Barefoot shopping at the mall with mom
a barefoot girl's story going shopping with her strict religious mom
by sharleen wlthis is a rather long post but a pretty fun story. so i want you to get comfortable. get your favorite drink, maybe play some soft music, be barefooted (if you aren't already), take off all your clo... oops, i'm getting carried away. i mean, you don't have to do that. unless your like me of course, lol. anyway, relax and enjoy!
my dad is away on a business trip and my mom is home alone. so yesterday she called me and asked if i would wanna go shopping at the mall with her today (saturday). i love shopping so i said sure. she knows that i'm a barefooter and has kinda accepted the fact, so going barefoot to the mall with her shouldn't be an issue.
i wake up a little earlier this morning cuz i wanna eat breakfast before going shopping. need the extra energy. the temperature this morning is 61 F which is cold for hawaii. i slept with my windows closed but i still feel a little cold since i'm not wearing anything. but that's ok, its a small price to pay for the feeling of total freedom. my feet are quite dirty from going barefoot after work last night. i quickly wash up and go to the kitchen to make myself some coffee and a bowl of oatmeal which will help warm my body. i sit on the couch and watch tv while consuming my breakfast. still not wearing anything.
not long after i finished my breakfast my phone rings. its mom. she says she's like 5 minutes away and i should start walking to the parking lot. so i quickly run to the bedroom and put on a pair of shorts. i'm debating whether i should wear my favorite belly-baring crop top. i'm sure mom won't like it but hey, i think i can handle her :) so i put it on, grab my purse and run downstairs. she's already waiting in the parking lot.
"good morning mom" i greet her as i open the car door and climb in. she doesn't say anything about my bare feet but looks disapprovingly at my exposed midriff. "don't you have something more decent to wear?" she asks.
me: "um... i think this is decent enough, alot of people wear 'em nowadays."
mom: "they don't let you wear it to work do they?"
me: "well no, but i'm off today so i can hang loose right?" smiling at her.
she sighs and shakes her head as she starts the car.
mom: "you might as well go naked!"
me: "ahaha! i wish i could."
she frowns, obviously not amused. then she says, "the fashion industry is controlled by the devil!" i just keep quiet. arguing about religion or politics with mom never ends well. we're going to spend at least half the day together and i don't wanna spoil the mood. its good that she doesn't tell me to change. i consider that a victory ;)
our first stop is a trendy clothing store. as i browse through racks of stylish outfits i feel the different textures of the surfaces under my soles, from soft carpet to smooth hardwood floor to cool tiles. the sensation is heavenly. those who always wear shoes just don't know what they're missing out. i pick a few fashionable pieces which my mom pays for. that's one good thing about going shopping with mom, lol.
our next stop is... (you won't believe this!) a shoe store. i normally don't set my bare feet in a shoe store, but mom needs a new pair of shoes so i have no choice. as she's trying some on, i decide to walk around and look at the interesting arrays of "foot coffins" lol. sorry, i don't mean to offend any shoe wearer. a sales associate approaches me and asks if she can help me with anything. i smile and reply, "no, i'm just here with my mom. my feet are not made for shoes."
she looks at my bare feet and is like, "hahaha, i can see that! do you need socks? they keep your feet warm." she hasn't totally given up on me. i'm like, "no i don't wear them either."
"ok, have a nice day then," she chuckles as she walks away.
just fyi, i only own 3 pairs of footwear - a pair of high heels which i only wear to formal occasions like weddings or when i get invited to a fancy restaurant; a pair of slip-on sneakers which i wear to places that require closed shoes but not really fancy, which is rare in hawaii; and a pair of rubber slippers (flip flops) which i wear to work and other casual places that don't allow bare feet which is again, rare in hawaii. i don't own any socks which i despise more than i do shoes cuz their so restrictive and cumbersome to put on. in fact the last time i wore socks was in elementary school as they were part of the dress code.
