Chapter 12: Youth In Flight, Part 2

"You hurt, young man?" an elderly woman leaned over to peer at him. "What were you doing?"

"He tried something and fell," Pranthi said. "Just needs to catch his breath."

The kid started laughing, so the old woman walked on. He rolled to his feet with an ease that made Pranthi's hand tighten with envy. He sat down beside her and rubbed his knee.

"Sad day when I'm being fussed over by an old lady and a cripple," he said. "You aren't going to bust me?"

"Why should I? You appear to be working on busting yourself."

"I mean, I tried to grab your sh..." he stopped himself. "Most people would be calling the cops already."

"When I was a child," Pranthi said, "I stole food for my family."

"How did you escape with those..." he pointed at the leg braces.

"They came later," Pranthi said. "I was fastest on my block, no one could catch me. Mother felt begging was more honorable than stealing so..." she shrugged and handed the skateboard back. "You may call me Pranthi. I'm more likely to answer then if you yell 'effing cripple'."

The kid turned a deep red and twisted the board around.

"I'm Jack. Look, I'm sorry, I saw all that gear and just figured it had to be worth a pile of money."

"It is," Pranthi said.

They sat for a while watching people walk past. Her leg braces were always worth a second look, but, sitting with Jack, people watched him and glossed over her. Their looks held suspicion instead of pity. She'd take what she could get.

"You sell the pictures?"

"It is how I make my living."

"You got any pictures of me?"

Pranthi pulled out her tablet and they looked at her pictures. Photo editors didn't enthuse over pictures, as it drove the prices up. Jack's excitement over the shots of him frozen in mid trick was refreshing. She didn't pay attention to the time, so it came as a shock when she shivered so much she feared dropping the tablet.

"Hey," he pulled her to her feet, "take my hoodie. It'll keep you warm." He wrapped it around her and helped her put the camera bag on top. His warmth flowed into her, and eased the ache. "If you think these are cool, I'll get some friends to meet you at the skate park and we'll show you some real moves."

"I'd like that," Pranthi said, relieved that her voice didn't shake from the cold.

"Just leave the hoodie with Frank. He's stuffy, but righteous. I'll get it back okay."

He took off in the opposite direction, pushing his board to crazy speeds and weaving through the crowd on the sidewalk. Pranthi walked back to the apartment.

"That's a different look," Frank said as he opened the door.

"Jack worried I was getting a chill." Pranthi handed Frank her camera bag as she peeled off the sweater. Even inside she wished she had the extra warmth. Time to add a layer or two to her wardrobe.

"There's hope for that kid." Frank folded the hoodie and put it behind the desk for Jack. Pranthi took the elevator up to her room. "I just wish he wouldn't skateboard in the lobby."

One day, the next week, Frank knocked at her door.

"Jack asked me to give you a message," he said. "He even promised to carry his board through the lobby if I delivered it for him right away."

"Thank you," Pranthi said as she took the envelope.

Meet you at sk8 prk. Tomorrow 2. He had drawn a map so she could find the place.

Pranthi sat down to plan what kit she'd need for the shoot. Her main camera and lenses; she had an older camera that would work for some video. A tripod, and hand warmers. She'd never found gloves that let her work the camera fast enough. It wouldn't fit in her usual gear bag, so she packed it in a wheelie case that she didn't use often. It still had space so she tossed in a blanket.

The taxi driver knew where the park was even without the map. His kid was a skater. When he learned she was shooting there, he texted his son. He dropped Pranthi off and pointed her in the right direction to find the park. The driver waved as he drove off and she walked toward the blaring rock music.

The skate park dominated the side of a hill rising up in three tiers. Stairs and ramps connected the tiers while high ramps and a thing that looked like a clamshell were set around the edges. On one side of the bottom tier was a hole that looked like a waterless swimming pool.

Jack waved to her and she was instantly surrounded by skaters who all had their own idea of what she should shoot and how.

"I will set up in one place to shoot," Pranthi said. "When I have enough there, we will move to the next." She pulled out her camera. "Skate for a bit and let me get a feel for what you do. Then we'll get serious."

The first thing that struck her was the flow of skaters. She'd expected chaos and near collisions, but very few times did someone have to veer off. Once she learned the pattern it became easier to shoot. She started following skaters with her new zoom lens on the tripod.

"We'll start with the stairs," she told Jack when she caught his attention. Skaters lined up to ride the railing down the chosen set of steps or simply to jump down. They encouraged her to come in close, promising not to land anywhere near her. She changed lenses and caught some pictures as close to humans in flight as she'd ever seen. When a skater missed a landing, they'd roll on the concrete cursing before taking their board back from whomever caught it.