This past Saturday I took MDF to Lauren’s birthday party. It was held at Skate City in Wallace. We got there right at 1 PM, when the party was supposed to start. MDF gave Lauren her present and then we went inside and took a look at the rink. It was concrete and reminded me a lot of the old Skate World in Jacksonville.
Lauren asked if MDF was ready to skate and they headed over to get a pair. We got blue and yellow plastic Fisher-Price skates for MDF — the ones that fit over one’s shoe — and as soon as I got them tightened she was off! She did really well for her first time. She wobbled and fell every so often, more when she started to get comfortable and try to go faster.
I just watched her for a while and then started thinking maybe I should get a pair of skates and join her. Margaret’s brother, his wife, and their son had been skating, but now the floor was empty. I hadn’t made up my mind when MDF came clinking up to me and said, “Dad, they have skates your size.” Or something to that effect, and pulled me over to the room with skates. So I got a pair and hesitantly got on the rink. I wasn’t sure how much my body would remember.
I didn’t need to be worried. I wobbled a bit at first, but then I got the hang of it again. I skated around for a while — mostly by my self. I tried skating with MDF, holding her hand, but her skate wheels weren’t designed to roll fast enough for us to do it very well. She told me she didn’t need help anyway.
We turned in our skates when it was time to eat cake — though MDF got hers again afterward and skated for a few more minutes before we left at 3 PM. We both had a good time. Thursdays are family nights — $5 per child and the parents skate free — so we’re thinking about going back again soon.