after what feels like forever, mom finally steps out of the shop with a pair of new shoes. then we head over to victoria's secret as mom needs some new panties. she offers to buy me some but i nicely decline. i just don't tell her that i don't wear any lol. just like socks, i find them too restrictive and i detest them. as there's a bookstore right across, i tell mom i'll be in there and to look for me there when she's done.
there's a nice restaurant in the mall that our family often visited when i was a kid and still living with my parents. my sister tania and i always went barefoot there but we haven't gone back since we moved out and lived on our own. mom wants to go there for lunch but she wonders if they'll let me in barefoot. kids can usually get away with alot of stuff; besides, they might have changed the rules. i tell her we should just try. if they don't let me in we'll just find a more casual place, and she agrees. well, we're let in and seated with no problem.
mom's in a better mood now. she's no longer talking about the way i dress. as we sit there and wait for the food we talk story (hawaiian slang for passing time by chatting or rekindling old times). we laugh, but i also shed a couple of tears feeling nostalgic. mom is kinda temperamental. she's very strict and of the old school. when she's in a bad mood she can be nasty and even abusive. tania and i often got hit when we were kids (but we were also the naughtiest). even today she would still slap me when i cuss in front of her, especially when i say "fuck" which she really hates. when i'm in a rebellious mood i'd do it on purpose just to provoke her and see if i get slapped (most of the time i do but otherwise she just screams at me). but she can also be fun and sweet when in a good mood. i love her nonetheless.
as we're eating, a family with 2 kids (a teenage boy and a girl about 9 or 10) walk in. the girl is barefoot (she's the only one without footwear) and as soon as she's seated, she brings her feet up and sits cross legged. she reminds me of myself when i was her age. that was also when i first started living the barefoot lifestyle. oh, such fun! you can read the stories on this blog.
after we eat we continue walking around the mall, visiting a few interesting stores. its early evening when we exit the mall and the air has turned a bit chilly. as we're walking to the car mom says, "whoo, its gonna be another cold night. don't you wish you had worn something that covers your tummy?" i have to admit i'm shivering a little but i giggle and say "i'm fine."
we pull into my apartment parking lot and i ask mom if she wants to come in and she's like "no, i don't wanna get stressed seeing how dirty your place is." i giggle and say "its not really that bad." then the following conversation takes place.
mom: "i really appreciate you coming with me, sweetie. i really enjoyed the day."
me: "thanks mom, i also had a great time."
mom: "hey, it would be nice if you could come to church with me tomorrow. i could pick you up in the morning, then we could go have lunch together again, and i'd take you back home."
i'm caught off guard and not sure what to say. i hate going to church but i also don't wanna hurt her feelings. so after a few seconds pause...
me: "i'm sorry mom. you know i don't like going to church."
her face turns gloomy again just like this morning when she first saw me. then she asks another unexpected question but her voice remains calm.
mom: "i was just wondering... would you go to church if you could go in bare feet? not that you can do that in our church, but i'm just curious."
me: "no. having to wear shoes is not the reason i don't go to church. i don't believe in god, and church is just so boring."
mom: "well, i can't force you since your grown up, but i love you and never stop praying that one day you'll see the light and come back to god before its too late."
me: "ok mom, enjoy the rest of your day." again, i don't wanna argue with her about religion.
mom: "you too sweetie." she then drives away.
i wish we didn't have that last conversation. we really had a good time together and that last bit kinda dampens it. i slowly walk towards my apartment, saying hi to the birds as their getting ready to go home too. just trying to lift myself up. at least i'm not forced to go to church just to appease my parents like so many other kids are.
as i get in everything comes off again. ahh... it feels great. i look out the window towards the forest in the distance. its starting to get a little misty. suddenly i'm reminded of the frightening night i had in there a while back. it sends chills down my spine. i quickly shut the windows and curtains.
its 6:15 pm. too early for dinner. besides i'm not hungry yet as we had a pretty big lunch. but i don't have any food at home which means i'll eventually need to go out and get some. but not just yet. so i lounge in the sofa and turn on the tv. my phone suddenly rings. its aiden the restaurant manager. he says the big boss just implemented some new rules that i need to be familiar with before i go back to work on monday. so he wants to know if he can come over and give the papers to me. i tell him yes.
