Shoemaker of Thunder

Submitted by Sarah:

When Jeffrey first messaged me online, his profile seemed similar in almost every way to every other guy's profile with one exception: he made his own shoes. My grandfather was a shoemaker and I had always associated shoemaking with a happy childhood. So it was on this unlikely topic that started Jeff and I talking.

He sent me pictures of the shoes he had made, all of which were really impressive for one guy working out of his garage. We talked about other things, but we always seemed to make it back to the topic of shoes, sneakers, and loafers.

I asked him why he hadn't applied to work for Nike, Reebok, New Balance, etc. He said that he was hoping to sue them for stealing his designs, just as soon as he sold enough of his shoes to afford an attorney.

A little weird. We went out anyway. On the date, I couldn't help but notice that he was wearing Asics. I asked him why he didn't wear shoes he had made, and he mumbled something about not wanting to talk about it.

Then he asked me if I was interested in storm chasing, and that there was a big thunderstorm coming into town that night. I asked him if he was sure, as the weather reports I had read forecasted a clear night.

"They know nothing!" he said, "Come chase storms with me!"

I asked him what that entailed. He said, "First, we find a storm. Next, we chase it."

I asked him, "What do we do once we've caught it?"

He gave me a funny look, then asked me if I wanted to come along. We were in the middle of dinner, and something didn't sound right about the whole thing, so I declined. He slammed two twenties on the table and said, "Off I go!" and took off! Right in the middle of dinner.

I didn't hear from him after that night, and call me crazy (as I know some of you will, regardless), but I sometimes wonder what he meant by "storm chasing."