Victoria Huggins Peurifoy, April 19, 2016
When you are in the twelfth grade, you don’t realize that you are about to be introduced to the real world. There are the graduation fees, senior prom, senior dinner dance, senior luncheon, pay for pictures, senior class trip and whatever other expenses that school throws at you. I decided back in August, before going into my senior year in August 1968, that I would get a job in the community. I found a job immediately at the Bargains House at 52nd and Market Street in Philadelphia. I was excited about getting the job because I could exert some independence and have money to buy my own things.
I earned $25.00 a week after taxes and I had to give my mother $5.00 of that, which was 20% of my check. She would say, “all of your money will never belong to you…you will always have to pay somebody.” Of course, I didn’t want to hear that. I had already gone into shock about the taxes they took out. I opened a bank account. Each week I would write my mom a check for $5. She would get angry about me giving her a check. I would say, “my teacher said that when you are paying for important bills, always write a check or a money other.” Of course, my mom didn’t want to hear that either.
One of the first things that I bought, after a month of saving, was the first pair of glasses that I picked out and purchased. I was very proud of that. The next thing I bought was a pair of navy blue shoes. They were so pretty; plus, I bought them from a well-known shoe store in the community called “Brothers.” They were located on 52nd Street between Ranstead and Market Streets. I don’t know why I did this, but when I got home I put pink fingernail polish on the bottom of the shoes, in the area of the shoe, near the heel, that never touches the ground. The next day after my purchase, I wore my shoes to school with pride; that was also the same day I had gym. My girlfriends liked my shoes and swore they were going to get some just like them.
My friends and I had gone down to gym; which was just below the mezzanine, to change into our gym suit and our sneakers. Gym was really good that day, so I was feeling energized and pretty good. I and one of the other girls were walking back to the lockers, laughing about who knows what, when all of a sudden when I opened my locker and found that someone had stolen my shoes…nothing else…just my shoes…my new shoes. I was crushed.
As soon as I walked into the house, my mother noticed that I had on sneakers. “Where are your shoes? Why do you have on sneakers?” she asked. “Somebody stole them out of my locker, ” I said in anguish. My mother saw the upset in my eyes and said, “I will try to help you get a replacement pair.” I told her that she didn’t have to do that. “I guess I wasn’t meant to have them; so I’m not going to worry about them,” I said.
We always had auditorium on Thursdays; but for some reason, they changed the day and the section that our class sat in. So we were scheduled to go the day after gym. I was listening to the M.C. of the program that was taking place when my girlfriend pulled my arm saying, “Vicky, look…look, I think that girl over there has on your shoes.” She whispered. When I looked down at that girl’s feet and saw that she indeed had on my shoes, I wanted to go over to her and snatch my shoes off of her feet. But I couldn’t do that because we were on the balcony, I might have thrown her over! But diplomacy set in. I asked my friend if she knew the girl’s name because I had never seen her before. My friend knew the girl’s name and inquired, “Vicky what are you going to do? I said, “I don’t know yet”
I asked my teacher if I could be excused to go to the counselor’s office, to pick up some papers she had for me. She granted my request. I ran to my favorite counselor, Mrs. Bea. Mrs. Bea was a tall Black woman who had very beautiful dark skin and the reddest hair that I had seen on a woman of her complexion. When she saw me standing in the doorway of her office, she asked, “What can I do for you today Ms. Huggins?” I proceeded to tell her what happened and how I had seen the girl in the auditorium just a few minutes before. Mrs. Bea asked, “If I called this young lady in here, how would I identify your shoes.?” I told her about the pink fingernail polish.
We made a plan. “Go back to the auditorium; tell your teacher that you were asked to bring this young lady to the counselor’s office. Once she is in my office, I will talk to her, have her take off the shoes, and determine if they are yours. Go on to your next class and come back to see me after 6th period.” I did what I was told. When I got the girl, I actually walked back to the counselor’s office with her to make sure she got there. I went on to my next class.
Later that same day, my girlfriend saw me and was grinning from ear to ear. I asked, “what’s wrong with you? Why are you grinning like that? She was practically shouting, “Girl… girl, I saw so-in-so and she didn’t have on your shoes, she had on sneakers.” I smiled and told her I had to go to the counselor’s office right away.
When I arrived at Mrs. Bea’s office, she was grinning at me. She said, “I am so proud of you and the way that you handled what could have been a very bad situation. Your diplomacy is to be commended. The young lady was embarrassed…probably about being caught…so I know you will be calm and considerate if you see her again. Now, I have your shoes!” She gave me a hug and thanked me again for how I handled myself. That had to be one of the best days in my life.