I'm Gary and this is my SNEAKERS story:
I never thought sneakers could cause so a headache!
Hi, I’m Gary. I don’t know much about computers or “drops” or whatever my brother calls them. I just know I saw these shoes online that are bright red and white, with a little lightning bolt on the side and, damn it, I wanted them. They looked fast!
My brother, Sam, is the smart one. He talks about things like rotating residential proxies and bypass scripts. I thought proxies were something you ate at the diner. But he said, “Gary, listen. You can’t just buy these shoes. They sell out in seconds. You need tech.”
So he set up his computer — three screens glowing like a spaceship — and started typing. “This,” he said, “is how the pros do it.” I nodded, pretending I understood, and handed him my card. He went on and on about IP pools and captcha farms, and I just stood there thinking how cool those sneakers were gonna look with my panama pants.
Then, miracle of miracles — he got them. “You’re welcome,” he said, like he just landed on the moon. The box showed up a week later, all shiny and important-looking. Sam opened it carefully, like it was gold.
“Now listen, Gary,” he said, “we’re not wearing these. We’re keeping them. Limited drop. Price is gonna triple.”
I said okay. I really did. I meant to listen. But later that night, I took them out again. The smell — you know that new sneaker smell? Like rubber and hope? I couldn’t help it. I put them on. They felt like clouds. I walked around the kitchen. I jogged a little in place. I might’ve danced.
When Sam saw me the next morning, he looked like someone ran over his gaming laptop. “Gary! You wore them!”
“Yeah,” I said, looking down at them. “They’re nice.”
He started waving his arms around. “They were worth $600 more unworn! You just— you depreciated them!”
I didn’t know what that meant, but I figured it wasn’t good. Still, I just grinned and said, “Well, now they’re worth everything to me.”
He groaned and walked away muttering about “market value.” I went outside and walked to the store, the sunlight bouncing off those sneakers like they were alive. People looked at them, and I could tell they liked them too.
And maybe Sam will never forgive me, but I don’t mind. Some people collect shoes. Me? I wear mine, damn it!
Because what’s the point of owning something amazing if you don’t feel it under your feet once in a while?