Fleeing the wind

The rollerblades whir slowed as I hit the base of the hill and the stroke of my legs became choppy as I powered my way up. At the crest I relaxed a little and concentrated on making each motion perfect - slow squat on the left leg while pushing out with the right, arms parallel and moving to counterbalance, then glide on the left while standing back up and shift to the right foot. I watched my muscles with my mind, making sure everything flowed smoothly.

The trail darkened as I went under the six lane freeway, and a memory of Jeffy's laugh broke through my discipline "Yay! We're in the tunnel!". I laughed out loud and almost yelled "Yay!" and then it all hit me again. The darkness slammed into my soul and I fought despair. I shot out into the light 'Stop it.' I thought 'You know how to fight this. You've had 12 years of practice!'. I emptied my head again. Little thoughts of Jeff kept attacking and I realized I needed something more interesting to focus on.

The field to my right was lined with trees and I scanned the tops looking for hawks. I knew they hunted this field. Nothing. The tall grass in the field had turned russet and the purple of the thorns and lustrife contrasted with the goldenrod and black eyed susans. White butterflies floated above the flowers as I swept past and I noticed the prairie flattening and moving in erratic patterns as if the wind was dancing.

The motion combined with the tension I'd been feeling in the air and I realized a storm was coming. Maybe a big one. I sniffed and could feel a hint of cooler dampness. I knew it wouldn't arrive for a while but I wanted to be in my car when it hit so I again concentrated on my stride.

The eight mile marker flashed past and I started slowing down. I could blade like a bullet but I turned like a turtle, and I needed to be fully stopped before I could turn around. I thanked god no one witnessed my ineptitude and soon I was flying back towards my car. I could see the clouds on the horizon now and they were purplish black as they engulfed the late afternoon sun. The breeze started to pick up and I had to strain whenever the trail turned towards the west.

I felt relief when I arrived at the parking lot, and I threaded my way through the tangle of people hurriedly loading bikes or removing blades. I spotted my car and was feeling a wave of relaxation when I saw the glass on the ground. 'Damn!' I thought. I knew what it meant, my car had been broken into six months before and I'd been harassed continuously by collection agencies as the thieves bounced my checks all over the midwest. Frustration boiled up and I screamed "DAMMIT, did all of you just stand there while they broke into my CAR!". Heads looked for a moment then turned away.

I heard a noise to my right and turned. A huge man loomed up and I rolled back a step. He flipped a wallet open and I saw a flash of silver and gold "I'm a treasury agent sir..."