Size Nine Shoes
Zoe Barch woke up feeling inexplicably happy. She looked around her spacious room, completely without appreciation for the expensive furniture, and her designer clothing that littered the floor. Zoe was suddenly reminded why she was so happy, when her eyes fell on the blue birthday card from her brother Anthony. “Oh, YES!” Zoe said loudly, as she remembered that yesterday she had turned sixteen. “Sixteen, wow.” She breathed.
Zoe had been counting down the months, the weeks, the days, and lately (when she was bored) the hours to her birthday. She considered sixteen to be an adult, and now since she was sixteen that meant that she, Zoe, was an adult. She was filled with pure fiery joy, which was dampened slightly when she remembered that that meant her mother wanted her to get a job. However Zoe was already making plans to get out of it. She quickly dressed herself in dark skinny jeans, a pink billabong T-shirt, and her white DC hoodie. She walked slowly down the stairs humming the “Happy Birthday” song.
She came into the elegant dining room and sat down at the large wooden table. Her Brother Anthony and her father sat across from her. Anthony glanced up from his laptop when she sat down and said. “So do you know when you’re going to get a job? “Nope” replied Zoe calmly. “Do you even know where you’re going to work?” Anthony asked. Zoe sighed. “No Anthony I don’t.”
This was one of things about her family that really annoyed Zoe. They all seemed to think that she was getting a job. None of them asked her, if she wanted a job, or even if she wanted to wait a year or two to get one. They all took it for granted that she was going to be like everybody else in the family, have a steady job by 16, and go to university, and know exactly what she wanted to do.
Her mother came in wearing a soft green blouse and a string of pearls. As she sat she set breakfast down with a slight click, as the tray made contact with the table. Zoe realized she was starving. She piled her plate high with pancakes, sausages, eggs, and bacon, and then drowned her pancakes in maple syrup.
“Are you sure you can eat all that Zoe? Her mother questioned her. “Mhm” Zoe managed through a mouth full of bacon. “Zoe there is something I would like to talk to you about.” Mrs Barch stated. “What is it mum?” Zoe said. Zoe thought she knew what this was going to be about though, a job. “Would you be alright with staying home alone for the day Zoe?” “What?” was all Zoe could manage. Her Mother had never left her home alone for even a couple hours, let alone a day. “Well your father and Anthony have to go to work, and I have a very long business meeting in the city. I’m sure you don’t want to sit through one of my meetings.” Zoe’s mum explained.
An hour and a half later, Zoe was standing in the big warm kitchen, alone. She looked at the list of things to do, and the instructions for how to cook supper. She smiled. It didn’t look like that much work, and besides being home alone meant that she could watch TV all morning.
Zoe decided to look for her black cat Jack, before anything else. She checked under her bed; however she saw nothing but her pink fuzzy slippers, a pair of blue jeans, and a plastic bracelet Hailey had given her in kindergarten. Zoe checked Jack’s favorite hiding spots including inside the bathroom sink, under the stairs, and in front of the furnace.
Zoe was just about to give up when she glanced towards her parent’s room. The door was open, and Jacks toy mouse was on the floor. Zoe walked in, and saw the little black sleeping body of her cat. Zoe bent down, and scooped up the lump of purring fuzz in her arms. “Jack you got hair all over mum’s shoes,” Zoe told him absentmindedly.
Zoe was staring at the shoes. They were a pair of black high heels, size nine. Distractedly Zoe put Jack down on the bed, causing him to meow in a disgruntled way. She sat on the floor, and tried the shoes on. “They fit perfectly,” Zoe decided. She put a hand on the bed to help pull herself up, and looked at herself in mother’s full length mirror. Zoe smiled. “I look like a woman.” She stated out loud. “My mum’s shoes fit perfectly.” Zoe continued. “So that must mean I am a woman.” Feeling very grown up Zoe went back down the stairs and into the kitchen to get “work” over with.
Several hours later everything had gone terribly wrong. “What was I thinking?” Zoe moaned. The potatoes were burned to a crisp, the chicken was still uncooked and on the counter, the kitchen was an absolute disaster, and Zoe had tripped over the cat’s water bowl in her haste to shut the smoke alarm off. She began to sob. Zoe glanced at the clock. 5:00 PM the green digits told her. She began to cry louder. “Mum’s going to be home soon, Jack!” Zoe told the cat, which was at that moment sniffing the raw chicken.
Zoe attempted to get up, but only succeeded in breaking the heel on one of her mum’s shoes. Zoe looked down at the black shoes, which only hours before had made her feel like a woman. Now she only felt stupid and childish. She held the shoes in her hand for a second, and then threw them as hard as she could into the living room.
Zoe heard the sound of her mother’s voice calling “Zoe, honey are you home? What is that smell?” Mrs. Barch walked in the kitchen and stopped. “Zoe! What happened? “I’m sorry mum” Zoe wailed. “I I ddind’t know what to do.” She blubbered. Mrs Barch looked at her daughter with nothing but pity for a moment, and then she said. “Well get off the floor girl. You’re not going to learn anything down there.” “But I can’t do anything!” Zoe yelled almost in desperation. “No you’re right, you can’t do anything if you’re lying on the floor and feeling sorry for yourself. Get up.” Zoe’s mum told her in a stern voice. “But what should I do?” Zoe was pouting now. “Well you can start by getting a towel, and drying up the water you’re lying in.”
By the time Anthony and Mr. Barch got home, Zoe and her mum had thrown out the black potatoes, cooked the chicken, cleaned up the kitchen, and dried the pool on the floor. Zoe collapsed into her chair at the table, as the chicken was being served. Once every one was seated, and had started eating Zoe’s dad said “The chicken is really good Zoe.” “Thank mum.” Zoe said miserably. Zoe spent the rest of the meal in silence, well everybody else talked about their day.
After dinner Zoe went upstairs to her messy room. She sat on her soft bed staring at the wall, and thought about how hard her mother must work every day, just to keep their house clean, and to feed them. She fell asleep thinking about this. That night Zoe dreamed that she was in a cooking contest, but every time she tried to cook she would trip over her mother’s shoes.
By the time Zoe woke up, it was already 9:00 AM. She rolled out of bed, and got dressed in a pair of baggy blue jeans, a grey T shirt, and a dark purple sweater. Zoe walked down the stairs quickly, and came into the kitchen. Her mother was busy making bacon and eggs. “Hey mum” Zoe began. “Yes honey?” “I can do the dishes after breakfast.” Zoe offered. “Mrs. Barch smiled. “That would be great dear. Oh by the way, you’re father fixed that shoe you broke yesterday. You can have those shoes if you want. I don’t wear them anymore.” Zoe’s mum offered. “Thanks mum, but I don’t think they really fit me.” Zoe said with a little smile. “But I thought you were size nine Zoe. Mrs. Barch said. “I am, but you’re shoes don’t fit yet.” Zoe explained, and then she grinned.
