BANGERZ (2014)

25. Fall

Today is Saturday, Christmas Eve, and all afternoon I've been in the car shop with Za finishing up my present for Jason: a new skateboard. Za has been a huge help, telling me what kind of board to buy, letting me use his shop garage as a workspace, and showing me how to use spray paint for decorating purposes. (It's like nail polish in a can, potent and deep-hued, and requires the same amount of control, precision, and patience. It's a good thing I love manicures.) After the board was finally delivered to my house, I wanted to add my own personal touch to it, to make it more special for Jason, so I've been designing it myself for the past week.

I don't consider myself an artist, but I've been working hard on it and using Za's impressive collection of paint (I'll have to buy him some more; maybe as an extra present to the silver dice I already bought him for his car?) I even memorized the anatomy of a skateboard and Jason's favorite tricks so I'd know what parts he'd able to show off the most.

So I sprayed the entire board this sick electric-blue color - two coats to even out over the grip tape. Then I tagged the top with "Bizzle" in platinum letters. I sprayed the back in slick, oil-black paint and embellished it with symbols: a metallic gold crown, a small bronze scale of music notes, and copper Roman numerals reading 3-1-95.

This afternoon I put the finishing touch on the board: a silver maple leaf for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Jason's favorite hockey team. I didn't even know he loved hockey until yesterday, when the crew came over to my house. Besides decorating the entire house, tying my own bows on my presents, and filling everyone's stockings - making a gingerbread house, a batch of snicker doodles, and peppermint straws for hot chocolate is my holiday specialty.

Christmas always puts me in an even more giving mood, and it made me so happy to be able to share traditions with my best friends. We swapped funny holiday stories, watched classic films, and played Jenga with the pieces of the gingerbread house.

Danny and Anna were out ice-skating, which was how we got on the subject of hockey. I thought it was the cutest thing when Jason got excited and talked to us about it, going on animatedly about his favorite team and how he had to teach us how to play sometime. I just watched him and listened to every word, smiling because he seemed so happy and at ease. Part of that might've been because I fed him with sweets and massaged his shoulders while we watched the movies, but still - he was adorable. It reminded me of the day we skipped school together, and he was just a big kid trying to nail a skate trick. He loves what he does, and I love when he's able to show it.

Now I look at the skateboard in front of me and am reminded of Jason all over again. I wanted the designs I added to have special meaning and representation, kind of like his tattoos. A crown, for the leadership and responsibility he takes for his friends. A scale of music notes, for his passion and appreciation. A writing of his birth date, because he knows he's lucky and takes nothing for granted. And a maple leaf, for something he loves.

"Yeah, I'm done," I declare, smiling a smile that illuminates my face, my insides, my soul. I sweep my gaze over the skateboard once more, nod in satisfaction, and turn to Za. "Do you think he'll like it?"

Za scoffs and then grins. "He'll like anything you give him," he promises, waggling his eyebrows.

I roll my eyes as he saunters back over to his paint-splattered canvas. He's only been testing out the color intensity and nozzle strength, but it still looks like a masterpiece. An abstract, kaleidoscopic masterpiece.

"Seriously, Za," I say. "From Tattoo Artist Extraordinaire - " I point to him "- to Graffiti Novice." I place my hand over my heart and make puppy-dog eyes. "Does it look good?"

"I don't know..." he coaxes. He taps his chin and looks around teasingly. "You shouldn't ask me. The car exhaust and the paint fumes are just too much in here. They swimming around in my head and I think I'm getting a little baked, if you know what I'm saying. I'll tell you anything looks good when I'm like this."