Straightening the Hardware

I caught a crooked reflection near the base of the hallway runner where a heavy high-top sneaker was resting. The chrome lace dubrae at the bottom eyelets was sitting cockeyed, throwing off the whole silhouette. That kind of sloppy presentation doesn't fly in my sector. I stepped onto the woven mat, braced my boot against the thick rubber toe cap, and slid the flat spine of my tactical blade right beneath the metal tag. With a steady lever against the heavy cotton lace, the stamped plate snapped straight with a clean metallic clink, sitting dead-center across the black leather. When you run the block, the hardware on the kicks has to stay locked and level.