My past, on wheels

Growing up in Germantown in the late 80's was pretty idyllic, aside from an over-sized dose of small town gossip and lack of a decent community park.

Our little town of 5,000 celebrated the "diversity" of 15 or 20 very white, (yes, very German) last names. We had a whooping culture of hard-core football fans who hardly understood that there was a world beyond our big hair and friday night lights.

We were a microcosm, for sure. Relatively no commerce and a complete lack of fast food—aside from a very busy Dairy Queen—led us to the local swimming pool in the summer. In the winter, it was Romar skating rink. It was the only roller rink for miles around. It brought dozens of neighboring school kids into our tiny town.

Fast forward 25 years.

Ella brings home an announcement:

MEDLARVIEW ELEMENTARY SKATING PARTY!!!

Romar Skating Rink, Germantown Ohio

 

We made the 20-minute journey and found that the rink is still there, the freshly-painted black letters now crumbling from years of ice and rain. We stepped inside, and Ella ran to the skate rental booth. I stood there, silent, moving my phone in slow motion to snap this very familiar sight:

 

Ella, Carson and Derek laced up their skates. I followed them in my flip flops out to the rink, where they rolled in hardwood orbit to the latest Katy Perry tune. My mind conjured a different memory; instead, my ears heard the beat of  "She Dropped a Bomb On Me...Baby." It was a trip, to say the least.

I left the rink area and headed for the restroom, where I remember hiding out as a sixth grader. I remember cowering in a stall with a kleenex and my own hormonal misery, wiping away tears because my best friend called me a "snob." I had never felt so misunderstood.

 

As soon as I got to the door, my mouth flew open. The original sign...the original horrid hand towel dispenser, and even the toilet tissue were exactly the same as they'd been the last time I was there in as a kid in 1985. I stood there wondering who still manufactures rectangular folds of toilet paper. 

And just in case there were any question, the sign still hangs:

Ella had a blast and got a little more steady on her wheels. Carson showed his usual sense of absolutely NO fear. Derek got some exercise. And I found my own personal flux capacitor and joined Marty McFly in the time machine.