Read The Selfless Act for Free Online Page A

for a change. Last week she’d worked several back-to-back shifts at the nursing home and needed a little downtime.
    As the teens chatted with each other and their new youth leader, Kristi sat on a bench by herself to put on her skates. She hadn’t gone roller skating since she was a teenager and had forgotten how noisy it could be. Between the hum of voices, and the music blaring overhead, it was hard to think.
    “Let’s get something to eat before we start skating.” Irv, a fifteen-year-old freckle-faced boy, pointed to the snack bar. “I need a few hot dogs to get me revved up.”
    Darin bobbed his head. “I’m with you on that. Anyone else want to eat now?”
    Several hands went up, and then he turned to Kristi. “How about you? Should I order us both a hot dog with fries?”
    “No thanks. Think I’ll skate awhile, then see later on if they have anything healthier than hot dogs in the snack area.”
    Darin finished lacing up his skates and pushed a chunk of hair out of his face. “Okay, whatever you want to do is fine with me.” He stood, did a few wobbly turns on his skates, and rolled off in the direction of the snack bar. Several of the teens followed, but a few went out on the rink.
    Kristi watched the kids start skating. They seemed to get it right, without a problem. They made it look simple, in fact. Hopefully, it would be easy to skate out there, with the amount of bodies already filling up the ever-shrinking skating space.
    There are a lot of people here tonight, she mused. We’ll be packed in tightly, like a tin of sardines wearing roller skates.
    A bit unsteady at first, Kristi inched her way along, until she, too, was on the rink. She would take it slow and easy until she felt more confident, because the last thing she needed was to fall and make a fool of herself.
    She’d only been skating fifteen minutes when Darin, flailing his arms overhead, skated up to her with a big grin. “I’d forgotten how much fun skating could be. Haven’t been at a rink in several years.”
    “Me neither. It took a while to get my balance.” She smiled as he nodded and did a few awkward-looking turns.
    “You weren’t in the snack bar very long. Did you get anything to eat?”
    “Sure did.” He grinned and smacked his lips. “The hot dog was so good I practically inhaled it.”
    Kristi resisted the urge to give Darin her thoughts on the importance of a healthy diet. Instead, she gave a small wave and sailed right past him.
    Half an hour later, she headed for the snack bar. The line was short, but she stood off to the side to figure out what to order. Her eyebrows drew in as she browsed the menu board. Kristi didn’t care to eat most of the foods listed, since she preferred organic food with less sugar. Finally, she settled on a slice of pizza and a bottle of water. As she sat at one of the tables with her food, watching the skaters on the floor, she spotted a man who reminded her of Joel. He had the same thick, dark hair and short-cropped beard. However, this guy was skating with two small children, each holding his hand. He was obviously not Joel.
    I shouldn’t be thinking of Joel right now,
Kristi berated herself.
What we once had is over, and it’s time to move on.
How many times had she thought about him and given herself a mental shake? She picked up her slice of pizza and took a small bite.
If only things could have worked out differently between us.
    As Kristi got up from her seat to throw away her paper plate and napkin, she thought about Joel’s family and wondered how they were all doing. She’d meant to go back to Der Dutchman Restaurant to see Doris again but hadn’t made it. She’d been busy during the holidays, and now with the unpredictable weather, she didn’t feel like driving down to Holmes County on roads that were often icy or covered in snow. Besides, it was hard to see Doris and not think about Joel.
    “You coming back out to skate?” Darin skated up to her. “They just