Fifty Two Pick-up

Day 87

The boys and I (and half of Cincinnati) slide and shuffle around the rink at Northland Ice Center.  To add to the chaos, a handful of middle-school boys dart in, out and between the crowds of parents and kids.    

Skating reminds me of weekends when my friends and I would jump the bus from the stop outside Fremd High School to the mall.  Tired of browsing Claire’s for accessories, we’d visit the ice rink nestled behind The Gap, lace up our skates and spend the next several hours circling the ice. 

While no Dorothy Hamill, all those Saturdays made me a competent skater.  I’m strong enough to hold up a 48-pound boy and skate him around the ring.  And pick up a few kids along the way. 

“How was it?” Chaz asks when we return home. 

“You know that game 52 Pick Up?” I ask.   

“Yes.” 

“It was like that.  But with kids and a lot more painful.”