I turned to give her a wave but a vibration in my pocket stopped me. It was Thad.Hey, are you working tomorrow?
No. Want to do something?I replied.
TUESDAY 10 JUNE 2008
10
CLUMSY
Iwoke up later than usual the next morning. I’d spent a few hours the night before putting together a new playlist on my laptop to sync to my iPod. I had always listened to albums in full, but finally decided to take my favorite songs from each album I owned and put them together. Yes, I know people have been doing that since forever. You don’t have to laugh at me. I stayed away from it because I always thought of it as an insult to the artist. They created and arranged their album the way they wanted it. Who was I to change that?
Thad and I texted each other through the night. He had practice with his hockey club late the next morning and told me one of the building attendants owed him a favor. Why? My imagination ran wild. He told me the attendant was going to let him use the ice rink for an hour right after practice.
That’s cool. What are you going to do there?I texted, pretending I didn’t already know he was going to ask me to come skate with him, which he ended up doing. The problem was, I’d never skated on ice in my life. And I didn’t own any ice skates.
It’s okay. You look about the size I was two years ago. You can use my old skates, he wrote.
What do you mean I’m the size you were two years ago? Have you been staring at my feet this entire time?
His message made it seem like I was much smaller than he was. That was not the case. He was about an inch taller than me, and yes, he was a little more muscular than me—most guys were—but there wasn’t that much of a difference in our sizes.
I knew he wasn’t going to take no for an answer; he wanted me there. I was worried I’d look like an idiot slipping and falling all over the place. But I wasn’t about to pass an invitation into his life. I definitely wanted to be there with him.
We both agreed that I’d meet him at the civic center after twelve thirty, giving him enough time to do whatever it is hockey players do right after practice. Shower, obviously. He wanted to pick me up, but I said it would be a waste of gas and that I could get a ride, which was a lie. I decided I would walk there. The civic center was about two miles from where I lived.
It was a nice day, like most Michigan summers. The sky was slight overcast, which I liked anyway as it makes the trees look greener. And I do enjoy walking.
“I’d hate to live here,” I said to myself as I studied the houses situated directly on the main road. Wouldn’t you? Imagine opening the front door and your dog running out onto the main street. Even the sound of cars passing by in the middle of the night would be irritating.
The sudden siren of a cop car approaching from behind me made me jump. I looked at my phone to check the time. Fortunately, I’m a fast walker so it didn’t take me long to get there. And by the time I was able to see the parking lot, it was nearly twelve thirty and most of the cars were gone.
Good. Not really in the mood to see people I might know anyway.
“Hey.” He waved before coming in for an awkward hug, the smell of his shower gel forcing me to prolong the hug a few more seconds.
I looked up at him as he unraveled his arms from around me. His silvery blond hair was messy and still damp.So, he does do his hair.
He already had his skates laced, making him tower over me. There was something different about him this time. He was more relaxed. Like he finally let out a deep breath he’d been holding in. His body wasn’t so stiff. He wore jogging shorts that ended midway down his thighs and a T-shirt that had its sleeves ripped off, exposing his upper arms and the sides of his chest. Normally I hated when guys wore sleeveless shirts, they look trashy to me. But I guess he pulled it off.
He led me to the bench bordering the outside barrier of the rink and handed me his old skates to put on, which were surprisingly a snug fit. He removed the guards from his blades before removing mine, then helped me up and onto the ice.
“I have to be honest. This is terrifying. I’ve never been on ice before. Well, at least not on purpose.” I was holding on to his arms, shivering.
“Here, let me help you,” he announced, pulling me in closer to him.
He put one hand on my upper back, the other on my chest. The same way my dad used to when I was a kid when he would scold me for slouching. “Straighten your back. Okay, look forward. And then bend your knees a little bit.”
How does bending my knees a little help with balance?“I probably look like an idiot,” I said.
But he was right. I was able to hold myself upright. He let go of me, telling me to put my arms out slightly for balance. Then he showed me how to move forward by first taking small steps. Alas, I failed on my first attempt. My feet flew out in front of me.
“I got ya.” He jumped after me with his arms out before I landed on the hard ice.
“You all right? You didn’t have to jump after me like that,” I said, holding on to his arm for balance. He waved as if it was nothing.
“All good. Let’s try something else then,” he laughed.
I swear I was stronger than I seemed. I was a swimmer and a runner, after all. The slippery ice, though,thatwas completely foreign to me. Even in the frigid winters of Michigan I’d avoid walking on the ice-covered pavement for fear of falling back and breaking my ass. My sister once slipped on the ice and severely bruised her tail bone. She could barely walk for days, and even had a hard time sitting. I can’t imagine how figure skaters and hockey players cope with falling the way they do.