Some shoes with a story to tell

Last Thursday I went across the line to Switzerland to buy gas. This is something we always do as gas is considerably cheaper in Switzerland than here in Germany. (The price in Canadian dollars is approximately $2.38/l here and $1.83/l in Switzerland). So, it's worth the trip. Anyway, I pulled into the gas station and it was really busy, so I pulled up to a pump that required pulling the hose around the back of the van in order to reach the tank. No problem. I'd done that before. This time, however, the nozzle clicked off a few times before it finally settled into a position it liked, so it was pulling pretty hard.
I decided to wash the rear window while the van was filling. This, as it turned out, was not a smart decision. As I was running the squeegee over the window, I accidentally hit the hose, causing the nozzle to come flying out of the tank, spraying gas EVERYWHERE! I grabbed the nozzle and clicked off the gas, but by then the damage had already been done. I was parked by the tank closest to the store (and at this station it meant the store was about 2 feet from my van) so people going inside to pay had to walk right through the gas. I was mortified. I attempted to put more gas into the van but I was sliding all over the place. My shoes were disintegrating, leaving black streaks everywhere. They were full of gas and my legs were soaked. Fortunately I was wearing short pants otherwise my pants would have been wet too. I decided to abandon the idea of putting in more gas and just get out of there! I went in to pay, but I was leaving black footprints all over the mat in the store. Good grief! I went back outside, took off my shoes and came back in. The man at the counter wasn't even really upset with me. This probably happened all the time! Right. So I paid and went out and by then someone else had connected a hose to clean up the mess so I got him to spray me down. I used a week's supply of their paper towels to dry myself off and clean out my shoes a bit. I got into the van to leave and surprisingly the gas smell wasn't too strong at all. I decided I would finish my errands on the way home even though I was smelling somewhat like a gas station.
When I got home I first went up to the bathtub and scrubbed my legs and feet. That was the easy cleaning job. Next, my shoes. I scrubbed and scrubbed and used dish detergent and a brush and way too much water. Then I put them out in the sun to dry. They looked awful and still didn't smell too great. Once they were dry I put on two coats of polish and left them outside for a few days. Amazingly, they are almost as good as new. The left shoe is perfectly fine and the right shoe only has a slight hint of gasoline smell. The soles are somewhat thinner than they were originally, but they're okay.
So, there it is. Quite the adventure. I have a feeling I'll be extra careful in the future when I'm filling up the van...