This is a true story of my experience at my niece’s wedding. She is young, her husband is young and they have lots of young friends I’d never met. Their friend’s Parents were at the wedding as were so many people that were strangers to me.

I was trying to stay in the background, (I’m a moderately shy person), and was making some videos of the occasion. I made some great pictures of the young ladies preceding the bride down the isle but just as the bride came into view, the camera stopped working. Naturally, this was the time my camera battery had to go dead. I should have known things would get worse.

I wore a pair of dress shoes which had been in my closet for two years and apparently the leather soles had dried out. (Shows how seldom I get outside my cage)

I was asked to come to the stage for family group photos after the marriage ceremony and as I started walking from the rear of this large church, down the same aisle the bride had taken earlier. The sole of my left shoe opened up like a huge alligator’s mouth and with each step, flapped and made a loud slapping noise.

Here I am walking down the aisle past dozens of nice, well dressed strangers, with a sound like Click, flop slap, click flop slap, repeated over and over for the full forty miles to the podium.

Then I was asked to stand behind the others since I am tall, and as I moved to the rear everyone could see this large black tongued, toothless alligator mouthed shoe looking and flapping at them. I was so embarrassed that I can’t begin to describe it to you.

As soon as the pictures were made, I went out to my car and contemplated cutting my foot off, but was saved by finding some small green wire that is used to tie flowers to form bouquets. I proceeded to use a small screwdriver from the toolbox in the trunk of the car to punch holes in the soles and side welt of the shoe, then managed to use the wire to “stitch” my sole back
in place.

After my “repair” was finished, I went back into the Church and joined the festivities. Everyone there welcomed me back and seemed to have immensely enjoyed my having provided them with humor for the evening. This is a true story