others tend to look down upon.

Elizabeth was never again part of Riana's gang, neither of mine because after that day she kept to herself, still hurting from the malicious laughter.

I would have liked to see Elizabeth again if only to tell her that even if the world had treated her badly, she had made a difference to at least one person on earth, and I wish her well.

Take care.