Chapter 36

"That's easy for you to say. Besides, how can you compare this to riding a bicycle?" I asked flabbergasted. Tyler crossed his arms over his chest. "Come on, you've always wanted to roller skate. Now that you have the opportunity, are you going to just give up and sit here all day?" He was right. How am I supposed to learn if I sit here and complain about how difficult it is? I have never been a quitter before and I'm not going to start now. Especially with something that I've always wanted to do. After a while, I sigh loudly and Tyler grins. "Okay, let's do this." I replied, gathering all the confidence I had. "Now that's better." He extends his hand to me and with his help this time, I was standing. I still hang on to him though for fear if I let go, I'll fall flat on my face. Tyler guided me to the skating area. The roller skating arena was a big area. It was expanded in a wide square with tiled floors. Around the large square were benches in which people sat and watched their friends or family members skate. Currently, there were quiet a few people on the floor skating. When we were on the tiled floor, Tyler pulled us to a halt. "Okay, place your feet shoulder width apart like this." Tyler parted his feet a little and I followed him. He then explains what to do to keep my balance and I did as I was told. "Doing this will prevent you from toppling over." "Right, but I still feel like if I let go of your hands I'm going to fall." I expressed as I tried to keep my position. Tyler nodded. "Just keep in mind that the skate is a part of you now. Whenever, you feel you're going to lose your balance, just move your foot until you're in a comfortable position. It going to take a while to get used to." This was way harder than I thought. "Why did I wanted to do this again?" I asked myself aloud. Tyler shook his head. "Now, try it. Just move slowly forward. First to the right, then to the left, then to the right again and just continue doing that." As Tyler said this, he did the movements and I followed his actions. He let go of my right hand, but my left hand was still holding his. "Now, try it on your own now." He said as he tried to let go of my other hand. I held on to his hand. "No! Are you crazy? I'm not ready. I'm going to fall!" Tyler laughed at my reluctance. I turned my head to glare at him until he stopped. "You'll be fine. It's just a trial run." "Whatever, but if I fall, I'm blaming you." I warned. He chuckled a little. "I didn't say you weren't going to fall." He clarified. "Tyler!" I exclaimed as I grip his hand tighter. He had the nerve to laugh again. "Of course you might fall, it's your first time." He said. I brought my right hand over to him and hit him on his shoulder. "Hey! You're not helping." As I did that, I lost my balance again, so I held on to his shoulders. Tyler looked at me. "Why so abusive?" He teased. "Is that anyway to treat your instructor?" I rolled my eyes. "Instructor my ass." He chuckled at my statement. "All I was saying is that, falling is not a must. However, if you think that you're going to fall, you're definitely going to fall." He said. "Now, let's do it." He let go of my hand once again and I reluctantly let go. I moved my foot as I was told earlier and without even realizing it, I was actually skating. "Tyler, I'm doing it." I said without turning my head. "I'm actually doing it." "I told you that you would." I heard him say behind me. I wasn't completely relaxed though, because I felt really awkward. Despite all that, it feels really great to be skating. It feels like I was gliding across the floor. I wasn't paying attention to anything else, but me and my skating. It was truly a wonderful feeling. But as luck would have it, I lost my footing for a bit and I went tumbling to the floor. Standing up again was a task as I tried to regain my footing. Tyler reached over to me when I was half way up and helped me up fully. "Not bad. You were actually doing great until you fell in the end." Tyler stated. "I was, wasn't I?" I asked excitedly. "It's really not that bad. I just have to keep trying." For another half hour, Tyler and I continued to skate. I fell down countless of times, but it was worth it because I had fun. Now, I know why I was interested in skating. It's like I knew it would be this fun. After we were done skating, Tyler and I left the arena and head home. On our way home, we stopped at Starbucks to get something to eat and drink. I ordered a cup of strawberry lemonade and a chocolate bar. Tyler ordered a creme frappuccino. "So tell me," I began after I took a sip of my drink and looked at Tyler, who sat across from me. "How did you learn to skate? You don't seem like the kind of person to skate." "I've been skating since I was eight years old. My mother and father are both adventurous. When they were married, they tried everything you could think of; mountain climbing, skiing, bungee jumping, canoeing, roller skating. Anything you could think off, they tried it." Tyler explained. "And whenever, they went roller skating, they would take me with them. We skated a lot, so I learnt fast." "Wow." I said referring to his parents adventurous living. It wasn't really surprising though. Tyler's mother and father were the coolest people I've ever met. "Well, at least everything makes sense now."