Humans logo

He Would Give You the Shoes Off of His Feet

An outcast good samaritan gives the shoes off of his feet to a stranger.

By demetra kolokotronesPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
Like
He Would Give You the Shoes Off of His Feet
Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash

Have you ever seen pink water? Yes, pink. How about pink water on a beach? Well, one exists two to three months of the year in Colombia. Two years ago I visited a pink beach with a small group of strangers from all over the United States, but the color of the water quickly became a more minor detail in the story of my experience at the Salinas de Galerazamba.

The pink "sea" is actually a salt mine and the color is caused by tiny microbes. The flip flops I had packed for my Sping Break irritated my feet, causing tiny cuts and blisters in between my toes. When I reached the pink sea our tour guide notified us all that we could walk into the sea for photographs. Photographs in a pink sea sounds like every basic b*tches dream, but the idea of subjecting my battered feet to a high salt concentration outweighed any "cool photo op."

The tour guide instructed everyone to keep their shoes on. The salt crystals in the water were extremely sharp and would cut your feet open. A young woman from Boston who was on the tour with me notified us all that she had very expensive sandals with her. The sandals were so expensive in fact, that she decided she would be better off entering the sea barefoot, despite the warnings. She tossed her expensive sandals aside and walked out into the pink water.

While I waited along the shore, the rest of the group was slowly making their way into the water until they were a little more than knee-deep. I gazed out as the others, when my trance was suddenly broken by an unregonizable voice to my left.

It was a man and a woman, each wearing a backpack on their backs and their clothes were dirty. The man and me began to have a conversation about the water and where each of us were from. My Spanish is not the best, but it seemed that the couple found humor in how i used my hands to express any point I could not get across. The couple were from Venezuela. During the time I was in Colombia a lot of migrants and refugees from Venezeula were seeking asylum in Cartagena. Sadly, a lot of Colombians would inform tourists not to get involved.

While this man and I continued our confusing yet entertaining conversation the Boston woman had the inevitable happen. She had stepped on a sharp salt crystal. She began to yell, afraid to move afraid further into the water or back towards the shore.

The man pointed towards the woman confused. In response I pointed at her expensive sandals that were laying on the ground. He shook his head and then did something that still fills me with emotion just at the memory. This man removed his own gym shoes and entered the water barefoot.

His traveling partner and I watched as he waded out to where the Boston woman was stranded and handed her his shoes. This man who it appeared did not have much chose to give a complete stranger his shoes so that she could exit the water and not be injured. He had risked his own well-being to help a complete stranger. He could have grabbed her own sandals and brought them to her, keeping his shoes on, or he didn't even need to do anything at all for this person. But no, this man saw someone who was in need and decided to help them. After they reached the shore the Boston woman gave him his shoes back. The couple said their goodbyes to me and I could not trying to express to him how kind what he had just done was. I kept touching my heart trying to emphasize to them. I'm not sure if they understood me, or if this occurrence ever crossed the mans mind again, but I think of it often.

Whenever I think this world is a dark place or that humanity is cold and cruel I keep this memory stored away to remind me that there really are kind strangers out there who would give you the shoes off of their feet.

humanity
Like

About the Creator

demetra kolokotrones

Green-eyed, Greek, book lover living in Chicago. World traveler with fifty-two passport stamps trapped in the United States during the pandemic. Finding a way to escape the monotony of everyday life through reading and writing.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.