Empty Promises
Phantom rollerblades. But let me explain. When we were little tykes one of our favorite things to do was roller skate around the neighborhood. I spent half my childhood in skates. But that was the 80s and it was a sleepy suburb down south and quad skates were still the thing. I’d never even heard of inline skates, nor imagined such a thing could exist.
When we moved to Big City up north in the early 90s everyone had rollerblades, and absolutely everyone my age had them. I guess I wanted them in an abstract way, in the same way you tend to want what your friends have, but I don’t remember ever voicing this want.
But my parents saw people skating on these things on every sidewalk and bike trail, and decided that us kids had to have them. So that first Christmas along with our gifts came a special notice that we would soon be getting rollerblades.
Which meant that they were too costly for my parents to afford at the time. I was quite grateful for the promise of such a nice gift and more than willing to be patient.
The years went by and every Christmas it seemed there would be some mention of the fabled rollerblades but later, when there was money for them.
I think I must have worked out in my head that they were ridiculously pricey and was more than willing to forget the whole thing except now the friends I’d managed to make since the move had rollerblades and I did want to go skating again. I figured I’d have to learn to use inline skates at some point.
Whenever I mentioned the rollerblades to my parents I would be told they were coming for Christmas “Don’t you remember?” and then every Christmas they would have forgotten.
By the time I realized they weren’t coming I was probably 16 and no longer interested, and frankly I could have bought them myself if I was. I have to wonder why my parents kept the rollerblade charade going for so long. What was it that compelled them to constantly promise but never deliver this one specific gift?
I’ve never learned how to rollerblade, for the record. Story credit: Reddit