Pro-Wings

I remember clearly that as a child I really wanted to own a good pair of sneakers. I wanted brand name shoes (i.e. Nike, Reebok, Fila), but all I got was Pro-Wings. It was all my parents could afford at that time. They had 3 other kids to shop for as well. Pro-Wings were gym shoes from Payless. Back then in the days, late 80's-early 90's, the selection of shoes at Payless was not as cute as they are today.
I remember one day in particular in 4th or 5th grade, can't remember exactly, my teacher was trying to make a point about something and asked us all to show her our shoes. So, one by one each of us showed her what we wore. I was mortified because I had Pro-Wings and my classmates made fun of the kids with Pro-Wings. Luckily, since my last name starts with a U, thank the lord for alphabetical seating, I was skipped because by this time my teacher had made her point. I was so relieved because my secret was still safe. After this incident, I pestered my parents nonstop for some cool, brand name shoes. And, to make matters worse, we lived right next door to a shoe store (kind of like a Footlocker). Everyday I would look at the shoes they had and I pictured myself with some of those cool shoes. So, finally in the 8th grade I got my first pair of brand name gym shoes. They were Nike, black with white, and I think they were boy shoes. But I didn't care as long as I could finally say that I owned a pair of Nikes. They were also expensive...my dad paid $85 for them.
I did get compliments on my Nikes but I really didn't like them. They made my feet look huge. I just wanted them to show them off. I realized that I had made my dad buy me those expensive shoes and I really did not care for them. I couldn't tell him that of course.
It took my dad about 3 years (since 4th or 5th grade) to buy me some 'good' shoes. Three years of saving up money to be able to afford name brand shoes for his oldest child.
Thanks dad...