Socks For 4 -

Leo slid the first sock onto his left foot. The heel cup found its home. The toes spread out like five little astronauts. The rocket ships pointed straight toward his toenails, ready for takeoff.

The sock purred. “Good.”

His mom appeared in the hallway, a piece of toast in her mouth and a coffee mug in her hand. “What’s the trouble, Captain?”

“They just needed to know who was the captain,” Leo said. socks for 4

“They want the wrong feet,” Leo said.

On Tuesday morning, the sun was a cheerful yellow square on the carpet. Leo sat on the bottom step of the staircase, his feet dangling like two ripe pears. In his hands, he held a pair of rocket ship socks. The rockets were red and pointed toward the toes, ready to blast off.

“Did they behave?” she asked.

The left sock wiggled. It did not want to be left. It wanted to be right.

And from that day on, Leo was four and a half, then five, then five and three-quarters. He grew out of the rocket socks and into shark socks and soccer ball socks and plain white socks that had nothing to say at all. But he never forgot the rule:

He zoomed past the kitchen, past the bathroom, and crash-landed on the living room rug. His mom peeked around the corner. Leo slid the first sock onto his left foot

“Okay,” Leo whispered back. He turned the sock around and shoved his right toes into the heel. It was a lumpy, angry fit. The toe seam bunched under his arch. The rocket ships were now pointing sideways, exploding toward his ankle.

“Left foot,” Leo commanded.

Leo’s lower lip trembled. This was the fourth morning in a row. Yesterday, his dinosaur socks had refused to let his heel go in because they were “scared of the dark inside the sneaker.” The day before, his stripey socks had tied themselves into a knot under the bed. The rocket ships pointed straight toward his toenails,

Leo looked at his feet. His left foot and right foot were also twins. They were best friends. They walked together, jumped together, and kicked the same soccer ball.

“No,” said the sock in a crinkly, whispery voice that only Leo could hear. “I am for the foot that kicks. I am a powerful rocket. I need the strong foot.”