Crocs

This morning, running my bath water, I was wondering around in my own private thoughts when suddenly I spotted these pink, unnecessarily protruding large shoes on my feet. Pink of all colours! How on earth had I managed to buy them? Then I remembered that fad that even had me hooked, and I'm no follower. Surely the credit must be given to excellent advertising. Crocs? I had Crocs!
The first time I saw those shoes was in a tiny shopping centre in Pietermaritzburg. Two handsome white boys, early 20's, in usual surfer boy gear proudly rocking their crocs in different colours. I thought to myself, the surfers traded slops for that? Seriously? I understood that white people came up with most fads and that pop culture would get to a few but how does a lady turn from heels to crocs?  How do all people turn from rocking addidas boots and Nikes to crocs? Crocs!
And that's when I started noticing more and more of those ghastly shoes. People I trusted, wearing them. People I sometimes looked up to. Heck, the whole world was wearing crocs, there were even accessories. People were buying them in assorted colours and you could even get fake ones on the street! Yes, black people were wearing crocs proudly!
Sometime mid- varsity I thought to myself, what the heck Kay; let’s see what the fuss is all about. I went into a shop, tried on a pair and...
Oh the joy! The soothing comfort! The ease of walking (which soon became an excuse to drag my feet), the lightness! I had found the light in crocs, my feet were saved!
And that’s where it started. Crocs soon replaced my all stars, my lovely sandals, my flip-flops, my slippers, no not my heels (lol NEVER), and my addidas boots. They were perfect in summer! My other shoes only triumphed if the weather persuaded so. And the fact that my crocs were pink did not bother my dress code at all. They were crocs. They were allowed to be whatever colour they wanted to be, in any outfit. I did not bother to buy another pair to match colours. Crocs made perfect sense and if you said otherwise, you probably hadn't tried them. Grandmas gave up Green Cross shoes for Crocs. Shoe sales went down. In Pietermaritzburg, Poebe Naidoo's was making a fortune from Crocs sales alone! This was revolutionary shoe comfort! I remember some of my fashion fundi friends shaking their heads sadly at my new discovery. I didn’t care. Crocs had saved my feet. And my budget.
I don’t remember when I stopped wearing my crocs in public. It happen when I moved home from university. I don’t know why, probably because they don’t look ok hey. I don’t see people wearing crocs in public anymore either. Even the vendors on the streets have stopped selling them. It’s been years. Whatever happened to crocs? Mine are just morning shoes now.