Last weekend I did something I never thought I'd do... I took a walk, as Daphne, right through the centre of town near where I live. It had seemed that my weekend had fallen through, but a last minute change of plans meant that I had the house to myself after all.
I was wearing my favourite blouse - a lovely, floaty, ivory one with a floral print in lilac and purple - along with a deep purple cardigan and a pair of jeans (given extra shape thanks to some foam pads to accentuate my hips and bum - thanks for the inspiration, docrobbysherry!).
It was late evening, and while plenty of people were milling around, no-one paid any attention to me at all. Except the driver of a sporty car who tooted his horn at me. There wasn't anyone else around (on foot or in cars) so it must have been directed at me. It didn't make me feel intimidated, so I took it as a compliment... And a couple of guys I walked right past, they were chatting, but they paused mid-conversation as I passed, then I heard them mumble something, and 'nice' before they carried on down the street. What a confidence boost.
Aside from passing the odd person on the other side of the street, my first big challenge was to walk past a traditional pub: with a group of about half-a-dozen blokes standing outside, pint glasses in hand. If I was going to get unwanted attention, or ridiculed, this was it. What a relief when they didn't even give me a second glance. After that, I really relaxed and enjoyed my walk. Never in a million years did I ever imagine Daphne would be freely wandering up and down the centre of town.
I did have a couple of moments of panic though. For most of my time out, I though I had a stone in my shoe, so just after I'd moved my car and parked, I leaned against the boot of my car to take my shoe off and get rid of the stone. Turns out, my handbrake wasn't on and the car started rolling off down the street. A combination of uneven road and me desperately clinging on to the rear wiper blade managed to stop the car hitting a parked van! What a picture that would have made. And I really wouldn't have wanted to have to stick around to have explain it to anyone...
And second, as I was gazing into a shop window ( alright, I was also checking out my own reflection) I heard a voice saying "Excuse me.. Excuse me!" Reflected in the glass behind me I could clearly see a young blonde girl and her friend walking right for me. My voice is something I haven't found yet, and for a brief moment I froze, not knowing what to do. I really didn't want to get into a conversation. My throat is dry at the best of times, especially when trying to speak in a higher pitch. And right now I could feel my throat turn as dry as the sahara. As I turned round, the gods must have smiled because a girl with dark hair had walked between me and the blonde, who was wanting directions to a hotel. Thankfully she was pointed in the right direction by the brunette. Phew. Lucky escape.
Anyway, back at home, a couple of hours later, I discoverd that I didn't have a bit of gravel in my shoe, but my tights were twisted so I was walking on the seam which is supposed to be at the sides of the toes. Now I've got a blister the size of my thumb next to the ball of my foot. But it's not all bad, 'cos every time it hurts, it reminds me how I got it.
And the other bit of bad news: now that I've had a proper wander in my shoes, they must have stretched a bit, and are a bit loose. So the good news: that means shoe shopping!
x
Daphne
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