THE PARABLE OF THE SHOE COLLECTOR

"There was once a beautiful girl who was so passionate about collecting shoes. She has all the brands you could ever imagine: LV, Prada, Jimmy Choo, Blanik and even the styles and trends of shoes and all heights of heels. It looked good on her and she loved showing them off but as she reached home, the first thing she would do is remove her expensive, flashy shoes and put on her good old rustic slippers.

You know why?

Because they are comfort footwear.

Your slippers will always be standing by the door waiting for you to come home and it is the first thing that you look for upon reaching home.

People may prefer fancy things sometimes but no matter how flashy it is, in the end, we still choose what is comfortable. Same goes for our preference in life. The happiest are not only those who have the best but also those who are comfortable with what they have. It is enough to make them satisfied."

As her sister finished her story, she hugged Amy again then left her alone to ponder the story.

The word "comfortable" lingered in Amy's mind. Edmond is comfortable with her and that's all that matters. She looked up in the sky and gave her biggest smile. Earlier, she ran away from Edmond because of low self-esteem. Now, she is returning back to the party full of self-confidence. She also remembered what Edmond told her before – "Just because you're fun to be with". With that thought, that's all that matters.

She went back to the party and the first thing she looked for was Edmond. Edmond worried, said to her: "Is everything ok?"

Amy replied with enthusiasm: "Everything is fine. What a beautiful night. Let's enjoy the party!"

The ceremony proceeded perfectly. Both dad and mom gave their advices to the couple and raised their glasses to make a toast.

The night was getting late and Edmond needed to go home. He said his thank you's and goodbye's to Amy's family and Amy walked him until he reached his car. As they walk, Amy can't hold her excitement being alone with Edmond. With a big smile that she could not hide, she kept looking at him from time to time. Edmond was also happy because of tonight. Seeing Amy's big smile on her face made him smile back. They didn't talk at all just kept smiling then all of a sudden, a loud boom was heard. The sky was illuminated by beautiful fireworks. Explosion came one after the other. A flower like light in different colors can be seen from the sky. It was such a romantic moment. Edmond kept watch at the fireworks while Amy slowly shifted her stare from the sky to Edmond's face. She then closed her eyes for a moment saving the memories. When she opened her eyes, Edmond was looking straight at her. Their stares locked for a moment. Amy's heart started to thump faster and harder. Suddenly, Edmond slowly lowered his face to Amy. Amy unable to react correctly; just instantly closed her eyes and waited for the next thing to happen. She waited long enough and nothing was happening. She opened her eyes slowly and saw Edmond had been staring at her with a small laugh on his face. He then pinched one of her cheeks and then went to his car. He shouted to Amy:

"Bye and thanks for the evening!" then drove away.

Amy was dumbfounded by what just happened but was not disappointed by what did not happen. She did not move from where she was standing and was just pondering on her foolish behavior tonight. She gave a small laugh and then went back to the party.