music: Blackalicious- Blazing Arrow
I stopped at Danehy Park on the way home today to catch the sunset. I pulled my bike up to a park bench and stretched out, allowing colors to shift from cerulean to amber. It was a nice moment. I heard the group of kids coming before I saw them.
The kid at the front, lost in his hood, all of a sudden peeks out from underneath the fabric like a turtle and lets out a “HOLY SHIT! IT’S TONY HAWK!”
I, being tired and trying to relax, didn’t realize he was talking about me and didn’t really feel the need to point out his mistake.
(Do I even look like Tony Hawk? I have no idea what Tony Hawk looks like.)
He comes up to me, asks for my autograph. He’s frothing at the mouth because Tony Hawk, apparently, is sitting right in front of him. Who am I to crush this kid’s sense of wonder? I ask for his name.
“Malik.”
I pull some scrap of paper out of my bag, scribble a quick message, and hand it over. He’s ecstatic. He takes off, pumped to play some skatebording video game no doubt. I smile on the inside and watch the sun go down. It was a nice moment.
Dear Malik-
Skate Or Die!
-Tony Hawk
great thing to read at the end of a long day.
you’re quite the wit david.
Posted by: ajm at November 16, 2004 09:32 PMI used to own Skate or Die.
I never really knew how to play it all that well, but I knew you had to get the crows to fly out of the sky, and the hearts were real good points too.