Roller Rink

Daniel White was the cutest boy in the whole school.  Granted that in a school of only a couple hundred K-12, it's not really a huge feat to be the cutest boy.  And I'm not sure if the opinion of a fifth grader even counted.  But to me, a skinny, monkey-armed, greasy-haired nine year old, he was certainly more handsome than any boy I'd ever seen.  He was so popular, he played Matthew in the school's production of Anne of Green Gables, he was dark-haired and had the nicest smile of all the high schoolers.  

I pined away for Daniel all year.  Even though other crushes certainly existed, none were as fantastic as Daniel.  I just knew that if only Daniel knew me, he'd fall in love with me-- and maybe he'd hold my hand!

Daniel was always so nice to me.  He knew my older brother, so he sort of knew me.  He knew my name and would say hi to me the few times I would be passing through the high school halls on my way to art or choir.  All my friends were sure he liked me back.  I jumped to any occasion that my teacher would need an errand run down to the high school halls.   When I could get away with it, I used the high school girls bathroom in hopes that one of the girls would tell me Daniel has been talking about me.  I waited patiently for this boy all year.  Any minute, I knew it was coming.  The romance of a lifetime.

As the school year neared the close, I became anxious.  Surely he'd forget all about me if a whole long summer went by without seeing me.  At the end of the year, the whole school took a field trip to the roller rink.   Naturally this was very exciting, Daniel or no.  But the fact that Daniel would be there made it all the more exciting.  I loved to skate, and I was a pretty fast skater, too.  I loved doing the limbo, and the hokey pokey, and all the races.  But most of all, I loved the couple skate.  When the DJ lowered the lights, turned on the disco ball and called over the speaker "Ladies and gentlemen, its time to find that special someone" I decided it was now or never.  I skated right up to Daniel and asked if he would couple skate with me.  Daniel, with his sweet smile and black hair, leaned forward, hands resting on his knees and looked at me.  Kindly he said, "Well, how about this.  I am fifteen and you are about ten.  Since I'm still a little too old for you, how about we wait until you are fifteen and I am twenty?  I'd love to couple skate with you then.  Is it a deal?"  My face broke out into a huge smile.  "Sure!"  He ruffled my hair, and I skated off happily, dreaming of being fifteen and Daniel being twenty and us couple skating, hand in hand, forever. 

I couple skated with my best friend as I told her all about mine and Daniel's plans for the future.