Gladdis [Original Work]

Gladdis

Gladdis watched the ice skaters silently, her eyes drawn toward their movements. There was a couple toward the middle of the rink, laughing as they tried to keep each other up. The girl's cheeks were a rosy pink that almost perfectly matched her fuzzy earmuffs. The man with her was shaking with laughter, letting her clutch on to him even though he wasn't any more stable than she was. The man tugged at the woman's pigtails, stumbling away when she let out an indignant shout.

A flash of orange caught Gladdis' eyes and her gaze followed a young boy zipping past the couple. His bright orange jersey stood out brilliantly in the small crowd that occupied the rink. He was a lot smoother on his skates than the couple was and she took note that his jersey had the number five on it. She watched him zip around the outer edges of the rink for several moments. The boy eventually started to slow, his strides lessening in length before he stopped in the far corner across from her.

No glass obstructed her view so she could perfectly see the woman who had been rocking a baby look up at the boy's arrival. The woman smiled, looking fond, before she turned and started looking through something Gladdis couldn't see. Eventually a bottle of water was pulled out and handed to the boy's outstretched arm. The baby suddenly started making a fuss, its cries sharp in the cold air.

Gladdis smiled softly, wistfully eyeing the young mother. The boy had already vacated his previous spot, making a dashing break toward the other end of the rink. The mother shook her head and Gladdis could just make out her lips pursing as she tried to shush her baby back into sleep. The child continued to cry, however, squirming in its mother's embrace.

Gladdis sighed in longing before turning away, doing her best to ignore the baby's mournful cry. There were several others making their loops around the rink and she happened to zero on the two boys bumping shoulders as they lazily skated around a corner. They were younger than the other couple in the middle of the rink, but much older than the young boy. One's shaggy black hair was waving in the slight breeze their movements caused. He turned to his companion and said something, smiling slightly at the reply he received. His companion shook his head, brown hair not moving once during the action, its soft peaks kept still by something or other. She watched them skate farther from her, brushing shoulder every so often. She took a glance back toward the couple that still occupied the middle of the rink before shifting to the two teens. As they rounded her corner once again she saw the brown haired one lift his hand slightly, brushing his fingers against the other one's arm.

Gladdis could feel her eyes crinkling as she grinned at the display. She remembers being too shy to hold Harold's hand back in the day. So worried about what others would think seeing a white girl hold a black man's hand. She watched the two teens zip away from her and she wishes them the best, even if they don't know it.

Gladdis sighs once more, the ache in her bones finally being too much to sit on the hard arena seats. She stands slowly, giving her hips time to adjust to the new position. She makes her way towards the stairs and hobbles up them one at a time. She tightens the scarf already around her neck and she makes sure to thank the young man who holds the door open for her. She steps out into the chilly evening air with a content smile on her face.