Like A Kid Again

"Are you sure about this?" Becky asked, looking down the steep hill.

"Of course, I am," Joan said, then looked down the hill and swallowed. "At least, I think I am."

"Aren't we a little too old for this?" Becky asked, holding the green sled in her hands.

"Age isn't anything but a number," Joan said, holding the blue sled.

"As much as I'd like to agree, I don't think my back will agree with you," Becky said, laughing.

Jane laughed and said, "You know, I think my knees will agree with your back."

"Come on, Mom! Just do it!" Becky's daughter, Dawn, called out.

"Yeah, Mom! Do it!" Joan's son Eddie called out.

Joan and Becky looked at each other, then back at their kids.

"Just give us a moment!" Becky yelled back.

"Do you know how many years it's been since I've been down this hill?" Joan called out.

Eddie rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, yeah. I've heard the story. It's been twenty four years since you've been in the snow. Even longer than that since you've been on a sled. But we're not getting any younger, standing here while we wait for you to go down on our sleds."

Joan looked back at Becky and rolled her eyes.

"Kids today," she said. "Am I right?"

Becky nodded, then looked back down the hill again.

"Is this higher than when we were little?" she asked, worry in her voice. "I mean, the hill hasn't grown, has it?"

Joan looked down the hill and shook her head.

"I don't think so," she told her friend.

Looking at the bottom of the hill, she pointed to a small post that marked the edge of a path at the edge of the clearing.

"Remember that time we went down the hill on one sled and headed straight for that post?" Joan asked, chuckling.

Becky laughed and nodded, saying, "I remember feeling grateful I wasn't the one sitting in the front of the sled."

"I'm grateful we didn't hit it harder than we did!" Joan said, laughing.

"Thankfully, you weren't hurt," Becky said, smiling at her friend.

Joan nodded and said, "I think the sled took the brunt of the hit, and we were starting to slow down by the time we reached the post anyway."

"Quit stalling, you two," Dawn called out.

Joan and Becky looked down the hill once more.

"Should we just bite the bullet and get this over with?" Joan asked.

Becky swallowed and said, "I guess we should. I think the kids want their sleds back."

Joan nodded and put her sled down on the snow. She gingerly climbed on it, sitting down with her legs stretched out in front of her.

She looked up at Becky and said, "Your turn."

Becky put her sled down and sat down in it, then turned toward her friend.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Joan took a deep breath, then nodded, saying, "Let's go."

Scooting forward, the sled inched toward the edge of the top of the hill. Becky scooted forward next to her.

One last scoot and the sled started to move on its own.

"Here we go!" Joan called out.

Beside her, Becky's sled tipped over the edge and started the slide downward.

The two women gave yelps as the sleds picked up speed.

"Why did I let you talk me into this?" Becky yelled as she sped down the hill next to her friend.

Joan was too busy screaming to answer her.

The sleds reached the bottom of the hill and continued to slide forward.

"Not the post!" Becky yelled as her sled headed toward the infamous post.

"No! Becky!" Joan called out to her friend.

Becky was headed right for the post.

History played out again, but only with Becky, as Becky and the sled ran into the post.

Joan's sled had come to a stop, and she rolled out of it into the snow.

Having no luck struggling to her feet, she crawled over to her friend, who was on her side with her back to Joan.

"Becky! Becky! Are you all right?" she called out as she neared her friend.

"Mom! Mom! Are you hurt?" Dawn yelled, running across the snow to her prone mother.

Eddie was right behind her.

Joan and Dawn reached Becky at the same time Becky rolled over, tears running down her face from laughing so hard.

"You're laughing at a time like this?" Dawn said, straightening up and putting her hands on her hips.

"Oh, yeah," Becky gasped out. "Because it's funny as heck!"

Joan stared at her friend for a moment, then let out a burst of laughter. The two women roared with laughter, wiping at their eyes and rolling around on the ground.

Dawn and Eddie looked at each other and rolled their eyes at one another.

"Grown ups today," Dawn said. "Am I right?"

Eddie sighed and nodded.

The two women's laughter lessened, and they were able to sit up.

"If you two are done laughing, can we have our sleds now?" Dawn asked.

This caused Joan and Becky to burst out laughing again. Dawn sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I guess we'll just have to wait a little longer," she told Eddie.

"Can't we just take our sleds and leave them here until they're done?" he asked.

Dawn thought for a moment, then said, "You know, that's not such a bad idea."

"Go!" Joan said, waving her hand toward the kids. "Take the sleds and go."

"We'll be fine in a moment," Becky said, trying to calm her laughter.

"Just go and don't aim for us," Joan said, trying to contain her laughter.

The kids sighed and grabbed the sleds to head back up the hill.

Finally calming down, Becky looked at Joan and asked, "Have I told you how good it is to have you back in town?"

Joan grinned at her friend and asked, "Have I told you how good it is to be back in town?"

They grinned at one another, then Joan asked, "Now, how are we supposed to get up?"