I Dont Do Too Well On My Own

The Thirty-Second Chapter

The next morning I wake up and swallow the pills. One by one they slide down my throat. I take them dry, getting water is too much effort. Ive got a reason to be lazy today.

Its my birthday.

I made it to 23.

I tie up my hair in a bun. It piles on my head and looks like a green toasted cake. I make myself look vaguely presentable and walk out, towards the kitchen.

"Hey, happy birthday!" Patrick appears out of nowhere and grabs me in a hug.

He swings me off my feet as I squeeze him in a hug.

"I made it to 23!" I say excitedly.

"Heres to many more days to come." Patrick says.

I make myself some tea and sit down opposite Patrick at the table.

"So." He grins, leaning over his tea. "Since its your birthday... I thought we could go ice skating or something."

Ive never been ice skating before.

"Something unusual and different. Something we dont normally do."

"I dont know how to skate though?" I ask.

"Ill teach you. Go and get ready and we can go."

I nod before going to change.

Patrick acknowledged my birthday and is about to take me out for it, thats more than anyones ever done for me.

Flashback to my 10th birthday.

My mum let me chose what we were going to have for lunch.

I asked for sushi.

She said we dont have the money for that.

I asked about Chinese.

Again, we arent made of money.

I knew what she wanted me to say. I asked for pizza.

She said we can share.

Judging by the diamond around my mums neck and the decor in our house I thought we were rich.

We had pizza for my birthday. I ate the remains for dinner. It was the only time I ever did anything properly with my parents.

I change into jeans, a black top with huge arm holes that go down to my waist and a black beanie. You could say my out fit is 'on pointe'.

Jump forward to me putting on skates in a confused manor.

Jump forward to me trying to walk in them.

Jump forward to me putting my first foot on the ice.

Patrick stands in front of me with his hands out for me to take. As I put my second foot on the ice I worry how I am going to stay standing.

"Take my hand, trust me." Patrick says.

I take his hands and cling onto them like nodes cling to me when I am being shocked. He chuckles as I slide slowly onto the ice.

Have you ever seen the movie Bambi? Just imagine me as that poor deer on the ice.

My eyes stay wide as I can manage as Patrick skate backwards, pulling me along.

"So, this is ice?" I ask, nodding to the floor Im sliding across.

"Yeah." Patrick laughs as my eyes are opened.

"Its ice." How can such a huge area of land be just ice?

"So, how do I control these shoe things?"

Patrick tells me to point my feet a certain way and skate by pushing forward. Even clutching his hands I can barely stay standing.

Just imagine me laughing as I slip around and Patrick grasping onto my hands and chuckling as I practically pull him to the ground.

"This is the craziest thing Ive ever done!" I say after a while of attempting to skate.

"This is one of the funniest things Ive ever seen." Patrick laughs.

"Wait, I think Ive got it!"

I let go of his hands and push myself forward. You can probably see the glimmer of hope in my eyes as I move as slow as humanly possible. You can then hear laughter erupt as I fall onto my backside.

"I definitely dont have it." I laugh, taking Patricks hand to standing.

After a bit more of skating I am confident enough to look up from the ice and look at my surroundings.

People are sliding around the chrystal and lacerating the ice with their skates. Everyone seems great at skating, like angels on the ice. Its almost beautiful and clockwork.

"This is the best birthday ever!" I shout with such force that I slip into an icy puddle.

I grapple at a laughing Patrick, who seems to be laughing so hard that he is crying.

"Its rude to laugh at my folly!"

He continues to laugh and now has his eyes closed as I struggle to move. His eyes are squinted tightly and his head is tilted with the force of his laughter. He looks so happy... I decide to push us with one huge kick.

Now, looking at this from another point of view, this seems like a really bad idea. But make the biggest mistakes right?

I force us forward, and at first, it looks like my plan is going to work. But soon my feet are left behind.

Patrick stares wide eyed as we both fall to the floor.

Im so stupid, its funny.

We both laugh like it didnt hurt and everything is perfect. Sprawled out on the floor, my hands feel along the cold ice, looking for something to get me to standing.

I could laugh like this forever.