Describe Linda fishing her expensive espadrilles out of the mud, dumping the mud and water out of the shoes and looking on in defeat. Describe her wincing as she put them back on and her comparing the feeling to when she unboxed them this morning and slid them on for the very first time.
Describe her walk of shame back to the school in front of the parents gathered for the show.
Describe her calling her sister later that day and telling her what happened. Her sister being much more down to earth, less full of herself and also very amused with Linda's story. Have her sister ask questions and interject along the way.
Separately, Describe Amy coming home to her roommate who was shocked to see Amy in such a state given that she had seen her before she left for school. Describe that conversation.
### Linda's Muddy Defeat: Fishing Out the Espadrilles
Linda was frozen for a moment—utterly defeated—before her eyes lowered to her feet, or rather, where her feet had been before the mud had claimed her expensive Chanel espadrilles, now lost somewhere beneath the muck. The reality of her situation hit her in waves.
I just bought those. Closing her eyes briefly, she let out a small, frustrated breath and crouched down, her once-pristine dress squelching unpleasantly as it pressed against her muddied thighs.
She reached down into the cold, sticky mud, gingerly fishing around before her fingers found the edge of the first espadrille. The soft canvas was unrecognizable, coated thick with mud that oozed from between her fingers as she tried to pull it out. She gave it a harsh tug and out it came with a sickening squelch.
Ugh... There was no avoiding the reality: her designer shoes were ruined.
Holding the wet, heavy espadrille in one hand, she bent to free its pair. Once again, she plunged her hand into the mud, wincing as the cold muck worked beneath her perfectly manicured nails. After another pull, the second espadrille emerged.
Linda shook the espadrilles out, thick, brownish water seeping from the insides and dribbling down to her already-soaked feet. The canvas, once a clean and impeccable white, was now a patchy mess of mud stains and smears. She held them out in front of her like stubborn relics of a much cleaner life.
Resigned, she gave them a half-hearted shake to remove the worst of the clumps before slipping them back on. She grimaced at the sensation as the cold mud inside the shoes squished beneath her feet, soaking her socks. Her face twisted with a mixture of disgust and disbelief as the comparison came rushing back:
This morning, when she had slipped into the espadrilles for the first time, the canvas had hugged her feet with a perfect snugness. They’d felt light, luxuriously soft, and carried the crisp feeling of something new and untarnished. Now, though, they felt like soaked sponges attached to her feet—heavy, wet, and horrible. She let out a long breath through her nose, forcing herself to keep her emotions in check.
### The Walk of Shame: Through the Eyes of the Parents
With both espadrilles on, Linda stood up, her posture sagging in defeat. Glancing down at her ruined dress, at her mud-streaked arms, and the murky droplets still clinging to her pearls, she realized there was no way to make the situation any better.
It was then that the distant noise of gathering parents reached her ears—a reminder that the concert was soon to begin.
Of course, she thought, her internal embarrassment only growing by the second.
They’re all here to see their kids perform… and I'm about to walk past them like this! She gave Amy one final glance—Amy herself was still muddy but at least not
soaking in it—before squaring her shoulders for what was about to unfold.
Walking back toward the school in front of the assembled group of parents, Linda could feel every step echo in humiliation. Wet mud squelched with every shift of her feet, drawing a few low, whispered chuckles from the crowd. A father waiting amongst the parents raised an eyebrow her way, though quickly looked away to suppress his amusement. She could hear small murmurs among the mothers gathered near the entrance of the stage area; their eyes slid over her disheveled appearance like a spotlight.
“Wow… isn’t that the vice principal?” one mother whispered to another.
“Oh dear... and she’s usually so
put together,” came the soft, sympathetic voice of another.
Linda tried to ignore the pit growing in her stomach, her cheeks flushing an embarrassing shade of pink. She kept her head high, forcing her posture back into as much of its natural regalness as possible. She gave a curt nod to some of the parents—though they smirked back—and made her way inside, her clothes and shoes feeling heavier and messier with every step.
At this point, every painstaking squelch of her shoes felt like a personal betrayal.
### The Debrief: Telling Her Sister What Happened
That evening, after trudging upstairs to clean off the mud, Linda slunk into her clean pajamas and reclined in her living room. She couldn’t help herself: she picked up the phone and called her sister, Janet. Janet, being much more down-to-earth and quick to guffaw at life’s absurdities, answered almost immediately.
