Okay, Skater didn't see the move coming. Nobody saw it coming, not even his parents. It was one of those things that happens when money doesn't come in and every day is a repeat of the previous one. His father had been looking for a better job for months, but in his city, finding a job is like fishing in a dry puddle. And his mother wasn't very lucky either, since she worked as a secretary and didn't earn much. There were times when they only had the money they were going to use that day, so if there was an emergency or an unforeseen expense they could be in trouble. They prayed that no one would get sick or that any equipment in the house would break, because there was literally nothing to pay for it with.
In fact, his father often traveled by public transport to avoid buying gasoline for the car, since that would be more expensive and they had to save money. That is why, in the midst of such a difficult situation, when they received a job offer that would pay them both very well, both his father and mother had no other option than to pack everything in boxes and leave.
For Skater, this was a total catastrophe. The truth is that he had grown up in his neighborhood as if it were his backyard, he had very good friends and his entire family lived there. So leaving a place where you already have a life is not easy at all, in fact he did not care about the place itself, but more about his friends. They used to go out skating on their skateboards every day when they left school. So yes, really all that was a catastrophe for Skater. His parents practically had to force him to go with them to the new city, they had to make him very aware of what was happening. They could not continue living with so little income, if something unexpected happened they would be ruined and would be filled with debts. After several of these conversations, he agreed to go with them.
Practically 2 days later, the great or bad trip took place. It was mostly those silent ones, with the car full of boxes and conversations more scarce than anything else. Although they know he wasn't the only one who felt bad, his parents too because they had left everything behind, as well as their colleagues and neighbors, so this was hard for everyone. In Skater's case, he spent the trip glued to the window, watching the landscapes go by, although for him everything was getting greyer and more boring. His mother tried to cheer him up a couple of times, talking about the new opportunities and what the city "had to offer", but for him her words sounded empty than anything else, as he preferred to live with little and in need than to abandon everything. He only asked himself the same questions: What opportunities? In a place where nobody knew who he was or what his skateboard meant? It was like starting from scratch.
After several hours of traveling, they realized the obvious. The streets were very different, wider, grayer, but with a higher status. It was clear that those who lived there had a better economic position. But their new apartment was not as it looked from the outside. The reality was that it was a hovel compared to the house before. His parents told him that it was temporary, just until they got more money to rent a better one. Even the first night there was like camping. Skater barely ate a bite during dinner, it didn't bother him, everything had happened so fast. A few days before, he was happy with his friends, and now he was alone. It was very hard for everyone.
About a week later when his parents made arrangements it was the first day at the new school. That day in his words was a disaster. He couldn't adapt very well because he wasn't used to changing schools. At his previous school he had grown up and studied with the same students since childhood, so it was a new experience. He felt very embarrassed by the looks of others, they made him feel like an alien. And that day no one approached him, and he didn't try to make friends either. Only the teachers talked to him. At lunch, he sat in a corner, not in the mood for his meal, with his skateboard at his side, waiting for someone to see it and say something.
After school, he was on his way home and found a park. It wasn't anything special, a couple of benches, some stunted trees and a concrete rink, clearly forgotten, but if cleaned it could still be used for skating. There was a group of kids there, all older than him. He approached them and saw that they knew each other well, they laughed together and according to him there did not seem to be room for a newcomer.
He sat down on a bench and watched for a while, wanting to either get close or leave. But in the end he decided to take a chance and headed towards the rink. He took out his skateboard and started skating. He tried some simple tricks, but the stares from the others quickly made him nervous and since the rink was full of trash he ended up falling. Obviously the boys started laughing you know to his surprise just when he was thinking about leaving, one of them, a tall boy with an old cap, approached him. And said something that cheered him up, It wasn't so bad you know, we all fall at first, and then helped him up with his skateboard.
Against all odds, the boy's gesture was the beginning of something he hadn't expected. But everything was sorted out overnight, but Skater started to come back to the park, and little by little he gained more confidence with them. The boy with the cap, Dani, taught him some tricks and introduced him to the group. He helped him make a place for himself with the others, and he realized that the language of skateboarding, with its jumps, turns and falls, was something universal that everyone understood. So it didn't take long for them to become friends.
The truth is that he had to realize for himself that although the city was different and the faces were new, the new group had the same passion as the friends he had left so far behind. So he began to see the positive side of that situation. Of course he didn't forget his old friends, in fact he talked to them every day on the phone and told them that as soon as he could he would go visit them. Now he had a new life, but in the end all of us, like him, have to learn that starting over is not forgetting who you are, it is another very simple way of finding new ways of being yourself.
Credits: The images used are free to use and royalty free. They were taken from pixabay.
