The Roller Skating Rink

The Roller Skating Rink Adolescents like to turn over a place they can c altogether their own. In the 80s and primeval 90s, teenagers would hang out at the mall, the arcade, or many separate spots. When I was a itty-bitty girl, grun-ining up in a small town, meant you had to travel to the city next door in regulate to find your weekend excite handst. Usually that would be roller glide with your friends at Skate World, while listening to the favorite group of the month. Having never d mavin this as a child, my sister decided one good afternoon that she would take me roller glide.I was amazed to find a little world filled with life blooming on a 70 X 160-ft cement slab known as a roller skating rink. As soon as we entered the building which housed the rink, the warm, nostalgia scent of popcorn give that part of my brain where dusty cobwebbed memories live, memories of my own childhood. We made our way sometime(prenominal) a group of exuberant teenagers at the snack bar until w e reached the skating rink. Skinny, elusive benches, made for small butts, lined one wall. We took a rear end and scanned the rink. My eye paused to read a preindication white, block letters on a black background warned, Skate At Your Own Risk. As my sister smiled back at me, I paused for a minute and thought, what pitch I gotten myself into. Meanwhile, two immature men swaggered past us confident, heads held high, eyes focused on their destination. I leaned over, looking down the long row of benches, curious to find out where they were going. Their confidence lagged a bit as they approached a large group of their peers, including several young ladies. All of them exhibited signs of rawness as the girls crossed their arms over their mature bodies and the boys tried hard not to stare. Suddenly a silent signal sent the undefiled group to the benches.Pairs of nimble hands laced up skates as pronto as possible, while other hands aided in intercourse that only the listener was allowed to hear. I was struck by the intimacy of this scene. They all knew each other well. They had come together in the freedom of this one place to share and explore without the encumbrance of parents, teachers, or any other adult. I sat bolt upright, observeing very uncomfortable as I realized how much I really didnt exit in. Then as I attempted to recover from my embarrassment, I was perfectly startled by a noisemusic, perhaps?It must have been music, because I glanced down to find my foot tapping away to a evade long forgotten. Then as if on cue, people from every command of the room flocked to the rink. The awkwardness their bodies had expressed off the rink had been replaced by a grace not unlike a baby bird. They were clumsy in their approach to flight, but once airborne, they were a soaring sight to behold. aft(prenominal) carefully watching, I was mesmerized by the effortlessness of their movements, weaving in and out, continuously circling. Skates became a blur of color green, purple, blue, pink, and redspeeding by firm and furious.I felt the rush of wind on my face as I caught the musky scent of cologne mixed with sweat. A rotate of communication was taking place, none of it involving speech. The tactile sense had kicked in punching and shoving of young lions trying to impress their ladies of choice, bodies brushing by each other, and the gentle affect of hand on arm. A statuesque blond, six inches taller than her partner, slipped. Catch me, Im falling on purpose, her body language seemed to say. Eye make was prevalent. Most skaters continually scanned the rink, found the one they were looking for and BAM eyes rapidly darted away.This testing of emotional waters went of for several hours boys and girls trying on relationships of men and women like kids playing dress up in their parents clothes. At last, I remembered the sign, Skate At Your Own Risk. At the time, I had worried roughly broken arms and legs, but as I watched the dance broadcast on that skating rink, I realized that these young people find so much more. The pain and rejection, the fear of making fools of themselves, and the devastation they feel when they believe that they have makes life for these teenagers a risky business. Perhaps the sign should have read, Live At Your Own Risk.