On Monday during the lunch break, Ken and Bob were in the guidance counseling center lobby surfing the web for colleges when Mindy came in and sat in a comfortable chair near Ken but facing the other direction. Bob was about 6 feet to Jim's right. It was far enough away that Mindy did not really acknowledge that the absorbed student at the computer was fellow trumpet player Bob. She did see Ken but his presence did not really phase her. She was chatting with a counselor about colleges, nothing private - just asking about admission procedures, etc... Mindy was wearing a pair of strappy sandals with a flat heel. Soon after sitting down, Mindy slipped her heels out of the backstrap and wore her sandals like slides. She crossed one leg over the other and dangled the sandal a little. After a few more minutes, Mindy completely removed her sandals and left them on the floor to the left of her feet, in Ken's direction. She also tucked her feet under her legs off to the same side, exposing her pretty polished nails to Bob and Ken. Both noticed this and got a nice glimpse.

After a few minutes, Ken got a 'wild hair' to push her left sandal under the chair - making her hunt for it when she left, just an innocent flirt. A few minutes later, Mindy untucked her feet and reached over to put her shoes back on. Finding only one shoe started to get up and said, 'Must have knocked my shoe under the chair.'

While Bob anonymously observed from a distance, Ken took this a cue to get involved so he knelt down on the side of the chair and actually got down low enough to see under the chair before Mindy. Seeing the shoe, he pushed it to the right out from under the chair. Mindy got a good look under the chair and said, 'Well it's not under there,' before non-chalantly sitting back down and returning to her seat.

Ken waited until Mindy was not looking then he turned the shoe upside down and back under the chair again then left, assuming she would get her shoe back. The counselor asked Mindy, as she got up to leave to go to a meeting, the counselor asked, "Why aren't you concerned about your shoe?"

Mindy replied, "Isn't it obvious, Ken took it to flirt with me. I'll get back in sixth period in English class."

"Where do you have to go fifth period?"

"Actually, I have study hall, I may go work on the school yearbook some."

Mindy waited until class change was over then left to work on the yearbook.

Bob also had a study period and with the counselor and Mindy now gone, he decided to pull a counter-flirt by reaching under the chair and placing Mindy' shoe in his backpack. He took it and hid it in his locker until a good moment arose to return it to her anonymously.

Again, to miss the class change, Mindy got to English class a minute early and took her seat - still wearing one shoe. She sat and tucked her bare foot under her thigh so as to not be noticed as being in one shoe. Ken came into class right as the bell rang and took his seat across the room from Mindy. Mindy had to go through another hour in one shoe while reading through the works of William Faulkner. After class, she caught up with Ken. "Okay, you've had your fun, can I have my shoe back?"

Ken replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh come on, I know you took my shoe - it's a fun flirt, but I'd like to go home with two shoes, please."

"I honestly don't have it and never did. It must still be in the Guidance lobby."

"You're telling the truth?"

"Yes, I'll go down there with you and we'll look again. Maybe the shoe was upside down (since it really was) or something and we could not see it. What color is the sole?"

Mindy lifted her shoe and showed Ken it was tan. "So, it's the same color as the floor, no wonder we missed it."

The two of them hurriedly walked down to the Guidance office. The counselor saw Ken and Mindy and noticed she was still wearing one shoe. "So your were wrong about Ken, huh?"

"Yes, we think we just overlooked the shoe before - the sole is the same color as the floor." Mindy turned her shoe on the side to show the uninterested counselor. Again, Mindy and Ken crawled on the floor and this time lifted the chair - there was no shoe. They looked all around the area and still no shoe.

Ken noted, "I don't know what could have happened. I'm sorry you lost your shoe."

Mindy suddenly more concerned about being in one shoe said goodbye and walked one shod outside on the wet sidewalk, it having rained a little before noon, to get in her car to drive home. Before leaving she took off her remaining shoe and laid it on the passenger seat. A few miles down the road she began to cross Prater's Creek, not a particularly significant waterway but it was the only one she crossed on her way out to her house in the suburb on the winding little 2-laned road she took everyday to get to and from school. This time of year the water was only a few feet across and a foot deep. On a lark, she rolled down the window and slung the shoe out the window, over the guardrail and into the creek bed, where it landed in a pile of rocks. Back home she got out of her car barefoot and walked into the house to wash her feet then go text message her friends about what had happened.

On Tuesday, Mindy decided to wear her white exercise sandals. In the halls they made a loud slapping and clopping sound but since the rule against backless shoes was rescinded for upper-classmen there was not much anyone could do about it. She heard nothing about her lost shoe from the day before, not that it mattered anymore since the other shoe had been thrown in Prater's Creek.

