Micah Jennings

2.11.05 Friday [grace]

I’ve been given another day of freedom. I dreamt I was already spending my life in a glossy-walled brick cell, and expected to see exactly that when my eyes opened. I was almost shocked to feel soft, plastered walls at my sides. I ran my hand along the porous surface, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight on the other side. I opened the window and filled my lungs with the sweet scent of spring’s first breath. It’s important to take this all in now. I will have little more than these memories when I’m taken away.

Ben asked if I’d be interested in tagging along with him and Aaron as they scouted for suitable parkour spots. Tomorrow they’ve scheduled a large jam geared towards the new crowd. I remember how Ben described it to me a few weeks ago. ‘We’ll be like forefathers,” he’d said. I laughed then, but now… I’m going to miss not being there. I could teach the beginners so much. Not just about the movements of parkour, but about its use. There’s so much I want to say. Maybe I’ll have another day? In either case, I thought it a privilege to join them.

Saw the judge for what I strongly suspect will be one of the last times. His eyes shone with luster as I told him that the deliveries were complete. He didn’t even mention me needing to pay him back, although this is at the forefront of my mind. It seems that as I try to right the wrongs of my history, I only shift the burden from one victim to another. If only I could take it all upon my own shoulders…I would feel so much better.

We talked about what a journey the last month has been, and how we’d done the right thing. Then the conversation shifted to regrets. I, of course, had a long list, starting from the moment I blinded myself to the truth about mom. Reginald listened intently, patiently, as he always does. Finally, when he’d absorbed what I’d said, he mentioned:

“I regret never seein’ yew in action.”
“You wanted to watch me break in?”
“No, I mean that par-goor thing. Seems like a fun thing to watch.”
I mentioned the jam for tomorrow.
“Sorta last minute, but I’ll see what I can do. I wanna see what this is all about.”

So he agreed to try to attend, and I prayed for another day of liberty.

When I got back, I found all the lights off in the apartment, except for the computer monitor in the living room. It was partially covered with a post-it note. On it was written:

“F5”

I pulled it off and glanced at the screen. It was the urban graffiti forum of Urban Freeflow, where parkour videos were posted and consequently rated by other members. Following the note, I hit the refresh button and watched as the page reloaded.

Pinned to the very top of the forum was a topic entitled:
“Micah Jennings Feb 05 Sampler!” It had over two thousand views and dozens of posts, along with the highest possible rating.

I fumbled with the mouse desperately, looking to see what this was all about! The initial post was by Bjammin, Ben’s UF screen name. It read:

"This video is a compilation of clips filmed over a week’s time without the runner’s knowledge. He doesn’t visit the boards much, but we simply could not avoid sharing his abilities with you. A must see!"

I followed the link and watched myself for the first time. I’d never been able to step back like this, and I was impressed with how it looked. It was obvious the filming was incognito, evident by the shaky angles and clipped scenes. Still, it was fun to watch! I went back and read the comments.
“WOW! Dood, how long av u been pkin?!! Amazin!”
“0:16, 0:34, 1:14, 1:18, 1:49, 1:56, 2:03, 2:21 – I’ve never EVER seen that stuff before!! One of the best videos Ive seen—EVER.”
“Incredible flow!!!!! Honestly the best vid since Releve.”
“Where do u come up wit dis?? AHHH!!”
“Astounding understanding of movement. You’ve earned yourself a sticky spot as video of the week!”

And so it went, on and on for several pages. It is their gift to me. My last thing to remember them by. I doubted them, I betrayed them, and I hurt them, but Ben and Aaron only give back good in return. I will never forget them!

-M.J.

posted by Mr. Linty @ 11:12 PM