The Little Red Boots

I'm a craver for love stories conspired by destiny. It make me wish I'll meet my soul-mate too and dream that fairy tales do come true. 

Here's a short story I've read entitled The Little Red Boots by: Jeannie S. Williams

When my grandaughter,Tate,celebrated her fifth birthday recently,her mother gave her a very special present: a pair of red cowgirl boots that had belonged to her when she was a little girl. As Tate slipped on the little red boots, she began to dance across the room in excitement.

My mind flashed back to the afternoon my daughter-in-law, Kelly, showed me the little red boots and told me about the first day she had worn them. You see, not only Kelly experienced the thrill of wearing her first pair of real cowgirl boots back then, but she had also experienced the thrill of meeting her first love.

He was her first ''older man''--she was five and he was seven! He lived in the city,and his father had brought him to Kelly's grandfather's farm one Saturday afternoon too ride the horses. Kelly sat on the top fence rail, watching her grandfather saddle her pony. She was proud of her shiny new red boots and was trying hard not to get them dirty. Just then the city boy came over. He smiled at Kelly and admired her boots. It must have been love at first sight because Kelly found herself offering to let him ride her pony. She had never let anyone ride her pony before.

Kelly's grandfather sold the horse farm later that year, and she never saw the little boy again. But for some reason she never forgot that magical moment when she was five, and every time she put on her red cowgirl boots she thought of the cute city boy. When Kelly outgrew the boots,her mother decided not to throw them out, but to pack them away. After all, Kelly had loved the little red boots so much.

Many years passed. Kelly grew up into a bautiful young woman and met my son,Marty. They married and had their daughter. One day while Kelly was rummaging through some old boxes in preparation for a garage sale, she found the little red boots. Fond memories flooded into her heart. I used to love these boots, she recalled with a smile. I think I'll give them to Tate for her birthday.

Tate's laughter brought me back to the present, and I watched as my son scooped his giggling daughter up in his arms and danced around the room, her red birthday boots on her feet. ''I sure like your new cowgirl boots, baby,'' he told her. ''In fact, for some reason they remind me of the day I rode my very first pony. ''I wasn't much older than you.''
''Is this a true story , Daddy? Or a make-believe one? Does it have a happy ending? I like stories with happy endings,'' Tate said. She loved to hear her Daddy tell stories about his childhood and begged him to tell her about his first pony ride. Marty laughed at Tate's never-ending questions and sat down in the big recliner as Tate climbed onto his lap.

''Once upon a time,'' he began, ''when I was seven years old, I lived in the big city of St.Louis,Missouri. And do you know what I wanted more than anything in the world? A horse! I told my Dad that when I grew up I wanted to be a real cowboy. That summer my dad took me to a farm not very far from here and let me ride a real pony. I remember that there was a little girl on that farm, sitting on a fence, and she was wearing new red cowgirl boots just like yours.''

Kelly sat listening to Marty telling their daughter about his first pony ride. When he got to the part about the red boots, her eyes grew wide in amazement, and her heart filled with wonder: Marty had been the cute city she'd met back when she was only five years old!
''Marty,'' she said, her voice trembling, '' I was that little girl. That was my grandfather's farm. And those are the same red boots!''

Tate sat happily in her daddy's lap,unaware that in that magical moment her parents realized that they had met as children, and that even back then they had felt the special connection between their hearts.