Those white ones remind me of a story.
When I was really young (12? 13?), we went to go visit some family friends. I didn't have any Keds of my own, and believe me, it occupied my thoughts constantly... I wanted to know so badly what they felt like, smelled like, etc. etc.
Our family friends had two daughters, one that was my age, and another a bit older than me, probably 18, and she volunteered in a hospital. We were staying at their house, and a bunch of us kids were playing a board game in her room. She had just changed to go out, and left, and in doing so she had left her closet door open.
That's when I saw them. The white pinstripe Keds on that poster. Side by side, in a little cubby closet for shoes. Two blue labels. Probably she wore them to the volunteering.
I had to get to them. I couldn't think about anything else. So, I waited and waited for whatever we were doing in the room with the other kids (board games, probably) to end, pretended to not be feeling well, and just lied down on the floor and read a book. The kids went to play downstairs, but now I was paralyzed by excitement and fear: I couldn't close the bedroom door, because that would be kind of weird, but I was also afraid if I went into the closet someone might see me if they walked down the hall.
That was one of those moments where you just say "fuck it" and take the risk. And I did. That was the first time I got to actually hold a pair, and, well, I guess I was hooked for life!
