Waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop
<p><span word="Reader">Reader</span> <span word="question">question</span>:</p><p><span word="Please">Please</span> <span word="explain">explain</span> “<span word="proverbial">proverbial</span> <span word="shoe">shoe</span>” <span word="in">in</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="passage">passage</span>:</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="father">father</span> <span word="died">died</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="four">four</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="grandfather">grandfather</span> <span word="died">died</span> <span word="six">six</span> <span word="months">months</span> <span word="later">later</span>. <span word="Phone">Phone</span> <span word="calls">calls</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="middle">middle</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="night">night</span> <span word="always">always</span> <span word="meant">meant</span> <span word="someone">someone</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="sick">sick</span>, <span word="dying">dying</span>, <span word="or">or</span> <span word="dead">dead</span>. <span word="Maybe">Maybe</span> <span word="because">because</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="am">am</span> <span word="always">always</span> <span word="expecting">expecting</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="worst">worst</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="proverbial">proverbial</span> <span word="shoe">shoe</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="drop">drop</span>.</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="comments">comments</span>:</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="proverbial">proverbial</span> <span word="shoe">shoe</span>, <span word="that">that</span> <span word="is">is</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="full">full</span> <span word="expression">expression</span> <span word="is">is</span>: <span word="waiting">waiting</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="shoe">shoe</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="drop">drop</span>.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="our">our</span> <span word="example">example</span>, <span word="proverbial">proverbial</span> <span word="means">means</span> <span word="it">it</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="taken">taken</span> <span word="literally">literally</span>.</p><p><span word="Taken">Taken</span> <span word="literally">literally</span>, “<span word="waiting">waiting</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="other">other</span> <span word="shoe">shoe</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="drop">drop</span>” <span word="describes">describes</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="supposedly">supposedly</span> <span word="commonplace">commonplace</span> <span word="experience">experience</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="old">old</span> <span word="days">days</span>, <span word="when">when</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="crowded">crowded</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="department">department</span> <span word="houses">houses</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="well">well</span> <span word="insulated">insulated</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="sound">sound</span>, <span word="to">to</span> <span word="say">say</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="least">least</span>.</p><p><span word="Certainly">Certainly</span> <span word="I">I</span>’<span word="ve">ve</span> <span word="heard">heard</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="version">version</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="waiting">waiting</span>-<span word="for">for</span>-<span word="the">the</span>-<span word="other">other</span>-<span word="shoe">shoe</span> <span word="story">story</span>. <span word="It">It</span> <span word="goes">goes</span>, <span word="roughly">roughly</span>, <span word="as">as</span> <span word="follows">follows</span>:</p><p><span word="A">A</span> <span word="young">young</span> <span word="clerk">clerk</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="always">always</span> <span word="comes">comes</span> <span word="back">back</span> <span word="home">home</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="late">late</span>, <span word="around">around</span> <span word="midnight">midnight</span>, <span word="has">has</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="habit">habit</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="throwing">throwing</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="boots">boots</span> <span word="hard">hard</span> <span word="down">down</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="floor">floor</span> <span word="before">before</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="climbs">climbs</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="bed">bed</span>. <span word="Exhausted">Exhausted</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="work">work</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="clerk">clerk</span> <span word="then">then</span> <span word="goes">goes</span> <span word="right">right</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="slumber">slumber</span>. <span word="But">But</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="sound">sound</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="heavy">heavy</span> <span word="boots">boots</span> <span word="dropping">dropping</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="floor">floor</span> <span word="gets">gets</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="nerves">nerves</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="old">old</span> <span word="man">man</span> <span word="living">living</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="room">room</span> <span word="right">right</span> <span word="below">below</span>. <span word="To">To</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="nervous">nervous</span> <span word="old">old</span> <span word="man">man</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="shoes">shoes</span> <span word="dropping">dropping</span> <span word="sound">sound</span> <span word="no">no</span> <span word="less">less</span> <span word="than">than</span> <span word="two">two</span> <span word="bomb">bomb</span> <span word="shots">shots</span>. <span word="Boom">Boom</span>! <span word="Boom">Boom</span>!</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="long">long</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="short">short</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="is">is</span>, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="comes">comes</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="point">point</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="every">every</span> <span word="night">night</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="old">old</span> <span word="man">man</span> <span word="lies">lies</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="bed">bed</span> <span word="wide">wide</span> <span word="awake">awake</span> <span word="waiting">waiting</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="young">young</span> <span word="man">man</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="drop">drop</span> <span word="both">both</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="shoes">shoes</span> <span word="before">before</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="can">can</span> <span word="try">try</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="get">get</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="sleep">sleep</span>, <span word="if">if</span> <span word="any">any</span>.</p>
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