After school the band met to practice for an upcoming parade competition. They practiced on the practice field so as to not disturb the football field that was in use. The grass sloped a little away from the field and a drainage ditch that eventually fed into Prater's Creek lay parallel to the practice field. This ditch was only a few inches wide and 2 inches deep but it was free-flowing since it had rained the day before.

The grass was cut short on the practice field but was a little tall on the sides where the band members gathered for the beginning of each run-through. After about 15 minutes of practice, Mindy grew tired of slapping around in her exercise sandals and kicked them off behind her. Bob, who was nearby had been enjoying the sight of Mindy slapping in the sandals and took note of her shoes having been kicked off.

For 10 minutes, Bob resisted temptation to pull a repeat of yesterday, to push one of her sandals back into the tall grass so that she'd have to look for it after practice. Maybe this time he'd be the one to help her find it. He waited for an opportunity and kicked one of her shoes backwards with his heel without looking where it landed. As he got into position he glanced over his shoulder to see where the shoe landed but it was not to be seen.

About 30 minutes later, practice was over and Mindy slipped her right foot into her sandal and began to look around for a left sandal. One was not to be found. "I'm not believing this!"

Bob was nearby and asked, "What's wrong?"

"My shoe's gone, I kicked them off but now only one's there!"

"I'll help you look. This grass is pretty tall in places. It's almost like a needle in a haystack." Bob wondered if he could have kicked it into the ditch but he was wary of suggesting that since it would imply that her shoe had to have been moved on purpose. However, Mindy came to this conclusion on her own.

"I bet it got knocked into the ditch somehow." She went down to the ditch and looked in it and saw the flowing water. She looked downstream and wondered if her shoe was somewhere down there. She ran downstream and Bob followed and they looked for another ten minutes. "I'm ready to give up, now. Thanks Bob for being so nice to help me."

"Sure, Mindy. Sorry we could not find your shoe."

Mindy slapped with one sandal back to her car and headed home. First she removed her remaining sandal and laid it on the passenger seat. A few miles down the road she crossed Prater's Creek. Like the day before, she rolled down the window and slung the shoe out the window, over the guardrail and into the creek bed, where it landed in a pile of rocks. Back home she got out of her car barefoot and walked into the house to wash her feet then go text message her friends about what had happened now two days in a row!

On Wednesday, Mindy decided to wear her 'barely there' thong flat sandals. Like the day before she was very spay-happy walking around school. When seated she tended to play with her sandals a lot, kick them off, drop them off and generally enjoy the freedom. During her after-lunch study period, Mindy sat down at a round table by herself and began to read her homework assignment for next period's English class. She was feverishly dangling and playing with her thong sandals and in the process, her left sandal ended up behind her chair in the walkway near a large bookshelf where reference books were kept.

Ken happened to stop by the library as well and he stopped by Mindy's table to say 'hello.' They chatted a bit about class stuff, very quietly because of where they were. He told her he'd be missing class that day because he had a Dentist appointment. Mindy told Ken she was jealous. As Ken was about the leave, he chuckled that Mindy was still so careless about her shoes. He playfully pushed the sandal that was in the aisle part of the way under the reference bookshelf. He reasoned that it would be easily found when she got up to come to class.

However, Ken did not count on some one stopping by to look at reference books. A freshman boy stopped by the bookshelf and did not pay attention to what he was doing. While scanning the bookshelf for the book he needed, his shoe brushed up against Mindy's sandal and sent it completely under the bookshelf, which had a bottom shelf that was only about an inch and a half above the floor.

It came time for English class, actually she had to be there in two minutes before she got up to leave. She scrambled to gather her books then she put on her right sandal and stood to locate the other one. "Oh no! Not again! she privately exclaimed as she hurriedly looked all around the table and chairs for her shoe. She had to leave for class and she did, slapping in one shoe into English class. Like on Monday, she tucked her bare foot under her leg to be less obvious.

After class she returned to the library and looked all around for another 10 minutes then checked with the librarian who had not reported her shoe being seen. She also tried the school lost and found and it was not there either.

Mindy slapped with one sandal out of the school and to her car and headed home. First she removed her remaining sandal and laid it on the passenger seat. A few miles down the road she crossed Prater's Creek. Like the two days before, she rolled down the window and slung the shoe out the window, over the guardrail and into the creek bed, where it landed in a pile of rocks. Back home she got out of her car barefoot and walked into the house to wash her feet then go text message her friends about what had happened now three days in a row!

