The Other Shoe...

Chapter 1 

Her hands met the counter with force, as if to wake it up from the nap it didn’t know it was taking.  

Her head dropped while the frustration came out to play. The faucet dripped slowly into the sink, adding to the small puddle of water lying at the bottom, echoing the sounds of her husband's steps as he walked into the other room. Her mother was always on her about slowing down and enjoying life, that she worked too hard, but she was simply ambitious. Why was that so hard for others to grasp? But, evidently, her mom wasn’t the only one who found it an issue. Her marriage was more important than her job, and she knew her husband knew that, but for some reason, he was in a mood. At her. Gosh, why does everyone have to be against her? Understanding knocked at her thoughts, but as quickly as it came, she ignored the sound. Her daughter was still in the “mom can do no harm” phase, but eventually that would change, too. The sun lit the room in a white glow. Her breaths were short as her thoughts grew into a tangle of blame. As much as she tried to see the other side, she felt dignified in her thoughts. She lifted her head and turned to lean against the counter with arms crossed along her chest. Head falling back, she closed her eyes as a long breath broke the quiet tension lurking throughout the kitchen walls. Footsteps grew with the hairs on the back of her neck, alerting her to someone's presence. Head rising, but eyes remaining closed, she sucked in a chest full of air only to release it all at once, like raising a blade above her head and stabbing it down with force. She swallowed the ice that was infusing her with a chill as she turned around to face the man she loved.  

Chapter 2

“I’m cooled off, you?” He replaced her earlier pose,

looking like a tripod with both hands out wide, leaning on the counter. 

“Not quite, but working on it.” Her arms remained crossed against her chest, showing her guard was still up and running. 

“Babe, all I am asking is that you try to put yourself in my shoes and try to see my side of things. I want what is best for you. “ His smile could defrost frosty. But she had years of practice. More than that, she was stubborn. Also, why doesn’t he listen to his own advice?

“Well, why don’t you see it from my side?” She couldn’t help the sassy wiggle that her body involuntarily did to match the sass that came with her comment. He smirked. He had the audacity to smirk. It wasn’t cute! It was supposed to be a “hello, McFly!” I mean, come on, she was right. 

“I do.” He said after he collected his composure, knowing she would complain about the lines her eyebrows were creating on her forehead later. “Your work is important, but you are beginning to look like a burnt-out flame, and your family misses you. When was the last time you took time for yourself without your phone, or went to see your mother? I know our daughter would love to visit her grandma.” Defense arose again in her against his words. He didn’t get it. She worked hard to get where she was, which meant she needed to work harder to maintain it. Regardless of how tired she felt all the time, she simply wanted him to see her side. But all he wanted was for her to see his side, which was wrong. Clearly… because how could he be right? It felt like a losing battle. He had to give in. Why does it always need to be her?

“Can you not bring up my mother?” She shot him a stern look, already feeling guilt drip down her spine for not going to help her clean when she asked.. A whisper tapped at her defense, saying that maybe he spoke an ounce of truth. But her headstrong tendencies ruled her mouth during that moment.  

Chapter 3

Eyes fluttering closed, body still next to her husband's. They had calmed down, putting a period to their discussion, agreeing to disagree for the moment with a kiss. But the conversation grew like mold in her mind. Flaunting her husband's request for her to try on the other shoe and see his side. Her frustration had cleared like fog. She was now able to see both of their cases from a 3D perspective. His side didn’t hold the weight of her sweat and tears that went into achieving what she had worked towards. But, she now saw and felt the way her body groaned in its request for sleep; how her time felt fleeting, how things that she wanted to do were mere items on a wish list for someone else to enjoy, how her daughter was growing before her, and that her reward for continuing in something that she pushed for was gifting her the much shorter end of the stick. With her stubbornness simmered and her thoughts now calm, her dreamland erupted into laughter, jolting her awake. The early sun ate the night out of the night sky, letting it bleed yellow and orange as it melted onto the earth, draping it in gold. She rolled over to her sleeping beauty of a man next to her. 

“Hm?” The groggy question rolled out of him while half asleep. 

“Good morning.” Her voice rasped out of her.

“Gooood morrrniinggg!” An energetic sound came from the doorway as the door creaked open. The letters of the words came out all soft and squishy as if someone had sanded the edges of them to make them round. Morning curls were all they could see, bounding towards them before the two could see the little body scaling the bed. She came in close and lay herself down between them, clutching her stuffed fish. They both scooped her in their arms and sandwiched her in. She nuzzled her nose into her daughter's neck. And at that moment, her husband's request became like crystal. 

“I think you're right.” Lifting her head to look over at him, she laid down a peace-offering smile. 

“I thought a lot about what you were saying too…” He lifted his head to connect their eye contact. “And I am sorry I haven’t said enough how proud I am of all that you do and have accomplished. We selfishly want you around more, but want you to be happy. If that is continuing to push yourself in this job, then I’m here supporting you.” Accepting her smile, he gifted her one in return. 

Heart feeling malleable, she replied, “I’ll see what I can do to find a position that allows me to be freer. This right here is far more valuable than any job.” She hugged her daughter tighter to her, resting her head next to hers and placing a gentle kiss on the now sleeping face of her favorite job of all. 

Chapter 4

My least favorite genre is miscommunication. When I watch or read things where that is the leading role, all I want to do is yell at the characters and say, “Open your eyes, my gosh, it’s right in front of you!” But, we as viewers have both sides of the story; we are outside looking in. When we are in the thick of it, we don’t have access to the other side; what we see and feel is, to us, the bottom line. We form our own conclusions and write our own narratives, forgetting that other shoes were being worn on the other side. It is easy to forget or overlook the thoughts we build in our minds and become one-sided, but there are always two sides to everything. Two experiences, two memories of the same event, two feelings, and two ideas that they are each right. Sometimes it takes space, time, and the ability to allow ourselves to not be close-minded, but find the other person's perspective. Dropping our pride and humbling ourselves. Doesn’t mean the other person will always be correct, but we at least gave them an opportunity to have their voice seen and heard. 

I often need to step back and take a breather when I become upset. It allows me to cool off and process all the words and feelings that were thrown onto the table like a bet in poker. It helps to find empathy and to adjust my point of view. A tactic we could all benefit from more often than we probably realize. Hope this week was beautiful and that you have an even better weekend. Don’t forget to subscribe, follow on Instagram, let me know what you thought of this post in the comments or what else you would like to read about, and share this with someone! Thanks for reading, Allie-Cats!

• Dru Allie