there's a knock on the door. it must be aiden. so i walk to the door (not wearing anything) and open it slightly just to show my face, to make sure its indeed him. it is... so i open the door fully and invite him in. he gasps and is like, "oh my god!"
i giggle and quickly close the door before anybody else sees me.
me: "why are you so shocked? you've seen me like this before!"
aiden: "uh, yeah... but i wasn't expecting it."
me: "hehehe! come have a seat."
he hands me the papers and we chat for a little bit. i tell him about my fun day at the mall with mom. he's a bit nervous looking at me and i try hard not to laugh the entire time. after like 15 minutes he says he has to leave. i tease him and asks, "what's the rush? you have a hot date tonight?" he denies it saying there's just alot of work at the restaurant and he needs to run errands before heading home.
after aiden leaves i watch a movie on tv that lasts until 8 o'clock. now its time to go get some food. i don't feel like going out again especially that its dark now, but i have to if i don't wanna starve through the night. so i put on the same outfit, but since its a little chilly i also don a light jacket. btw this is my high school jacket which i really like since it looks cool with the school emblem on the front. it still fits as i'm still the same size. people say i still look (and act) like a high school girl. so it fits in more ways than one, lol. anyway, i decide to go to the fast food chinese restaurant right around the block which closes at 9, so i still have enough time. the pavement feels cool under my bare soles which is kinda nice.
i get a combo plate and decide to eat in the restaurant and watch people which is one of my favorite past times. as i'm eating 2 giggly teenage girls walk in and buy food to take out. they're both barefoot and their feet are filthy. they must have had a fun day barefooting. then a mercedes pulls up and the driver, an older man maybe in his 50s or 60s comes out with nothing on his feet. he comes to pick up the food he already ordered. his feet aren't dirty at all. so maybe he just didn't wanna bother putting on footwear just to pick up the food. still cool though. and that's life in paradise hawaii.
a young guy walks in. he looks familiar cuz he's a regular at the restaurant where i work. i smile and wave at him. he walks to my table.
him: "sharleen! fancy seeing you here! did you get off work early?"
me: "i usually don't work on weekends."
him: "ah, i see. i thought you probably got sick of the food over there."
me: "hahaha! don't say that. you might get me in trouble."
him: "you look so relaxed, barefooted and everything. wait, your not... still in high school are you?" (he sees my jacket but he's often seen me working during the day).
me: "no i'm not. and ya, i don't like wearing anything on my feet. so when i'm not working i'm usually barefoot."
like most of the other customers, he gets the food to go, so he leaves after a few minutes chatting with me.
i finish my meal at almost 9 o'clock as they're getting ready to close. i bid the owner and staff good night and head back home. amazingly its gotten even colder and a little foggy too. glad i'm wearing a jacket and don't have very far to go. although its a short distance and the streets are lighted, the fog makes everything look eerie. i walk fast and just look down. i don't wanna see anything that would freak me the fuck out. the pathway inside my apartment complex under the big trees is actually the spookiest part as its dimly lit. so i run across it. i know i'm a scaredy cat but i have had a few scary experiences.
whew! what a relief to be back inside my warm and cozy apartment without seeing anything strange on the way. ya, its warm enough despite not being heated. so its still ok to walk around with nothing on. i make myself a cup of hot chocolate and sit in front of my computer. i'm probably gonna watch some videos or play a game before going to bed. and this is the end of another barefoot fun-filled day. thanks for reading my story, hope you enjoyed it.
from paradise hawaii this is sharleen the barefoot girl reminding you that life is magical. yes, especially when you spend your entire day barefoot, including shopping at the mall with mom. so until next time...
enjoy going barefoot and have a magical day!
ps - you may also want to read this story if you haven't already: barefoot grocery shopping with mom
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