Never

Never

Audacity is sometimes mistaken for insensitivity. With good reason. Jack had been called audacious all his life, but he didn't really know what it meant. When he looked audacity up, his thirteen year old mind was shocked. As shocked as a thirteen year old boy can get. That second definition was a real pain. He didn’t mind the first one  - something about taking bold risks. He could see that. Kind of like skateboarding up that straight wall in the boarding park. He figured that was a pretty bold risk and he was the only one that could make that ride without crashing. But disrespectful? Never. His mom taught him better than that. “Mom!? Am I disrespectful? When I’m being that audacious thing grandma says I am.”

“Of course not, honey. You’ve learned to be a very respectful boy. Well, except maybe when all your skate boarding gets you in the hospital because you’ve broken your arm. Of course then there’s…………” Jack opened the fridge door, leaned into it and looked for something to drink. His voice muffled he said…… “All right. All right. You don’t need to get started on me.” His list of skate boarding injuries was so long that he knew most of the ER docs by their first names. they really like him and knew when he was as soon as they saw him. Jack grabbed the jug of orange juice, closed the fridge door with his foot and said. “I’m going out mom. See you later.” Jack grabbed his skateboard, chugged the last drop of orange juice and slammed out the door headed for some ramps and concrete steps one of the guys told him about. 

“Audacity is of all qualities the most youthful.”

~ Ellen Glasgow