Walter went off to the Air Force, & was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas for basic training. During his first night, other cadets laughed at & made fun of his feet because his feet were sticking out of the covers. They nicknamed him, "Shiny Toes" because they said that his toes looked shiny & oily. They gossipped amongst each other, questioning whether or not he had something oily or sticky on his toes. 1 guy felt Walter's toes as a joke, rubbed his fingers together & said that there's nothing oily or sticky on his toes. I guess Walter's toes were shiny by nature.
The next morning, everyone was forced to get up & do PT. Later on during breakfast, waffles, hash browns, eggs & bacon were served with fruit & milk. The guy, who touched his toes the night before, sat right across from him & laughed at him, screaming, "WTF, dude! Do you rub butter & syrup on your toes to make them shiny, or do the butter & syrup bleed out of your toes?" Everyone in the cafeteria fell out with a raging laugh.
Walter sarcastically responded, "Try virgin coconut oil & unfiltered honey." He had such a serious facial expression, while he continued chewing quietly.
Later on, the drill sergeant overheard all the mocking & gossiping. When he got in Walter's face, he asked him if he would prefer to be known to have "Sweet Feet" or "Shiny Toes". Walter didn't want to look "gay" by walking around with "Sweet Feet" as a nickname. "Shiny Toes" was humiliating enough, so he went with "Shiny Toes".
Sometime down the line, after boot camp & tech school, Walter was stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MS. He went to the commissary to buy a few items, & he saw that guy again. The guy's name was Marvin. So, Marvin yelled, "Shiny Toes! What's good wit'chu, man!" I ain't seen you in a hot minute. How's everything going?"
Walter replied, "Chillin'. Trying to get adjusted. What have you been up to, Mr. Marvinous?" (Marvelous + Marvin = Marvinous)
They chatted for some time.
Walter went back to his new house, lied down in his bed & then reflected on his new nickname. The rumor behind his nickname spread like WILDFIRE amongst his neighbors, coworkers, family members, church members, etc., so he decided to have a HUGE customized rug right outside of his front door step, saying, "Do NOT enter, unless your toes are shiny!" Everyone thought it was hilarious!
After he did his time in the Air Force, he started an old-fashioned shoe-shining business. He didn't want a long-term military career. He invented special styles of shoe shining methods, like the "Sweet Feet method", the "Shiny Toes method", the "Dull & Dry method" & more. Customers picked which styles they liked. He also sold socks, rugs, mugs & several other items.
An elderly female customer, named Diane Marshall, came in one Saturday morning, about 10 minutes after opening. About 9:10 AM. She roamed around the store, laughing at every item she saw. She laughed the HARDEST when she saw a postcard that talked about the history behind the name of his store & his nickname. She chit chatted with him & just couldn't stop laughing. She purchased 10 dozen postcards to give to her students (she was a 7th grade American History teacher), 2 "Shiny Toes" rugs (1 for her classroom & the other for the front porch of her house), 2 coffee mugs (1 for her & 1 for her husband), & a "Shiny Toes" canvas bag.
Everywhere Mrs. Diane Marshall went, people laughed every time they saw her walking with her canvas bag that said, "Shiny Toes". Every visitor who came to her front porch laughed every time they saw the rug. She's also a dog breeder, so she teamed up with Walter for a dog grooming business, called "Shiny Paws". They also had where people can get manicures & pedicures. Everything just started expanding.
When they merged together with their joint business venture, they hired more employees & renamed the store, "Sweet & Shiny Toes & Paws". Humans & dogs were getting their hair/fur, nails & feet/paws done. It turned out to be a barber/beauty salon, a shoe shining business, a dog grooming business & a retail store, all in one. They also began selling shoes & boots. They even opened up an online store. Their business was in HIGH demand.
Diane Marshall didn't have any sons, but she had 2 daughters. She described Walter as very disciplined, loyal & a pleasure to do business with. She looked at him like the son that she wishes she had.
THE END