With my course on publishing finished, I was finally able to go back to Martial Arts Mayhem. It’s a Tae Bo class: kicking, punching, squats and doing something called the “funky monkey” (don’t ask). The workout is demanding and so at first I didn’t notice two young skateboarders watching us through the wall of windows facing the street.
They watched, expressionless, while we sweated our way through push-ups, sit-ups, and combination punches. After a few moments, I stopped paying attention to them because I required all my concentration to avoid falling off my step while doing skiers’ lunges.
When I heard the little shocked giggle erupt from someone in the class I looked over to the window to see something unexpected. Sk8er (as Avril would style it) Number One had dropped trou and was now sharing with us his opinion of Tae Bo.
A moment later he pulled up his giant pants and, giggling like a maniac, ran away with his friend.
There is a scene in the new Alice book in which she decides to make a documentary about skateboarders. But before she starts shooting she wants to try it herself, just in case she turns out to be the next Tony Hawk. Chaos and mayhem follow. Perhaps the mooning incident is a sign from the muses. Although if it is, I prefer not to look at it too closely.