Monday 3 October 2016

The Skateboarder

For audio click here 
I don't know what came over me.  I wasn’t in a particularly bad mood or anything. I wasn’t having a bad day, it was just a typical blustery, rainy, sunny Cardiff afternoon.  I'm not usually like that I promise.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I often think dark thoughts, but I’ve never acted on them before and doubt I ever will again. This was a one-off, a blip, an exception to the norm. I wonder if that means that usually, I’m a half decent person who knows the difference between right and wrong. Or does it mean that I am basically a half decent person who doesn't normally have the bottle to make sure my elbow was sticking out far enough to knock the skateboarder clean off his board as he glided past me on Queen's Street? 
“Watch where you're going mate,” I yelled, as he went sprawling over the pavement. I straightened my suit and looked at him indignantly, despite the fact it had been my elbows that had caused the collision. 
“Are you okay?” concerned passers-by stopped passing by and came over to check that I was alright. The boarder picked himself up and dusted himself down. He looked surprised that the people were fussing over me, not him. After all, he was the guy who just had an appointment with the paving stones. He was the guy with the hole in his jeans, although I can’t be certain that that wasn’t there before. 
“This is a pedestrianised area mate!” One of the passers-by stabbed his finger in his direction. “You shouldn't be riding that thing here in the first place.” 
“You’re lucky you didn’t kill him,” a female passer-by said, while holding my elbow for no apparent reason. 
“But he...”
The protest fell on deaf ears. To be honest the passers-by had already got bored. There was no blood, no broken bones, there was no chance they could call the local paper or be interviewed by a local TV channel. It was just a minor collision on a typical blustery, rainy, sunny Cardiff afternoon. There’d probably be another one tomorrow and another one the day after. 
“Sure you’re alright,” one of them said. 
“I’ll be fine,” I replied, and the small crowd began to disperse just as rain began to fall from a clear sky.  
I walked away, a small smile on my face, but the little old lady selling flowers for charity wagged her finger at me. 
“I saw what you did sunshine,” she said, and I didn’t like the look in her eyes. 

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