Even a simple shoe repair becomes a heart-warming episode.
I really like that sometimes I don’t write the story.
Sometimes other people give it to me as a gift.
Brooks
In October 2024, I bought a really cool pair of running shoes. Brooks Glycerin 21. They were made for running.
I bought them with the intention of running in them. But over the past 10 months, they have become a part of my everyday life. These are practically all I wear.
The only problem with this is that they were not designed for that. My Garmin watch records every move I make. So today it was not difficult for me to check that I have walked 1,982 km in the past 365 days. Most of them in these shoes.
For a long time, I have had a big tear on the inside of both of my shoes. It is not really noticeable, nor is it really bothersome. But the fact is that I have been wearing torn shoes for a long time. I bought some instant glue in Laos to fix it. The glue has been resting in my bag ever since, waiting for better times.
Here in Sa Pa, it has rained a lot in the past few days. Well, it’s true that I’m no longer friends with the two holes in my shoes. I can say that the repair is overdue. But for some reason it still hasn’t made it to my to-do list.
A street shoe repairman
It’s Saturday. I planned to spend time with my laptop today.
I went for my usual walk to the coffee shop.
Before that, I wanted to go into one of the small shops where I buy something every day.
When I got there, we greeted each other with the owner of the shop. He was sitting in front of the shop on the street. With a shoe repairman.
The shoe repairman had his shoe repair tools laid out around him. He was working.
We didn’t have to exchange many words to get the chance.
I sat down on the edge of the sidewalk in front of the shop, took off my shoes and socks, and waited for my turn.
I didn’t even ask how much it would cost, I knew so well that I wouldn’t regret it.
The master soon began treating the patients. As I watched him work, I knew right away that it wasn’t such a big deal that I didn’t bother to do the repair. He used a needle and thread to do the repair.
It was fun to watch him work. I like to see the skill up close. It was obvious from some of the stitches that he had learned it over many years.
I was grateful when I was able to hold and try on the repaired shoes. I felt like they still had a lot of mileage left in them.
When it was time to pay, it turned out that the price would be 100,000 VND (1,200 HUF, 3.8 USD). I happily gave the master 150,000.
When I handed over the money, the shop owner asked if I had tipped him. I said just one word: “50,000”. He gave me an appreciative look.
Even more
The truth is that I got much, much more than that from him this morning.
I remember when I first went into his shop, he was very grumpy with me. I think it was just because he looked like a tourist.
On the second day, he was a little nicer.
From the third day on, he greeted me with a smile and knew what I wanted to buy.
I was sure that I knew the reason for this change, I told my Belarusian friend about it three days ago.
As I sat down on the floor today, he wanted to give me the little chair he was sitting on. I thanked him, I didn’t accept it, I told him that the edge of the sidewalk was perfect for me.
We started talking. He took me into his confidence. I learned how proud he was of his business. He showed me pictures of his little girl and his wife. He is the proud father of a beautiful little fairy girl, I honestly said that he is a lucky man.
For some reason, he stood up and brought me a coffee as a gift. This friendly kindness was nice.
We continued talking. In the meantime, I felt that it was very nice that he honored me with his trust, time and friendship.
When it was time to leave, he stopped me.
He said that I must be very loved by the Vietnamese people. I was interested in why he thought that. He said that I am always cheerful. He thinks I am like a Vietnamese person.
My heart was filled with gratitude. Yesterday I wrote that I was a stranger on the top of the mountain. Today someone says, “You are like us.”
It was a great honor to hear this. In addition to the infinite good feeling, I also felt proud. I have been accepted many times in many places, but now this is my fondest memory. It made sense why this man had said a few minutes earlier that we were family.
Then this man even wrapped the gift in tissue paper.
He said he remembered me from the first day. “Because you really…” He didn’t know the word he wanted to say. So he took out his phone. Those few moments were enough for me to realize that he was going to give me something and that I had time to be excited.
I was excited because I felt that what he was going to show on his phone was me in his eyes.
He turned the phone over.
Respectful.
Buy me a coffee?
If you enjoyed this story, you can buy me a coffee. You don’t have to – but it means a lot and I always turn it into a new adventure.
Buy a coffee for Steve
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Short introduction