The following post is a story from the book I wrote with Patty Kaufman in 2020 called, “Words and Pictures, Pictures and Words”. It is a collection of short stories I wrote in 15 minutes or less matched to photographs taken by Patty Kaufman. It was our “pandemic” project. The agreement was she would send me photos and I would write a story about the photo or I would send a story and she would have to find the photo. It was a wonderful way to spend a lockdown. I opened the book the other day and remembered this little gem. The book is available on this website if you so choose. Enjoy!
They matched the outfit perfectly. A hemp shirt, grass skirt and an fruit hat. She had created it for the party. The theme being renewable resources.
It was difficult to actually put the shoes on. She loved sourdough and the smell of them baking had been a bit overwhelming. Yes, she had been able to eat the parts she had carved off, but the rest of the loaves still beckoned to her. She'd rather fill them with pats of butter than her feet.
She'd thought of oiling up her feet before putting them on. Kind of like invisible socks. Maybe it would soften up the bread as it did appear that they would be a bit rough. She knew all her excuses were more about being able to consume the slippers rather than dance in them.
She supposed that other guests would be dressed as solar panels and windmills. Maybe someone would come as a Tesla or a Volt. It had seemed like a fun idea when she'd gotten the invitation, but now she was unsure. These climate change people were often so serious and she was dressed for fun. She needed an evening of silliness and creativity and worried that it would be a night of lectures and earnestness. Being lectured to was exhausting. If they were at the party, didn't they all buy into the message? If so, why did they have to continue to talk about the message?
What if someone needed to be gluten free at the party and her shoes were a threat? What if someone was allergic to grass. What if her fruit was not completely organic? What had seemed so fun not posed unknown offense.
