GA Writing Prompts - 57. # 405 Jump

Jump

‘You honestly think I would wear something like that?’ Brian said to himself, shaking his head. He looked at the boy with the smart phone in his hand. How old was he? Thirteen, fourteen? Two other boys joined the first. They all looked alike, dressed in sweaters and baggy jeans that revealed their underpants. The sight was a pain to his eyes.

Brian was in his forties and not for a million would he have wanted to change place with one of these boys. Brian had a moment of clarity. He had had his share in life and he had had his moments and he would doubtlessly have some more. He had gotten all that he could get from life. These boys had no idea of life or what their life was to be, but Brian admitted they could not be blamed for their ignorance. Ignorance was a blessing when you were young, it was a curse when you grew older. At some point in life, you had to look in the mirror and face your scarred and battled self. Once you had looked long enough, the battle of life faded and turned into boredom. Life had taught Brain a few lessons. The lessons were simple.

He took a breath and clear air was filling his lungs. Brian looked at the sky. Summer had ended. This was the course of life. He had experienced this truth often. The truth was simple: one thing followed the other, the grand scheme of things was the same always, only the details varied. Summer followed spring and autumn followed summer. Then, inevitably, winter would come. Winter, however, was not the end. It was just an intermezzo before spring came around again. Once you had experienced the cycle of life, had gone through it often enough, you knew it all inside out. Every single incident then was predictable and everything became boring.

Two boys left the place, the other approached Brian on his skateboard. Brian looked at him languidly.

"Got a dollar?" the boy asked, skidding his skateboard to a halt.

Brian shook his head. He looked at the skateboard and sensed a vibration, vague, yet strong enough to not be ignored.

"The heck with it," he said.

The boy looked at him questioningly.

"The heck with that boring cycle of life," Brian said, pointing at the skateboard. "Can I give it a try?"

The boy eyed him. "I doubt you can ride it," he said. "But you can give it a try, for a dollar, that is."

Brian searched his pockets and handed the boy a dollar bill. The boy stepped aside. Brian put one foot on the skateboard and pushed forward with the other. The boy watched him warily.

Rain started falling, but Brian didn't care. He focused on riding the skateboard. And then he did what he had always been too afraid to ever try in life. He was trying something new. He dared a leap and jumped and, against his expectation, he landed on his feet.