On Thursday, after two days of flat very revealing shoes, Mindy took a different route. She wore a pair of high-heel wedge ankle-tie espadrilles. However, by third period AP Biology, she was starting to rub a blister on her left foot. That day the class was going to be doing a lab experiment on a fetal pig. Mindy and her lab partner, Ken, were seated on stools an their lab station. A few minutes into their experiment, Mindy said, "This blister is killing me." She then unlaced and took off her shoe and laid it on the floor. Ken thought the sight of Mindy in one shoe was interesting to say the least. She was still sporting the same nice nail polish he had noticed on Monday.

A couple of times, Ken inadvertently kicked Mindy's shoe and had to go around to the front of the table to retrieve it. "I keep kicking your shoe. I am going to put it in this drawer for safe keeping." Mindy obliged without concern.

Finally their experiment was finished and the teacher instructed everyone how to pick-up and clean-up their lab area. "Use the bleach in the bottom drawer of each lab station."

Mindy did not consider the possible consequences of this fact but Ken shuddered and was very worried. He started to open the drawer and it finally occurred to Mindy what might have occurred. "Please tell me it didn't!"

"Well, let's see, the shoe turned upside down in the bleach." Ken picked up the shoe carefully and turned it upright, draining the excess bleach from the toe of the shoe. "I'm so sorry! I'll get you a replacement pair!"

Mindy then realized her shoe was very faded and the cloth was starting to pull away from the sole. It could not possibly be worn again. Even wearing it the rest of the day was not possible since the bleach smell was terrible and it would have burned her foot. She unceremoniously dropped the shoe in the trash and tried to console Ken, "It's not your fault. Who would have thought bleach was in there. They showed the teacher what happened and she realized she should have told them in advance what she had done.

The teacher suggested, "I'll go talk to the administrator and see if I can get you reimbursed."

Mindy appreciated that and Ken felt a little relieved. However Mindy was now going to have to spend 5 hours with one shoe - one that had a high heel at that. Class to class, Mindy walked lopsided with the toes of her left foot flexed to try to make up for the height difference. By the end of the day, she was tired of all the questions and most of all the strain on her foot being so lopsided.

Mindy left the school building and took off her other shoe and headed home. She laid her shoe on the passenger seat. Like the three days before, she rolled down the window and slung the shoe out the window, over the guardrail and into the creek bed of Prater's Creek, where it landed in a pile of rocks. Back home she got out of her car barefoot and walked into the house to wash her feet then go text message her friends - the few who had not seen her - about what had happened now four days in a row!

On Friday, Mindy did not have classes since her concert band was traveling to a town 50 miles away to perform in a contest. She was supposed to be somewhat dressy but after the fiasco the day before she was not in the mood for heels. After some searching in the closet she decided on white slacks, a green top and matching green loafer mules, worn with sheer white hose.

On the way to the concert, she sat in a seat on the aisle in front of and to the right of Bob. He watched her cross one leg over her other and dangle her shoe off her toes into the aisle. The combination of the hose and the bumpy ride caused her shoe to come off a couple of times, but she quickly replaced the shoe on her foot each time.

After getting off the buses the band members organized in the order they would need to enter the concert hall. Bob was in line immediately behing Mindy and they chatted some as they walked up the ramp into the hall. As they made their way up the ramp a couple of times, Mindy kicked her shoe part of the way off and she had to quickly to keep her shoe in control and keep moving. Suddenly the line began to move a little faster and Mindy kicked her shoe completely off and to the side a little. Bob was about to step in the vicinity of the shoe and took advantage of the opportunity. He kicked the shoe forward a bit and to his surprise it tailed off to the side and fell off the ramp. bounced off the hood of a parked vehicle and slid onto the parking lot.

"I'm sorry Mindy, I couldn't stop in time."

"These shoes sure are hard to keep on," Mindy replied while Bob climbed down the railing to get her shoe."

The band director, standing at the door was upset that the progression into the Concert Hall had stopped. "Come on let's go, they're waiting for us."

Mindy pointed to her foot missing a shoe and the Band Director rolled his eyes and made the hand gesture to hurry. Mindy hopped along in one shoe and by the time she was going to have to go in, Bob climbed back over the railing with her shoe in hand and jogged to the front to give the shoe back to Mindy and get back in line behind her. Mindy thanked him and slipped the shoe back on her foot as they entered the Concert Hall.

The concert went well and afterwards, the band reboarded the busses. Bob boarded and took a seat on the left side of the bus near the front, to his surprise, Mindy came and sat with him. Before they could really begin to talk, someone who entered the bus had a basket full of sheet music he wanted to send to the back of the bus. He asked those sitting on the aisle to help him. When it came to Bob and Mindy's row, Bob helped Mindy catch the basket then give it to someone behind them. To do this they had to turn around in their seat and put their knees in the seat. Not surprisingly, Mindy's left shoe slipped off onto the floor.

