“They just needed to know who was the captain,” Leo said.
“That’s wrong,” the sock grumbled.
“Left foot,” Leo commanded.
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. socks for 4
“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.
Leo was four years old, which meant he was old enough to put on his own socks. At least, that’s what his mom said every morning. The problem wasn’t that Leo couldn’t do it. The problem was that Leo’s socks had opinions.
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. “They just needed to know who was the captain,” Leo said
“Never!” cried the second sock. “I am the navigator! I point forward! Put me on the foot that wiggles so I can wiggle the stars!”
The socks went very still.
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. Leo slid the first sock onto his left foot
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?”
“Mom!” Leo yelled, not because he needed help, but because the socks were being unreasonable.
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.
He zoomed past the kitchen, past the bathroom, and crash-landed on the living room rug. His mom peeked around the corner.
“They want the wrong feet,” Leo said.