They built two empty pools. There were the obligatory halfpipes, ramps, and rails, but someone with a Z-Boy mentality had dreamed up the idea of putting in honest-to-God empty swimming pools. 11 feet at the deepest, demanding respect from even the most seasoned skater. A YMCA with a skate park, a skate park with two empty pools just for skating. California, man.
The day had not started off well. "He had a bit of a rough morning", the teacher told me. "Shouting during their Centers time." "Oh, no", I said. "He's trying really hard to not be so loud. We're working on it." "I know. He's trying hard." She smiled. "For what it's worth, he immediately felt bad. He's worried that you're going to sell his Nintendo."
In fact, that was the first question. "Dad, are you going to take away my DS for good?" "I don't know", I replied. "Do I need to?" He thought about this. "I was being loud. That's why I got in trouble. I'm sorry." We drove in silence for a few minutes. "A week", I said. "No DS OR Wii for a week." I looked in the rearview mirror. He looked back, and nodded. "O.K."
Later we arrived at the skate park for his very first lesson. He'd gotten the board and pads as a gift months ago; we'd spent a few collective hours in the driveway, me telling him where to stand and how to get himself moving. More often than not the board would shoot out from under him and he'd end up on his ass. Bruises and scrapes were rare - plastic and foam armor saw to that - but they happened, and they were indelible. Today would be a test in many ways.





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