If The Shoe Fits

Fun Fact:  When I was in college, I worked at Payless ShoeSource.  Way back when they really were pay less.  As the years went on, their prices skyrocketed.  Payless went on to glory in May of 2019.  They filed for bankruptcy and shut their doors.  Truly the end of an era. 

Instead of focusing on the end, my beginning with Payless deserves some attention.  This was going to be my first professional interview.  I put on my two-piece white church suit and sashayed to the back stock room for my interview with the manager.  Lord, help.  But I was clean though.  I don’t remember the questions.  I don’t remember how I felt.  All I know is, I got the job.

Payless stores tended to be small.  That fact alone drew me in.  I’m a big girl.  I did not want to have to walk around tens of thousands of square feet.  I also dreaded the thought of being bombarded by tons of customers.  How many people really came into a shoe store?  I didn’t remember seeing overwhelming crowds.  These factors made me feel this was the perfect fit. 

My first day or two came and went with no hiccups.  I spent much of my time in the stock room completing modules on the computer.  I learned about the history of the company and their ideals.  I sped read through much of it.  I was finished in no time.  I still had to master the cash register, but I was doing a-okay. 

The next time that I returned to work, I completed my modules.  The assistant manager was going to start training me on the cash register, but first she wanted me to unload cargo in the stock room.  Listen, the stock room was my home, and I was not mad about it.  As I was unpacking shoes, I got the sensation that someone was watching me.  I turned around and a man was standing in the door.  I asked if he needed help.  He said no and returned to the sales floor.  I switched my position because I felt uneasy.

My uneasiness was well founded.  Not even two minutes later the assistant manager ran into the stock room visibly shaken.  She said she had just been robbed at gun point.  I described the man that I had seen, and she confirmed my suspicions.  I went to lock the main door until the police arrived.

The assistant manager transferred to a different store not long after.  She wasn’t ever comfortable in the store again.  The trauma was real and followed her.  You’re probably thinking that I quit.  I didn’t.  I worked there through the rest of the summer until college resumed that fall.  I still didn’t quit the company.  I just transferred to the store in Conway.

I am grateful for God’s protection for both of us that day.  The story could have had an entirely different ending.  The Lord showed up for me in a very real way that day.  I had not thought of this in years.  I guess I just needed a reminder that God is faithful.  #wepreach