Angela L. Waderker

The best present I ever received

I was surfing the internet and came across some writing prompts and one in particular hit home for me:  “The best present I ever received.”

I think if you asked most adults about the best present they ever received, they would probably give you some profound answer like my spouse or the birth of my children.  But for me, the first thing that came to mind was a pair of roller skates.  Real roller skates, not those metal things that you buckled over your shoes and took all the strength you had to move three feet, kicking up sparks behind you.

I practically lived at the skating rink when I was a kid.  So one year I asked my mother for a pair of skates for Christmas, because I hated the rental skates.  You know the ones, sandy brown, with missing insoles, too short laces, and one bad wheel that made you look like a newbie with no skills.

No matter where you fell on the spectrum, it was impossible to look cool in a pair of rental skates.  Or win any contests.  And you certainly couldn’t impress D’Artagnan, the resident roller rink hottie.  I don’t think it was so much his looks that had girls falling all over themselves (literally in some cases) to get his attention, but more so the fact that he worked at the rink, he had custom-made cowboy boot skates, AND he could skate REALLY WELL.

[As a side note, as a child, I didn’t realize D’Artagnan was one of the names of the Three Musketeers.  I just thought he had a strange and unique name.]

I knew skates were expensive.  I’d spent my fair share of time window shopping at the rink’s skate store.  I also knew my mom had limited funds, but in my mind if she could just somehow manage to buy me a pair of skates, she wouldn’t have to buy me anything else for the next three Christmases OR birthdays!

They didn’t have to be speed skates like my friend Leslie had,

or cool tennis shoe skates like my friend Shaunda had,

or even the red, white, and blue skates that were so popular back then.

I’d be happy with just a plain old pair of white boot skates.

The closer it got to Christmas the more disappointed I became.  I’d searched high and low (meaning in my mom’s closet and under her bed, where she hid most of our presents until she had a chance to wrap them) and no skates!  But I remember Christmas day, when I opened my presents with a pouty mouth, only to finally see she’d gotten me a pair.  When I opened that present I thought I’d won the lottery.  I was so appreciative of those skates that I still have them.  And, I’ve worn them several times as an adult.  In fact, I wore them when I taught my own kids how to skate.  So thanks mom.

I wonder what ol’ D’Artagnan is up to these days?

Angela