Skateboard guy

There is an old guy I see from time to time who rides a skateboard to work. I’m old, so when I say “an old guy” I mean older than me. I’m guessing he’s in his mid- to late-sixties. You don’t see many older people riding skateboards. At least not here on the east coast. Maybe he’s from California. People out there are not adverse to standing out in a crowd. I would not be surprised if my skateboard guy is the only one of his kind for hundreds of miles. I think it is really cool. I mean, why not ride a skateboard when you are old? It’s a good way to stay fit. It’s great for balance and coordination at a time in life when those qualities are normally starting to slip away.

So, I really like this guy. I love that he doesn’t care what people think, that they might be looking at him with bemusement. I sure as hell can’t help watching him as he skates by me. We work in the same building but I’ve never met skateboard guy. He doesn’t skate very far. To be clear, he drives to the outer parking lot of our campus and then skates down the moderately steep hill about a quarter mile or so to the entrance of the building. Once there, he picks up his board, walks through the revolving door and checks in – just like everyone else. I’ve only ever seen him skating down the hill. He looks quite comfortable on his skateboard. He gets up a good head of steam. Does a few tricks along the way. He really seems to enjoy himself. Going back up the hill can’t be as much fun. Surely, though, it’s a good workout.

Last week, I saw skateboard guy as I was getting ready to pull into the upper parking lot one morning. He was standing on the outer edge of the lot, waiting for an opening to get back on the road. I should point out that skateboard guy rides on the main road and then turns into a service road that brings him down near the side entrance to the building. On this particular day, I noticed that he was carrying something rather large under his arm. I looked over at him as I drove past. It was a framed painting or photograph. I craned my neck to get a look, but he was already on his way. I couldn’t see the image. It was maddening. I really wanted to know what it was that skateboard guy was carrying. Obviously, he would be hanging this on his office wall and I needed to know what it was.

I briefly considered turning my car around and trying to catch up with him so I could get a look, but I didn’t. First of all, I doubted that I could catch him. Second, in trying to get close enough to see what this man was carrying, I risked hitting him. Imagine explaining that to his next of kin!

So I never did find out what skateboard guy was carrying. It has been haunting me ever since. Okay, it’s one thing for an old dude to skateboard to work. It’s another thing entirely for him to be carrying a framed picture under his arm. The combined effect is simply too quirky. Did he consider for even a second that his actions might drive certain people crazy with curiosity? People like me? Did he? I think not.