Page 37 of Date With Skates

We climb another set of steps, and there is another door, which he pushes open. We step out into the chilled night air again; the wind is stronger and colder up here. We’re not too high up, but you can see pretty far. What’s really cool is that you can see the Village from here.

“Is that—”

“Yeah,” I say. “Cool, huh?”

He looks up at me, his cheeks already red. “Yes, actually. It’s very cool.”

He turns his attention back to the Village. It’s a good distance, but we’re on higher ground here, so we can see the lights and the tall buildings pretty clearly. It’s a beautiful view.

“You brought me up here to show me something pretty?” he asks, looking up at me.

“If I wanted to do that, I’d just give you a mirror.”

He smiles genuinely.

“You’re cheesier than I thought.”

I lean in close. “You love it.”

His eyes widen a fraction, and he bites his lip. Shrugging, he turns away from me and looks back at our view.

“How did you pull this off?” he asks a few moments later.

“A magician never reveals his secrets.”

“Good thing you’re not a magician.”

“Yeah, fair point.” I chuckle. “I paid the maintenance guy a thousand dollars.”

“A thousand dollars?” he asks in disbelief.

I shrug. “Didn’t think he’d do it for less, but he seemed as shocked as you.”

“Sucker,” he mutters under his breath.

“Whatever. It’s just money.”

He huffs out a laugh.

“What?” I ask.

He shrugs. “Nico and I always say that. ‘It’s just money.’ Our parents don’t agree.”

“They grew up in a different time than you.”

“That is very true. It’s also hard to make money mean something when there is so much of it.”

I’ve said that for years. Even after coming from nothing, it’s hard to give money a sense of worth.

“I couldn’t agree with you more. There are only so many things you can buy. I donate a lot of my money.”

“Really?” he asks, looking at me like it’s hard to believe.

“Yeah, of course.”

“What kind of stuff?”

“Feeding hungry kids, mostly.”