A Sole Passion
They say that shoes are a woman's greatest accessory and deserve special attention. But to Richard Pugh, his girlfriend's love for them is all too much to handle.
"In April of 2000 I met the love of my life. Little did I know that the person I had fallen for had a dark secret: her foot fetish.
I have four pairs of shoes: a black pair, a brown pair and two pairs of trainers. All my shoes are comfortable and practical.
I can't put a number on the pairs of shoes Joanne has, but there are loads. All colours and all shapes, some practical and some painful.
My question, or my quest, is to find out why? Why so many? Why have shoes that are the same colour? Why go through so much pain? Why? Why? Why?
Names like Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo are mentioned in conversation like close relatives. All thanks to bloody Sex and the City. She tells me, "It's a woman thing, babe."
I say, "It's an expensive thing, babe."
I never get my own way and she ends up getting the shoes. Is it love? Or is it easier just to say yes so I can get out of the shop and home before kick off?
Once home the show begins and questions like "What do you think?" and "Don't they look lush?". To which I reply "yes, lovely" even if they look crap.
Recently, I have noticed that I've started to like the smell of leather in the shoe shops."
Richard Pugh