The shoes I’ve been wearing for three years

They’re not fancy—just a pair of black work boots, scuffed at the toes, the leather cracked like old riverbeds. I’ve walked over a hundred miles in them since I started this job, and they still fit better than any new ones I’ve tried. The yard foreman says I’m stubborn, but he’s never had to walk a mile in my soles. Today, I left them by the gate after shift. They’ll sit there until Monday. I don’t know if I’ll wear them again or just let them fade into the dust.