Two lessons and a little courage.
Three Pieces of Advice
Leah wanted to reach the white line without anyone holding her hand.
It was painted across a flat stretch of pavement, not very far from where she stood. On foot, she could reach it in three steps. On a skateboard, it looked farther away.
Noah stood beside her, ready to help. Rafi sat on his board near the line, while Jules rolled slowly back and forth.
“Look ahead,” Jules said.
“And bend your knees a little,” said Rafi.
“Keep your shoulders relaxed,” Noah added.
Leah stepped onto her board. She looked at the line, bent her knees, and tried to relax her shoulders.
The board moved.
She stepped off again.
“Did I do something wrong?” she asked.
“No,” Noah said. “You got on.”
“I think I bent too much.”
“I think you were looking at your feet,” Jules said.
“I was looking at the line.”
“Then what were your feet doing?” Rafi asked.
Leah looked down at them. “Waiting for everyone to finish talking.”
The First Lesson
Noah held the board still while Leah stepped back onto it.
“Let’s begin without moving,” he said. “You can decide where your feet feel comfortable.”
Leah placed one foot near the front and the other farther back. The board tipped slightly beneath her weight.
“Is this right?”
“How does it feel?”
“Like the board is thinking about something.”
“That sounds about right,” Rafi said.
Leah shifted one foot. The board settled.
“Better,” she said.
Noah kept his hand on the board until she stepped down. She tried again, finding the same position a little more quickly.
Jules rolled over and stopped beside them.
“I can show you how I stand.”
Leah looked at the white line. “Could I try once more first?”
“Of course.”
This time, Noah stayed close but let her get on by herself. The board moved a little. Leah steadied it, then stepped down with both feet on the pavement.
“I didn’t go anywhere.”
“You didn’t need to,” Noah said. “That was the first lesson.”
“What’s the second?”
Rafi picked up his water bottle and placed it a short distance away.
“Getting as far as this.”
Leah looked from the bottle to the white line.
“That’s much closer.”
“It’s also full of water,” Rafi said. “So I’d prefer you didn’t knock it over.”
A Shorter Distance
Leah put her front foot on the board and gave herself one small push.
The board rolled towards the bottle. She stepped down before reaching it.
“Nearly,” she said.
“Would you like a hand?” Noah asked.
“Not yet. Could you stay there, though?”
He stayed beside her while she tried again. This time she passed the bottle and put her foot down a little farther on.
Rafi moved the bottle back to its original place.
“Why did you do that?” Leah asked.
“You passed it.”
“I was hoping it had moved on its own.”
Jules raised a hand. “May I demonstrate something now?”
“As long as it doesn’t involve my bottle,” Rafi said.
Jules pushed off, bent his knees, and jumped. His board lifted with him. He landed on it again, rolled past the bottle, and continued towards the white line.
“Very nice,” Leah called.
“Thank you.”
Jules passed the line too.
“You can stop now,” Noah called.
“I know.”
He stepped down several paces farther on and walked his board back.
Rafi picked up the bottle. “You missed it.”
“I meant to.”
“The white line too?”
“That was a separate decision.”
Past the Bottle
Leah returned to her starting place.
The others moved aside, leaving a clear path. Noah stayed close enough for her to call him if she wanted help.
She placed one foot on the board, found the position she had practised, and pushed once. The wheels hummed over the pavement.
The bottle came nearer. Leah kept her eyes ahead and rolled past it.
The white line was still in front of her. She put her other foot down gently and came to a stop just beyond it.
“I did it,” she said.
Rafi lifted the bottle in the air. “And you left this standing.”
“That was the difficult part,” Jules said.
Leah picked up her board and walked back. Noah held out his hand for a high five. She gave it a slap, then set the board down again.
“Can we move the bottle?”
Rafi placed it a little farther away.
“Is that enough?” he asked.
“For the next try.”
Jules stepped onto his own board. “Would you like another demonstration?”
Leah considered the new position of the bottle.
“Yes,” she said. “See if you can stop before you pass it.”
Noah and Rafi turned to watch.
Jules looked at the bottle, then at the white line behind it.
“That depends,” he said. “Which one am I trying to reach?”
“Just the bottle,” Leah replied.
He pushed off. This time, he stopped beside it.
Rafi picked it up and checked the lid.
“Excellent,” he said. “It’s still full.”
Livora Gracely ♥
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