Bozo The Clown Sneakers

by Belinda Bland

I was a young girl aged 13 in the ninth grade being raised in the south. I had a younger sister age 12 in the eighth grade and we attended public school.

My mother was in her thirties and separated from my dad. She was raising six children by cleaning houses. Whatever she bought for one of her girls, she bought for her sister.

“Mom,” I said, “I need a pair of sneakers for gym class.”

“I don’t think I can buy you sneakers right now,” she said.

“I need them if I want to pass my gym class,” I said.

“Okay,” she said.

One day my mother came home carrying not one but two big shoe boxes.

“Here these are for you all,” she said, as she handed me the boxes. I took the boxes and gave one to my sister. I opened the box and to my surprise, inside was a pair of white sneakers. They were high top, skinny, very long in length and seemed to curl up at the toes. AII I could do was stare at those funny looking sneakers in that box.

“I can’t wear these sneakers to my gym class,” I said.

“That was all I could afford to get,” said mom.

My little sister didn’t seem to have a problem with them. She stuffed the toes of her sneakers with toilet paper. After she did that, her sneakers looked nice on her feet.

“Your sneakers look nice on your feet,” I said.

“I put toilet paper in them,” she said, “Why don’t you try it.”

“Okay, I will,” I said.

So, I tried doing the same thing with mine but they did not look as good on my feet as they did on hers. I called them my “bozo the clown” sneakers. I took my sneakers to sch0ol; I did not ware them. When it was time for gym, I changed into my gym clothes and put on my “bozo the clown” sneakers. Then I went and sat on the bleachers in the gym with my classmates.

Then the teacher called me to do an exercise. I came down and stood in front of my classmates. Before I could exercise, they began to laugh. Not at me but at my funny looking “bozo the clown” sneakers. I was embarrassed but I continued doing the exercise.

When I got home, I told my mother what had happened that day at school during gym.

“Mom I can’t wear these sneakers to gym class anymore,” I said.

“Why not?” she asked.

“When I got up to do the exercise, all the other children laughed. I was embarrassed,” I said.

That Saturday, my mother took my sister and myself downtown to buy us different sneakers. The sales lady showed us a pair of sneakers in a box. They were beautiful sneakers. They were red, white and blue. The color of the American Flag.

“Do you all like these sneakers?” asked my mom. “Yes! They are pretty,” I said.

“Yes, I like them too,” said my sister.

My mother bought the sneakers for my sister and I.

“I won’t be a shamed to wear these sneakers to school. They look good and they make my legs look good, too,” I said.

My mother smiled. “I’m glad you like them,” she said.

I wore my new sneakers to school. Everyone liked them. They were not twice my foot length. They were not narrow and skinny either. They did not come up to my ankle. I walked around the school with confidence. I felt good about them.
When I got home, I had a big smile on my face. All I could say was good-bye to my “bozo the clown” sneakers. I put them back in their box and put them away forever.