“Hey, Linda! What’s up?” Janet's voice was casual as always, though Linda could practically hear the smile in her voice.
Linda groaned into the phone. “Janet, it was…
horrifying.”
“Oh?” Janet's curiosity piqued. “What happened this time,” she teased lightly, before adding, "Was it the kids again?"
"No,” Linda sighed dramatically. “It was…
me. I—I fell. In
mud.”
The line was silent for a beat.
“...Come again?” Janet’s voice cracked with obvious amusement.
“I was just trying to tell Amy—the teacher, you know her—to get the kids ready for the concert,” Linda explained, her voice filled with the reluctance of reliving the moment. "But there was this mud, and I slipped off the cinder block and ended up on my
side in the mud. Janet—it was atrocious. Mud in my dress, on my pearls,
everywhere. And my Chanel espadrilles—
ruined."
Janet burst into laughter on the other end. “
Chanel espadrilles?! Oh my God, Linda! I’m sorry—but
of course that would happen to you! Only you would wear designer shoes to school and end up rolling around in mud like some kind of—I don’t know, fashion-conscious pig!”
Linda let out a quiet groan, but even she cracked a reluctant smile. “You don’t understand! I had just unboxed them this morning. They were perfect. And now they feel like... like wet sacks on my feet.”
“Well, yeah, they’re not meant for mud wrestling!” Janet snorted. “What were you even trying to do, impress the construction zone workers?”
Linda huffed, rubbing her temples. “It wasn’t supposed to
happen. I had everything under control, and then the cinder block—”
“Yeah, yeah, Linda. Keep telling yourself that,” Janet said amid laughter. “But hey, welcome to the world of being human! At least nobody uploaded it to YouTube, right?”
Linda grumbled. “
Right.”
“You’ve been needing to lighten up. I bet you were all stiff when it happened, huh? I can just picture it!” Janet cackled again. “Just relax. And next time? Maybe wear
sensible shoes around the kids.”
“I’ll add it to my list of lessons,” Linda replied with a forced but fading frown.
---
### Amy Coming Home to Her Roommate
Later that evening, Amy arrived home, feeling tired but not particularly upset. Her mud-soaked sneakers squeaked against the hardwood floor as she unlocked the door and let herself in. She hung her bag on the hook by the door, trying not to look at the mess she'd brought back with her.
Soft footsteps approached from the kitchen, and her roommate, Julie, emerged, her expression changing the second her eyes landed on Amy.
“Oh my…
God, Amy—what happened to you?!” Julie gasped, her eyes widening as she took in the sight of her friend. Amy’s normally neat appearance was replaced by streaks of mud running down her clothes. Her cardigan was still wet, her hair disheveled, and her beloved white Keds were a sad, muddy shadow of their former selves.
Amy sighed, looking down at herself. “It’s… a long story.”
Julie tipped her head to the side, one eyebrow raised. “You looked so cute when you left this morning!”
Amy laughed slightly. “I know, right? And I was feeling pretty good about my day, too. Until I got volunteered to run gym class… outside... next to a
mud pit.”
Julie gasped again, this time more dramatically. “
Amy! No!”
“Yes,” Amy confirmed, her voice both tired and amused. “The kids were flying kites, everything was going great… and then I accidentally jogged backwards into the one patch of mud that
never dries out.” She paused with a small grimace, “I went
down. Fell flat on my back.”
Julie covered her mouth, trying to hide her laughter but failing miserably. “Please tell me SOMEONE saw that?”
“Oh,” Amy sighed. “The kids didn’t, luckily. Too busy with their kites. But then… Linda…”
Julie’s eyes lit up. “Linda? As in, the vice principal?” When Amy nodded, Julie clutched her stomach, laughing harder. “Why is it always the important people who witness these things?!”
“It gets worse,” Amy chuckled. “Linda tried to walk out on this cinder block to talk to us. She was sarcastic as usual… then SHE fell right into the mud, too!”
At that, Julie nearly erupted in laughter, doubling over. “Oh, y-your
vice principal?! Please tell me you’re making this up!”
Amy shook her head, smiling despite her messy state. “Nope. You can’t make this stuff up.”
Julie sighed, wiping away fake tears of laughter. “Well then, I guess the moral of the story is… never wear white canvas anything to work.”
“Lesson learned!”