THIS IS US

Roller Skating at the End

How an eight-year-old kid with the exact hairstyle I wanted saved my entire day

ever so slowly, gently gently away. Photo courtesy of the author.

I went roller skating yesterday for the first time since I was in like fourth grade and my partner said “You’re probably going to write a piece about this” before she skated off to chase her daughter around the rink. I was offended by the suggestion that I’m some kind of deep thoughts automaton who turns every experience into content. Pshhhh. But I couldn’t say anything to her because she had skated off and I was left clinging uncomfortably to the wall while a random eight-year-old who happened to be effortlessly wearing the exact same twin cornrows I’ve been trying to grow my hair into for over a year skated past me and asked me if I was good.

Actually I was… fine I guess, but not necessarily good. And if I’m being entirely honest, he seemed like a perfectly good person to talk to about it: confident, kind, good-natured, caring. However, not wanting to burden him — because again, he was like eight — I gave him a thumbs up and a smile which he returned to me before dashing off. What a nice and caring kid. Congrats to the grown-ups in his life.

I’ve always been an adult of the “good with kids” variety. This morning, a friend texted me to tell me that their toddler, who I’ve…