When Susan Barrientos was just five years-old, her mom took her to the Starlight roller skating in the Houston suburbs. The rink offered one free class, so Susan learned the basics.
“Then that was it because she couldn’t afford the classes,” remembers Susan.
For Susan, the roller rink was the place to be. She and her friends would go every Friday night and skate along to Depeche Mode and The Smiths.
As an adult, Susan tried to get back into the sport. She bought herself a brand new pair of black roller skates, but her husband at the time criticized her for the purchase.
Susan put her skates away, but over the next several years even as she and her family moved across the country, she held onto those skates.
Then, when she got divorced, she laced up her skates for the first time in years, and she didn’t fall.
This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Originally aired August 16, 2024, on NPR’s Morning Edition.