“Tina! Do you guys want my mother to come out here and send you home?” Sally says quietly.
“For what, saying ‘bitch’?” Melissa chuckles. “Well, I’m glad I washed my mouth out with soap this morning. I almost forgot we were going to be among royalty.” Tina and Melissa share a laugh. I am beginning to think we might have to set a few rules, but I can’t think of anything more than not referring to each other as bitches and trailer park people or fake royalty. But judging by our culture clash, something is bound to come up.
Double Dutch might look crazy complicated, but it’s not. It’s just all the fancy moves and tricks that make it look harder than it really is. Add perfection to it and that’s where the competition and fun come in. I want to create complicated moves like those aerial spins between the ropes without making one mistake. But for anyone trying to actually jump double Dutch for the first time, like Tina and Melissa, the hardest part is getting in the ropes.
“Ready?” I ask as Sally and I turn the ropes inward, one after another, very slowly, slow enough for a turtle to get in. Melissa stands next to Sally and lunges toward the ropes over and over again as they pass by.
“Come on!” Tina says impatiently. “Jump in already!”
“Quit it, Tina!” Melissa yells back. “You’re making me lose my concentration.”
“We’re turning as slow as we can,” Sally says.
“Come on, Melissa, you can do it,” I encourage her. “I’ll give you a ‘go’ every time it’s good to go in, okay?”
“I got this,” Melissa says, determined.
“Okay,” I say resignedly. “But remember, jump in with the foot closest to the rope, and then pick up your foot before the rope gets to it. You can do it.” Melissa rocks back and forth and back and forth…and back and forth. Sally gets frustrated and drops the ropes.
“She’s not going to jump!” Sally says.
“Give her a chance!” I yell at Sally. “She’ll do it.”
“This is useless! She probably doesn’t have any rhythm!”
“What do you mean no rhythm?” Melissa shouts at Sally. “Oh, I’ve got rhythm. Let me hold your iPod, Tina.” Tina hands the tiny device to Melissa, who shoves in the earbuds. I love that Melissa is uninhibited about everything, but I am afraid of what is to follow. White girls are not known for their street dancing. Suddenly Melissa is pop-locking! OMG! Well, in my face! She’s killing it and talking like we can’t hear her. “I don’t have rhythm….” Pop…Move…Lock…Wiggle…Pop…“Yeah right. This isn’t rhythm.” I try to contain my joy and laughter. Everything I’ve thought about white girls and dancing has just been shattered. Go, Melissa!
“Okay, okay!” Sally says. “I get it! You can dance!”
“All right, then, let me jump,” Melissa says as we pick up the ropes, with more excitement this time. “One-two-three.” Melissa slips into the ropes and kicks her knees up like she’s exercising, but she’s keeping them off the ropes. “I’m doing it! I’m double-Dutching! Ha ha!”
“Yeah! Keep going! You got it! Awesome!” Sally and I cheer simultaneously. She jumps a few more seconds, then tries to do a turn, but her feet get caught in the ropes. She’s done.
“Damn!” Melissa yells. “I mean, darn!”
“You’ll have to get the basics before doing other stuff,” I tell her. “But that was good!” Melissa jumps up and down, smiling.
“Your turn, Tina,” Melissa prompts. “Let’s see how you do, Ms. Fancy-Pants.”
“Okay.” Tina shrugs. Sally and I begin turning the ropes at the same slow pace we did for Melissa.
“Uh, can you guys turn a little faster? Oh, and wait.” Tina plugs in her earbuds. Sally and I look at each other like, What? We turn faster, as she requested. To our surprise Tina gets in after the third loop! She’s jumping and turning and even shaking her head as if she’s dancing.
“Tina!” Sally says. “She got it!”
“Wow!” I am in shock.
“Show-off!” Melissa snickers. Tina can’t hear a word we’re saying with her earbuds in, but she catches the ropes with her feet.
“Huh?” Tina asks.
“That was so awesome, Tina!” Sally says.
“I thought you said you didn’t know how to jump,” I say.
“Well, I watched some videos online and practiced the footwork in my room,” Tina says nonchalantly. “It seems like it’s all about rhythm and coordination of the ropes.” Okay.
“Maybe I’ll just be a turner?” Melissa suggests.
“That might be a good idea,” Sally agrees. I shoot her a look. “I mean, we’ll see.”
“Once we get the basics down, we can put in some real moves,” I say, picking up the ropes. “So let’s keep going until everyone learns each other’s rhythm. Everybody needs to be able to jump in at any time, just in case something happens.”
“Like what?” Sally crosses her arms. “Like someone freezes?”
“I wasn’t even thinking that.” I really wasn’t. I was thinking a twisted ankle or something like that. Obviously Sally still has jitters about getting back in competition. Now that she’s brought it up, I start to think, What if she does freeze?
“I’m not going to freeze!” Sally insists. Melissa grabs the other end of the ropes and hands them to Sally.
“Come on, Princess, just in case,” Melissa says. “Let me try it again.”
“Okay, but stop calling me Princess,” Sally says.
“Well, stop treating me like I’m a peasant, and we’re good,” Melissa answers. Now we’re getting along…somewhat.
I don’t think Melissa is trying to be snide; she is just determined to learn how to jump double Dutch. And as we practice all morning and afternoon, I begin to really like her and Tina. Melissa is gritty and fearless. I admire that about her. She is still struggling with jumping, but I take her to a tree at the end
