Tug of War 22

Timothy looked apprehensively at his stepmother as she approached him with a pink shoebox in hand. It was true that the boy had worn several women's shoes during the last few days, but just flat ones. This time, however, he feared Susan would want him to try something bolder – and his fears became real as soon as the woman opened the box…

"Just look at these shoes, Timmy!" Susan exclaimed, holding a pair of light pink Mary Jane's heels. "Aren't they the cutest thing in the world?" 

Upon hearing that, all Timothy could do was keep staring at Susan, stunned. When would that crazy nightmare come to an end? He was about to say there was no way in hell he would put those shoes on, but before he could open his mouth he remembered he had just promised he would stop complaining all the time. 

He then thought of a different strategy. Instead of complaining, he would just try to convince Susan that it was a terrible idea. She had to understand this. It was his only chance of salvation. "Oh, they are pretty indeed, Susan!" he said, trying to sound as excited as his stepmother. "But..."

"But what, sweetie?" 

"I’m not so sure if I really should wear them. I mean… I’m sure it takes a lot of time to learn the right way to walk on heels, right? And it would be a disaster if my father spotted me struggling to walk on them. Instead of being annoyed by my girly appearance, he would just laugh at me, don't you think?" he finished, having to suppress a smile of satisfaction. His point of view had been so well presented that Susan would have no choice but to agree with him. 

Or at least he believed so…

"This could even be the case if I were suggesting you to wear a pair of 5-inch stilettos, sweetie. These are just 1-inch heels, though. You're going to master them in no time. Even ten-year-olds can do so."

"A-are you sure?" Timothy asked, feeling miserable as he realized that his plan hadn't worked as he had hoped. 

"Absolutely, honey! Also, it would be a shame if you didn't get a chance to try these shoes on since you liked them so much, right? Let's see if they fit."

Before Timothy could say anything else, Susan grabbed his right feet and slipped it into the shoe. The boy saw in despair that it fitted perfectly, and soon his left foot was inside the other shoe. 

"Oh, it looks absolutely superb!" Susan smiled. "Let me help you get up."

Timothy stood up carefully, and then tried to balance himself. "I don't think I can do it, Susan!" he said, with his legs shaking. 

"Of course you can. You just need to slightly change the way you walk. Put one foot in front of the other, as if you were walking on a line; keep your chest out and your head up; oh, and you must move your hips as you walk forward. It'll get a lot easier this way, especially since you are wearing a corset."

"How am I supposed to remember all that?" the boy asked, distressed. 

"Pretty soon it will be natural for you. For now, just try doing it as I told you to do, okay?"And so the boy did, but his first steps were as uncertain as if he were walking on a frozen lake. "You aren't moving your hips, silly! And did you hear what I told you about keeping your head up?" 

"I'm trying, Susan!" Timothy said, grinding his teeth. He had no idea how women could walk on heels so easily. Now that he was thinking about it, he was almost certain he had never seen Susan wearing flats. This was truly unbelievable. The boy was having such a hard time wearing just 1-inch heels… He couldn’t help it but wondered what it would be like to walk on much higher heels.

"You're getting the hang of it, Timmy!" Susan said after some time. "I think soon enough you'll be walking on heels as gracefully as a model… Isn’t it fabulous? Now try keeping your upper arms close to your body. That's it! And keep your fists loose!"

Timothy continued walking around the room for what seemed like hours. At some point, his feet and calves were aching so badly that he just couldn’t keep doing it anymore. "Susan, can I take a break, please?" he begged her. 

"Okay, sweetie. You still need more training, but I think you can take a sit for a minute or two."

"Great! How do I take these shoes off?"

"Why would you do something like that?" Susan asked, looking horrified by such idea. "Don't be silly, Timmy. You're going to keep your pretty shoes all day long."

"All day long?!"

"That's correct, young lady. Remember that practice makes perfect, and perfection is what you must aim for if you want to achieve your goal."