Time to Retire My Skates

We took the kids to the park yesterday with their brand new rollerblades. They were so excited they practically jumped out of the car ready to go. It also helped that they were padded up enough to join a full-contact sport. Nothing was going to get through those colorful exoskeletons!

We started the day off with freeze tag. They were flying around with little regard for safety, but they didn’t need to. If they fell, they would bounce right back like an inflatable punching bag. We lost track of time, and eventually, a few neighborhood kids joined in.

Later on, one of the new kids challenged me to a race - skates vs. bike. I put everything my arthritic, cancer-surviving, old-man body had into smoking that kid. It wasn’t even close. In your face kid!

Sadly, my rollerblades didn’t make it. I’ve had these skates for well over 20 years. They’ve been all over the place. After my mom sent them to me in the service, they rolled across every air base I was stationed at. I’ve replaced the wheels and bearings more times than I can count, added padding and inserts, glued parts back together, and made a custom velco straps for ankle support. They were mine and they were perfect.

After one of the races, it was clear something was off. I looked down and the frames were leaning hard to the outside when standing still. The supporting plastic used to hold the frames were brittle and snapped under the pressure of dominating the playground. They managed one last sad trip back to the car before retirement. My wife grabbed the pieces left in my wake.

Today, the kids are taking me out to buy new Father’s Day rollerblades. They even woke me up this morning with handmade gifts I’ll keep forever. At this rate, I’ll need a second fridge just to hang all the cute things they make.