Page 4 of Hitting the Goal Line
We were with grandma and grandpa again, and I wanted to play on the frozen lake that they have. I grabbed my skates and put them on and went out to the lake. I was having fun until I fell on the ice and hurt my arm. My mommy and grandma came running outside when I started to scream and I started to cry when mommy yelled at me for going out to the lake without her.
She took me to the doctor and after they put me in a big machine, the doctors said that my arm was broken in two places.
It really hurt, and I had to wear a cast for six weeks. I told mommy that I never wanted to go skating again, but daddy saidthat I should give it another try because I loved it a lot. So because he was there, I did.
But now, I’m scared and I don’t want to go out there without him. But I also don’t want to disappoint mommy, so I give her another nod.
“Good,” she says, giving me a smile that isn’t sad and walks me over to bench and makes me sit do that she can help me put on my skates.
Mommy doesn’t usually put on my skates, that is daddy’s job but I’m not going to tell her that I don’t want her to do it. It will hurt her feelings.
“I think I got it,” mommy says to herself as she ties the laces and then looks up at me. “How do they feel?”
“Okay,” I say, my voice not very big.
“Okay?” She pretty eyebrows shoot up. “Are they too tight? Or lose?”
I don’t want to hurt mommy’s feelings but my skates are too loose and I don’t want to fall again.
“They are too loose.” I wiggle my feet for her to see.
“Crap,” she says under her breath and then quickly looks up at me. “Don’t repeat that.
I giggle and mommy smiles and tries to tie my skates again.
She does it for a long time, but the more she does it, the more it looks like she can’t figure it out.
“Can I help?” A voice like mine says from next to us. I turn and I see a boy that looks around my age and my height, standing there with skates on.
How does he know how to tie skates?
Mommy looks at the boy in surprise and gives him a smile. “Do you know how?” she asks him.
He nods. “I’ve been skating since I was two, my brother taught me.”
“Oh, okay.” Mommy looks from the little boy then to me, before she gives him a nod. “Give it a try. If you been doing it since you were two you must be an expert.” The little boy gives her another nod and comes over to stand in front of me and starts tying my shoe.
He’s in the middle of untying mommy’s work when a lady appears behind him.
“Blake, what are you doing?” She asks him.
I look up at the lady and notice that she looks like the boy tying my shoe. She must be his mommy.
Blake answers his mom. “I’m helping tie her skates.”
“Honey, you haven’t learned yourself. What makes you think you can do it for someone else?” The lady asks him, placing her hand on her hips.
“Because Hunter taught me,” he says, still tying the laces together.
The lady rolls her eyes and I let out a giggle. “Your brother can’t even wear clean socks, he’s not in any position to teach you how to tie your skates.”
“He ties his cleats.”
“I tie his cleats, just like I tie your skates. Now move over, so I can tie her skates properly so that she doesn’t fall and break a bone,” the lady tells Blake, and he just looks up at her and lets out a sigh.
He gets up and comes to sit next to me.
“Hi,” he says, holding out his hand.
