My Childhood Treasure

Do you remember the treasured item of your youth, the one that you did not want to let out of your sight? For many kids it might have been a doll, a blanket, teddy bear, or a baseball card. My treasure was more important to me than anything else in my possession. I was a tomboy, so if you guessed a doll as my treasure, you are very, very, wrong.

Remember how we were often devastated if our treasure was lost, or in the case of having brothers or sisters, swiped?  I was the oldest of five and learned early about sibling sticky fingers; I kept my treasure around my neck. By wearing it, I would always know exactly where it was and have it ready for me, or my best friend, Janet, to use.

Janet, and I, lived in a neighborhood that had wonderful sidewalks and we made daily use of them. We rode our bikes, drew hopscotch squares, and played hours of jacks, but, our favorite use of the sidewalk was for roller skating. We were, without a doubt, little roller derby queens!

In those days, the roller skates were metal, even the wheels. An adjustment bar, in the center of a skate, adjusted for foot length; one set of skates could be used by the whole family. The skates were made to wear with hard sole shoes, such as saddle oxfords, loafers, or boots. The front of the skates had an adjustable bar, curved on the end of each side, which would slide into the groove between the sole and the top of the shoe. To adjust this bar, for a good tight fit, you needed a skate key. The back of the skate had a ridge that rested against the heel of your shoe. A leather strap threaded through the back of the skate and buckled around the ankle to hold the skate in place. These skates were a much loved, very important, part of our young lives, but they were useless without a skate key. My treasure was a skate key. I was a very important kid to know; I kept up with the needed key. Janet, and I, put so many miles on our skates it is a wonder that the sidewalks did not have wheel grooves.

The photo I am using, as my blog photo, is of me in the roller skates I have described. If you will look closely, you will find my treasure hanging around my neck. I no longer have the skate key, but I do have the photo, which I now consider the treasure. I wish Janet were in the photo, too. If she were, it would be a priceless treasure.

A few years ago, my sister gave me a pair of these skates; she found them at an antique store. She later took back the skate key. I should have hung it around my neck.