They may not be pretty, but these shoes have outlasted some relationships.
(photo by Francesca Ayala)

Having come down with a nasty case of the flu, my uniform for the last four days has been oversized souvenir t-shirts, pajama pants covered with cartoon characters, and flip-flops. My daily regimen of sleeping, drinking orange juice and taking decongestants yielded no improvement in my condition. I grew quite concerned that my weaksauce immune system had prevented me from getting out of my apartment, and, as a result, had left me fresh out of ideas for this next column.
 
The only things I had put on my feet since Sunday were flip-flops. I wore them simply so I could trudge to the door of my building to pay the delivery guy from my favorite Thai restaurant for lemon grass soup while he made slightly inappropriate remarks (such as "Why don't you have a job?" or "You don't have a boyfriend, huh?"). Afterwards, I would take my soup and slightly bruised ego back to my apartment, kick off my flip-flops and force myself to eat. For the last four days, I'd been rotating between three pairs of sandals. It occurred to me this morning that when I first moved to Los Angeles, I didn't take any.
 
I realized that I had forgotten to pack a pair of flip-flops as I was on my way to get a pedicure. I refused to further exacerbate my stupid mistake by walking home in a pair of those oversized, disposable foam slippers that nail salons hand out to their customers. I think it is one of the most awkward and ridiculous sights ever when a woman is trying to hobble home fresh after a pedicure in those humoungous, paper-thin foam soles. To avoid the dreaded situation, I ran into the nearest shoe store--which turned out to be a Payless--so I could purchase a pair of sandals.
 
Honestly, I thought to myself, Who forgets to pack a pair of flip-flops when they move to California?
 
I couldn't think of a single instance during which people in this state deemed it inappropriate to wear sandals. Many girls who take the trouble to put together a nice outfit, fix their hair and do their makeup still prefer to wear flip-flops out to bars. When it gets chilly at night during the colder months, people bust out their hoodies but still keep their sandals on.

There was, indeed, something that needed to be said about the fact that flip-flops were the Californian's quintessential wardrobe staple, whatever the weather and no matter what the occasion.
 
In my rush to find a cheap pair of flip-flops, I didn't notice that I had wandered over to the young girls' section of the store. Confused as to why everything was so ridiculously girly, frilly and pink, I finally settled on a pair of black Airwalk rubber sandals that had tiny, multicolored stars printed all over their soles.
 
I returned home later that afternoon, pleased with my purchase and polished toes. I was living with my boyfriend at the time and walked over to greet him. He took one look at my feet and burst out laughing.
 
"Airwalks... really?" He guffawed. "What are you, like, twelve?"
 
I was so embarrassed.
 
My relationship didn't quite last the wear and tear of those next two years, but my cheap Airwalk flip-flops did.  They've journeyed with me through the deserts of Indio, the beaches of Malibu and the streets of downtown Los Angeles. They're pretty beat up and I still get made fun of for wearing them, but I still love them just the same.
 
Now that's commitment.