Crichton’s shoe shop was once an institution in our town but ceased trading when the owner died some 15 years ago/ It was the epitome of elegance and luxury and the prices were far beyond anything my mother could afford.

 

Except that once a year Crichton’s had a sale. The Spinster owner, May Crinchton was a member of our church and was quite good friends with my mother despite being some 20 years older. Miss Crichton was quite stern and austere in her appearance and mannerisms but had a warm spot in her heart for my mother.

 

 

During the annual one-day-only sale she would also bestow her friends and family discounts on anything Mother chose to buy. This meant mothers could buy the most fashionable hand-crafted shoes for less than a quarter of the price.

 

As such, for my mother, the annual Crichton sale was not to be missed. She normally went to the sale on her own, without the distraction of children. However one year the shoe sale happened to clash with the day that Alstons the school uniform shop was measuring children for their new blazers and uniforms.

 

My little brother Billy was starting secondary school after the school holidays, so he needed a new uniform, I was going into my third year at secondary school and had also outgrown the blazer and other uniforms purchased for me two years previously.

 

Alston’s was not a particularly nice experience for a child. During the summer holidays,the last thing you wanted to do was stand in the hot sun in the inevitable long queue to get into the shop.

 

Once you were inside the saleswomen were all quite surly and unfriendly. They poked and prodded as they measured your size. They would openly remark on the size of your height feet and waist. They never appeared to care who was listening.

Then you had to try on many various items of clothing and footwear to make sure they all fit and that there was room to grow. Once I had been done I would have to stand and wait for my brother to go through the same process.

 

In short, the whole experience was hot. tiring and irritating for youngsters. On this particular day my brother and I were just relieved it was over and we were pleading with mother to buy us an ice cream or a cold drink. However, mother was on a mission. She had purchased our  stuff and now it was her turn.

 

Mother dragged us whining and moaning  by her side down to Crichtons with a couple of reminders for us to be on our best behavior. and of course,the dire consequences that would follow if we were not.

 

Miss Crichton spotted Mother immediately we entered the shop and whisked her off over to a comfortable seat whilst us children were left to stand by the door, holding the bag of newly purchased school clothes. Miss Crichton told a member of her staff to take good care of her mother and invited her upstairs for some tea and cake.

 

 

I do not know who started niggling, but Billy and I started to annoy each other. Mother was completely absorbed in choosing her shoes and thus was not paying us much attention at all. Had she been doing so she may have intervened earlier.

 

The Niggling descended into name-calling and Billy, the red mist descending and fed up with his big sister, gave me an almighty push, sending me flying backward into a rack full of sale shoes. The falling stand hit another and a whole load of displays came down like dominos. Suffice to say the whole shop gasped at the spectacle.

 

Needless to say, mother was hugely embarrassed and furious with both of us. She began apologising but Miss Crichton just put her arm around her.

“Let us get that cup of tea. My girls will clear all this up downstairs, while we take care of things upstairs.

 

Miss Crichton beckoned Billy and myself over to her, and guided all three of us upstairs,. As she passed the storeroom, she said to one of her junior members of staff:

“Julie, be a treasure and bring up a slipper for Mrs Henderson to try- size 6 or above, please. I remember thinking that was odd as Mum normally took a size 3 0r 4.