Melanie, it is most ironic that you would have posted about this encounter of yours today - maybe even a case of karma...LOL!...but virtually the same thing happened to me today as well, and I probably live about 3000 miles away from you. I was actually going post of my experience as a new thread here, but this gives me an opportunity to piggy-back mine onto yours. Small world, then, so here goes...
I was browsing around a Value Village thrift store today that I happened to drop in on as a result of a spur of the moment decision, taking advantage of the fact that I was running other errands in that area at the time. While walking down the aisle that had the Size 9 - 91/2 - 10 women's shoes on display, I spotted a pair of nude colored killer stilettos with sky-high heels that were probably in the 5" range - and that's without a platform sole, which is more the norm these days with that type of heel. Needless to say, it was love at first sight, and in making a surreptitious move to try them on right on the spot in the absence of anyone else nearby at that precise moment, I determined that not only did they fit perfectly - they were actually also very comfortable to walk in despite their extreme height. Ding! Ding! Ding! Sale! :) :heehee:
I then summarily strode up to the nearest cash, put on my nonchalant game face, and took my place third in line behind two other GG's. Looking at the cashier, I noticed that she was a young twenty-something with a few tattoos and a nose ring, so I naturally assumed that she was a hip non-conformist and wouldn't be overly thrown for a loop by a late-60's man in drab buying such overtly sexy feminine shoes...next best thing to stripper heels, actually.
Wrong!
As soon as I placed the shoes on the counter, she looked at me curiously and asked "Are these for you?" In a knee-jerk fashion - and without thinking it through properly - I replied "Absolutely!" along with a slight smile on my face. At this point, I expected to get the obligatory "nudge-nudge, wink-wink" smile back from her to indicte that we were both in on the joke, and that this would be the end of it.
Well, my young cashier unexpectedly replied "Seriously??!!", which, of course, opened up the door to a conversation that I didn't particularly want to have right then and there. So making a quick recovery, I said "No, Valentine's Day is coming up...they're a present." And in that moment, the stars aligned and she became my BFF and cheerleader...
"Aww! That's so sweet!" she replied. "How Long have you guys been married?" Thinking quickly, I replied "Five years", on the premise that this would indicate that there were still some sparks left in the marriage, and that a gift of sexy heels would not be out of place in that case. Of course, it occurred to me later on that any GG worth her salt would have spontaneously embedded said heels in the skull of any beau who had the audacity to gift her with a pair of second-hand shoes for Valentine's Day, but that didn't seem to occur to either one of us at the time. But I digress...
"Five years?" she responded. "Second marriage?", she queried as an after-thought, no doubt looking at my aging kisser and drawing the appropriate normal conclusion. "Yes", I replied, "Second marriage, second time lucky!" "Awww, she responded again, "Well, you guys have yourselves a great Valentine's Day, then!", delivering that wish with a lovely, understanding, and approving smile as she looked me straight in the eye and wished me a great day.
So, O.K. - I took the easy way out and told a little white lie here. That's not how I normally roll anymore these days, but then again, no one has asked me such a direct question as to why I was buying articles of women's clothing in a long, long time, so I was no longer at the top of my game in that regard. Still, I had clearly made some young GG's day here. Not only did she heartily endorse my choice of women's footwear, she was left with the impression that I was a randy, romantic old geezer who still had some life left in him...snow on the roof, but still some fire in the hearth, as the saying goes. ;) :eek: :heehee:
And I, of course, departed with a pair of killer heels that I not only got for next to a song, but which will now forever hold a special memory for me as well. Win-Win! :D