1976
The girl with the brown hair laces up her roller blades as her friend moves and gets up, wobbling slightly in her own.
"You ready?"
Music plays, but I pay no attention to it, only to the girl with the brown hair. She is slowly pulling the string up the boot.
"Not yet. Let me finish lacing up."
The girl with the blonde hair, Pamela, waits, but she is clearly becoming impatient.
"Cindy... Todd and Michael are already out there. Waiting for us... Gosh, they're talking to some other girls. Looks like that... that Carla girl, and her friend Beverly, from school."
"No, I'll hurry!" Cindy hurries and quickly laces up her roller skates, and she tries to stand but wobbles and sits back down on the bench.
"Cindy, the first step in learning to skate is standing up. Here," she out stretches her hand, and offers it to Cindy. "Take my hand. I'll help you up."
Cindy smiles, and takes Pamela's hand. "We have to get out there. Michael needs to be talking to you, instead of Beverly."
"Come out onto the rink."
A disco ball hangs above the rink, and it is dark except for a few lights shining on the painted walls, with murals of sunsets. Many people skate around and some go off to the side, to the snack bar and get themselves drinks and chatter. Michael stands at the side of the rink, leaning over the rail, next to Todd, conversing with two girls who look around sixteen.
"There are too many people, and I don't know how."
"I'll teach you."
Cindy shakes her head and looks down. "I'm sure you have better things to do."
"No, I'm your friend." Pamela smiles. "I want to teach you, and then we can go talk to Todd. I'm sure that's a reward for learning."
"Pamela, it's a deal."
Cindy takes Pamela's hand and she stands again, slowly moving her feet and getting onto the rink, where she joins the crowd of people skating.
After a few minutes of practicing, Cindy lets go of Pamela's arm and starts to skate by herself, slowly, and finally speeding up until she goes off to the side and is greeted by Todd and Michael.
I watch, from a bench, sitting alone, as a friend helps another. I like to save this moment in my mind, and think of it often.
YOU ARE READING
Judges
ParanormalAugusta is not quite herself. She's dead too. In fact, she has been dead for eighty-six years. But this is all part of the job description. She's watching you. They all are, watching every move you make to see where you will end up in the afterlife...
