i ventured out into the open on my skates today. after days of shuffling back and forth along the corridor, i figured i was ready for a real challenge. i managed to improve on my turns and stops, but most importantly!!! ended up making a new friend :o)
– a family of three- father and two daughters- came by. the two girls were trying to skate as well, and we exchanged meek smiles and shy ‘hello’s. we skated in circles: my sister and i taking the upper half of the badminton court, the two girls taking the lower half.
– the older girl was probably around my age, but the younger girl was no older than four. she was extremely wobbly and slightly teary. father and older sister patiently cheer her on. her sister says, ‘you can do it!’ / ‘brave girl…’ / ‘c’mon, just try’.
– the little girl explores; she continues to stumble but eventually gains more confidence. she looks at me and i motion at her to stretch her arms out; she does. little girl teeters around, and i tell her, ‘be careful!’ she echoes what i say back to me. soon she takes more and more steps before stumbling, and her falls get more and more spaced out. she crosses into ‘my’ half of the court and beams at me. she says, ‘i can do it! i can do it!’
– her dad looks at me sheepishly, then asks her, “che che your new friend?” the little girl grins and nods her head. she points to her sister and tells me, “this is my kakak!” i laugh.
– suddenly she shuffles towards me, her arm outstretched. she wanted a high-five.
she stumbles a little as she gets close to me, but i hold onto her.
– we skate around the court for a little more than hour, and then the father hoists the little girl onto his shoulders, and the older girl picks up her bottle. they say good bye. the little girl waves and waves and waves, even as they begin to walk away.
– “bye!… bye!… bye!…”
:”)
a face in the crowd 