First Light

62 floating

Sunday 1st of May 2022

Faye:

Today is going to be a cloudy one, not hot but not necessarily cold either. It's enough for me to be able to wear a light jumper, so I'm happy.

After much persuasion from Marlo, he has convinced me to let him teach me how to skateboard. Or try to, at least. I think it's only fair, given how many attempts he has made at painting. Even though he can't see it, there's definite progress on his part.

To avoid my embarrassment at being noticed by other people, he's suggested we head to where he skates early, even before the sunrise. It's an open place so we don't have to climb over any gates, thank god. It's completely empty apart from us, but we passed a couple of people walking their dogs on the way here. It's peaceful. It's 5am, so that gives us an hour until the sun is up. Marlo says people usually start arriving around 8am.

He's brought a bag with him of snacks and a flask of green tea for me, because he knows I haven't had anything yet, not even water. He sets it down on a bench and turns to me, grinning, skateboard in hand. My painting is still on the bottom of it, but I've given it a touch-up recently so it looks as though the paint is new. The nearby lamppost isn't sufficient enough light to completely brighten up the area where we are, but that just allows the glowing stars and moon I painted on to be seen more vividly.

"You ready?" He asks, as though I'm about to do something that'll completely alter my life forever.

I smile back at him. "Yes."

He places the skateboard onto the ground and beckons me over with his arm. "I'm not going to expect you to stand up on it by yourself, don't worry. Not yet, anyway."

He offers his hand to me and I take it, placing my right foot onto the board. I step up on it the same time he takes my left hand with his other, so that my left foot is at the front. It wobbles slightly but he steadies me straight away, looking down with a smile. Why is it that I always forget how tall he is?

"You okay?" He asks, and I nod.

"How on earth do you manage to do this?" I say, half-laughing. "Even with you holding onto me I feel so unstable."

"It's just practise. You should've seen how many times I fell backwards off it when I first started learning," He adjusts his hold on me, moving his hand down my arm to the bottom of my elbows so mine are holding his forearms. Gripping I should say. "Okay, I'm going to move you a bit now so you can see what it feels like. Don't move your feet."

"Okay," I reply, and he does, slowly, walking alongside me as the wheels turn on the concrete. It's smooth, and they glide.

"How's that?"

I nod. "Yeah, it's fine."

"Alright. Is it okay with you if I speed it up? Just a bit?"

"Mhm."

He does, walking faster alongside me, and even though I'm not the one moving myself, I begin to understand why people choose to skateboard as a form of transport. It's like floating, almost. The feel of the wheels gliding is strangely satisfying. The sound of them, too.

The smoothness of it is cut short as one of the wheels hits something, causing the board to stop. I lurch forward slightly, my heart leaping at the unexpectedness of it, but of course Marlo catches me, his hands gripping the underside of my arms tighter to steady me so I don't go flying.