Chapter 8

“So, how come you don’t have a car, Tasha?”

“Eh, Portland is super easy to get around in by public transit. If I need something more than that, well then there’s rideshares or rentals. Honestly, derby is one of the few places that isn’t easily accessible by transit, which is a pain. It’s a lot of fun, though, so it’s worth it.”

Megan pondered this while they waited for their burgers. “I dunno, I’m really used to driving everywhere.”

“That’s okay, especially for now. Figure things out, and then decide about the car.”

“You’re right. Now, tell us a bit about what we’re about to… oh, damn! Those are some good-looking burgers.” The burgers were meaty and loaded with bacon, paired with freshly-cut fries.

Conversation ceased for a few minutes as the trio dug into their lunch. After a bit, Megan tried to listen as Tasha explained what she knew about roller derby, but she wasn’t getting it. “Okay, I think that maybe it will help if I just see it.”

“Yeah, that helped for me. And then when I had questions, I just asked the people next to me.”

“Really? Isn’t that weird?”

“Usually I’d say yes, but derby is pretty chill. You’ll see.”

“Wow… If we do this again, then we’re coming back here.”

“Definitely. Are you ready to head out?”

It only took a few minutes to get to the Hangar, although Megan was glad to have Tasha’s guidance. They parked in the lot and made their way to the big metal building. “I see why they call it the Hangar,” Megan said.

As they entered, they watched kids in blue and red uniforms skating around an oval track in the middle of the floor. Megan thought that they looked pretty small. “You said juniors. How old are these kids?”

“The Rose Petals are seven to twelve years old, I think. The next game is the Rose Buds, and they’re twelve to seventeen or something like that.”

“Look, Sophia. They’re your age.”

“I know! That’s so cool!”

“Okay, now I understand why you told me that I might hate you after this.”

Tasha snickered in response.

They found seats on the bleachers and settled in, watching the two teams warm up and listening to the crowd around them. The Hangar was a large open space with seating around the track in the middle and two team benches on the far side.

Megan relaxed enough to strike up a conversation with the people around her. The crowd was mostly the family of skaters, and they were all friendly and welcoming. She looked over and saw Tasha smile at her and she returned the smile. After about twenty minutes, Tasha leaned over and pointed to the far side between the team benches. “Do you see that guy in the sequined jacket over there with the referees? He’s the emcee, which means that the game is about to start.”

Megan found herself enjoying the game, even if she wasn’t always sure what was going on. The skaters with stars on their helmets were jammers who scored points by passing opposing blockers. There was a blocker with a striped helmet, and they could take the jammer’s star. One thing was for sure—it was fun and fast-paced, especially the second game with the older kids. Their increased size, experience, and athleticism made the game even faster. Megan especially enjoyed Sophia’s delight when a jammer defied gravity, leaping across the apex of the oval track to bypass the entire pack of blockers.

As they walked out a couple hours later, Megan watched her daughter practically bouncing off the walls. “You know this is all your fault, right?” she said to Tasha.

“Yep.”

“You created this monster, and now I have to live with her.”

“Correction, now we both have to live with her.”

“True… Thank you, Tasha. This was a lot of fun, and clearly Sophia enjoyed it as well. I think that we both needed this.”

“I’m not surprised. This really is a great community. They even have a recreational league. I’d totally join if I thought that my knee would hold up.”

“Still bothering you?”

“Yeah, it still aches when a thunderstorm is coming. Although one nice benefit to Portland is that we don’t get many thunderstorms.”

“Mommy, Mommy! Can I do that? I have my own skates!”

“Let’s see about that, okay? And I think that you might need new skates.”

“You’re the best!”

Tasha smiled. “What about your Aunt Tasha? Remember, this was my surprise, and I will make you cinnamon hot chocolate.”

“Aunt Tasha is the best!”

“Hey now.”

Tasha wrapped an arm around Megan’s shoulders. “We can both be the best, it’s not a competition!”

“Says the woman trying to steal my daughter’s affection.”

“Do or do not, there is no try.”

For a weekend that started in tears, Megan couldn’t remember that last time she had laughed this much. She knew that there were difficult times ahead, but she felt a lot better about facing the future.

“You win. I’ll ditch the blonde.”

“Yes!”