The New Skates

My brothers and I hurry to put on our coats, hats, and gloves and grab our skates to head to the Derby pond which is only 4 or 5 blocks away (but seems farther when you are only 8 years old and carrying a pair of hand me down worn out old skates). Nevertheless, I am excited and can't wait to get on the frozen pond and skate with my brothers (Jon- 2 years older than me , and Stephen- 1 year younger). I don't even care if they tease me or skate too fast for me to catch up- I am so excited!

We reach the frozen pond and sit on a nearby bench to take off our shoes and put on our skates. Once again, I am slow and wobbly on the ice with my ankles turned inward as my brothers whiz past me chasing each other across the ice. We play games of tag and try to make figure eights (well they make them and I try) spinning and swirling around on "our" pond (as we like to call it). The same pond that we attempt to fish on in the summertime with our homemade fishing poles made from a long stick, some string, and a paper-clip for the hook. We used worms that we dug up for the bait, but we rarely ever caught anything (our paper-clip hooks with bait on them was probably not that alluring to the fish now that I think about it), but, coming from a big family of 7 children you had to make due with make it yourself items or hand me downs like the skates that I was using on the frozen pond in the wintertime! I often wondered what it would be like to have a beautiful pair of white skates with red laces as I had sometimes seen other girls wearing out on the ice. They twirled and swirled and raced around on the ice, but, I knew that coming from such a large family it was an extravagance and new skates would not be for me.

But, as Christmas drew closer, I could not get the picture of new white skates with red laces out of my head... I even dreamed about them in my dreams... So as Christmas got closer, I got braver, and decided that I would ask Santa Claus for those new skates with red laces. I knew that I would probably not actually get them, but, figured it was worth a try, after all it was Santa Claus! So, while visiting Santa at his little house downtown, I bravely asked him for those new skates and a few small toys thinking if I asked for only a few small items I would have a better chance of getting those skates!

Lo and behold, on Christmas morning as we opened up our presents, I received the most beautiful gift ever- my new skates- gleaming white with red laces! I could hardly believe my eyes! It seemed like forever waiting for everyone to be done opening their gifts and spending Christmas morning together so that I could rush down to the frozen pond on Christmas day to skate in my new skates with all of the other children! I was almost trembling when I sat on the bench, took off my shoes, and put on my new skates! I carefully laced up my beautiful red laces and tied them nice and snug- they fit perfectly, staying high on my ankles- strong and firm. Wow, did they feel great! I slowly stepped on to the ice expecting to be wobbly, when I found to my surprise, my feet and legs standing strong and straight in my gorgeous skates. I started to started to glide and skate and I took off like a pro- I was racing, and spinning, and doing figure eights like never before- who knew that having skates that fit and were not worn out could make such a difference! It was the most thrilling feeling ever, I skated until I almost passed out. I will never forget the joy and excitement of that Christmas and my very first time wearing my new white skates with the red laces!

1