Bonjour.

They just followed me home. Honest!

Ok Ok, maybe it didn't happen quite like that but it did start innocently enough.

It all began during a girls' weekend in Moncton when we stopped by Winners. A quick look-see for winter boots turned into an unexpected encounter. In fact, it was one of those magical moments; upon first sight, I just knew it was something special.

Observing their shiny finish from a safe, emotionally-detached distance I couldn't help but admire their pretty posture despite the Saturday afternoon chaos that could be caused only by careless, haphazard females rumaging for a good buy. An array of mismatched sneakers and toppled Hushpuppies seemed to gather around as if to protect them from the mayhem that ensued. Apparently, they too appreciated their beauty.

Moving slowly as not to draw unwanted attention to these little gems, I plucked them gently from their shelf to take a closer look. Hmmm...my size. My heart skipped a beat. I cradled them in my arm. A little cuddle couldn't hurt could it?

Twenty minutes later, after searching through the rest of the offerings, I stood with two choices: practical, 3/4 length brown leather winter boots or completely unecessary, 3 inch black-patent, peep-toe Mary Janes. Faced with the age-old dilema of need vs want, I knew immediately who could help me out. Peeking up over the miles of racks, I spied her; her curly blond pigtails showed the way to enlightenment. Walking swiftly through the aisles of skirts, blouses and coats, I made my way to the one person who could make sense of it all. As demonstraded below, my cousin's adorable 21-month-old is a shoe officianado with impeccable taste.

I presented her with my dilema hoping secretly that she would choose the winter boots. I held my breath as she observed my well-selected bounty. And then, with a coy little smile, she endorsed the Mary-Janes as the clear winner. My heart sank; the boots I could justify, the shoes, not so much. I thanked her for her insight and wandered off somewhat bewildered by my pending decision. I could buy both I suppose but I didn't need both. I needed boots.

So I left with the boots.

Back in Halifax, I tried on my practical purchase again before putting them away to await the onset of winter. Slipping my foot in, they felt a bit odd. What was this? Did I get the wrong size? No, but they were definitely too big. How come I didn't notice that on Saturday?

Huhn.

I guess I would just have to return the boots, an easy task considering I was already scheduled to make a quick day-trip to Moncton later that same week.

Thanking the cashier, I tucked the return receipt into my wallet. As I turned to leave, I paused for but a moment. What could it hurt I thought? I would just be saying hello; they're probably not even there.

But they were. There they sat, still waiting, patiently, to be loved.

I approached cautiously; they still didn't seem practical nor reasonable. But you know, sometimes in life, you just have to give in to the impractical and the unreasonable. So I did. We left the store giggling and excited to start our new journey together and now they sit, displayed on my kitchen stool. I'll put them away soon but for now I just want to admire them, content in a way that only a woman could appreciate.

Men will never understand the relationship between a girl and her shoes, but that's ok; we don't really get their love affair with the automotive section at Canadian Tire.