The Man with No Shoes

Shoes can tell you a lot about a person. Winston was a firm believer in this, being someone who looked at many shoes himself.

Winston was seated in his regular spot, a _________ in the back corner of the train station, watching the usuals pass by. A pack of shiny, black loafers went by after getting off the 7 o’clock train, a single pair of Louboutins clacked (发出咔哒声) against the dusty floor, and two pairs of Converse and some Nike sneakers shifted as they waited on the platform (站台).

Suddenly, he noticed two shoeless feet walk past, making an _________ sound as they made contact with the floor. Winston _________ what kind of a man couldn’t afford to buy himself shoes. A dangerous man, perhaps. A man who was of _________ intelligence. An unpredictable, angry man. Certainly not the kind of man Winston wanted to be anywhere near. The man then took the _________ beside Winston.

“Sorry, it has been a really _________ day,” the shoeless person said, placing a plastic bag on the bench. “I had to _________ my shoes, can you believe that?” He pushed his feet against the station’s dirty floor.

“It’s my little girl’s birthday. She’s seven. I can’t believe it.” He shook his head. “Said all she wanted this year was a cake. A(n) _________ one, with little candies and colourful frosting and her name spelled out nice and pretty on the top. So that’s what I went and got her.”

Winston curiously looked through the clear case. It was a small white circle with the name “Amelia” written on it. “It sure is pretty, ain’t it?” the man said, noticing Winston’s _________. “I just had to get it for her. But I had to get rid of my shoes for it... it was worth doing, of course.”

There was a sound in his voice like he was about to __________ and then Winston did something he hardly ever did; he looked up and met the stranger’s eyes. They were kind eyes, sad, sweet and beautiful eyes, __________ contrasting (对比) his dirty feet. Winston stared at them, not allowing himself to pull away.

While staring at the man, a sense of __________ washed over Winston. He was sorry that he had judged the man, sorry that he had __________ this stranger was a bad person simply for his lack of footwear, when in fact this man beside him was a more __________ person than Winston had ever been. Slowly, Winston reached down and slid off his white sneakers one at a time, __________ his socked feet to the cold air of the station. He picked up the shoes and handed them to the stranger beside him.