Bob hesitated and considered, 'Should I try this again?' Without thinking any more he kicked the shoe backwards which was toward the front of the bus. He did not see where it landed.

Mindy turned back to face the front after Bob did the same and instead of looking for her other shoe she sat there one shod for a few seconds. Then she dipped her foot slightly and her remaining shoe slipped off onto the floor. Bob began to wonder, "Okay, when is she going to get upset?' However to his surprise, Mindy stretched her foot to the floor and pushed her shoe under her seat until she felt it brush up against what she supposed was her other shoe. Unknowingly it was the piccolo case of the girl sitting behind them.

Bob didn't know what to think. Should he say anything or just see what happened? He chose the latter and he could not believe that cute Mindy was sitting next to him in bare white nylons as the bus was closed up and began to leave.

It would have been good had Bob spoken up. For unknown to he and certainly Mandy, she he kicked her shoe forward it chose the worst possible path. It slid out the front of the seating area and landed on the first step. It then bounced up against the floorboard and bounced out the door of the bus.

Unfortunately, one of the saxophone players was stopped outside the door holding his case with his back turned away from the bus talking to one of the other students. Mindy's shoe bounced against the case and landed under the bus just far enough to not be seen by anyone as the students finished loading the bus. In addition the saxophone player did feel the shoe hit his case but by the time he looked the shoe was under the bus and he shrugged it off.

All the way back to school that afternoon, Mindy and Bob got better acquainted. Bob kept wondering when she'd realize her shoe was gone and how she'd react. He did realize that he could probably shift blame away from himself and let himself off the hook for the misplaced shoe and he could be free to help her find her shoe as a friend and not as the repentant culprit.

Back in the town where the concert was held there was a brief but heavy rainstorm. As the rain increased on the parking lot the flow of water caught the shoe and floated it downhill to the nearest drainage culvert to be lost forever. As the bus pulled into the parking lot of the school, Mindy began shuffling under her seat for her shoes. She found her right shoe but after shuffling a little she failed to locate the other one that was of course not there. Bob realized what was going on but he waited for her to say something.

"I can't find my shoe. It must have shifted on the way, Bob do you see it over there?"

Bob knelt down the best he could and looked under their seat and the one beside them he also glanced all in the vicinity and he did not see it. Mindy then asked those all around to help look and a few gave passing service to the request then exited the bus. A few minutes later there was only Bob and Mindy on the bus and Mindy had only her one green mule on her right foot. She was starting to worry and was thinking it was unbelievable that she could lose a shoe every day of the week.

Next, Bob and Mindy searched the whole bus and the shoe was not found, Bob said he was sorry she lost the shoe and was puzzled as to what could have happened. He felt bad and considered how he could repay what he had done. The problem was that he had caused her to lose 3 shoes but she did not know any of them were his fault. He would have to tell her. He decided to take the route of keeping silent.

After deboarding the bus, Mindy went to her car and got inside in disbelief. She took off her other shoe, placed it on the passenger seat and headed home. of the five shoes, this one was the prettiest of all. Incredibly, like the four days before, she rolled down the window and slung the shoe out the window, over the guardrail and into the creek bed of Prater's Creek, where it landed in a pile of rocks. Back home she got out of her car in nyloned feet and walked into the house to remove her ruined hose then go text message her friends - the ones not in the band - about what had happened now five days in a row!

On Saturday morning, as she often did, Mindy threw on a pair of shorts and a sports bra and her running shoes to go a few miles. Her route was down some country roads near her house. When she was almost home, she had to go off onto the road shoulder to avoid a fast-moving car coming her way. As she did this, she turned her left ankle and fell to the ground in pain.

She tried to get up but she couldn't put any weight on it. She called home on her cell and her dad answered and came to take her to the emergency room. He got some help getting her into the emergency room and a few hours later, she had a walking foot cast on her left foot and a verdict that she'd broken a minor bone and would need 6 weeks for it to heal. During this time she would have to wear the walking cast.

On the way home her dad offered to get them lunch and he did then he asked, "Is there anything else you want or need?"

Mindy, contemplating her need to only wear a right shoe for the next 6 weeks and how she'd thrown away 5 right shoes into the creek, jokingly replied, "Yeah, I'd like to go fishing!"

Her dad thought this was odd but then Mindy explained her situation. Her dad didn't answer her question really, but when he got to Prater's Creek he stopped the car and told Mindy, I'll see what I can do.

After a few minutes her dad returned carrying one exercise sandal. He happily got into the car and handed the shoe to her. "I've seen you wear this kind of shoe before. Is it yours?"

Mindy was quite puzzled, "Yes, it is mine but it's the left one!"

You can imagine the text messaging this generated!