"Making Room"

The four rose early that wintery Christmas morning.

Daniel had slept downstairs on one of the oversized couches, whiles his three teenage children slept around him on the floor, in a mix of sleeping bags, extra couch cushions, and quilts. Daniel’s old St. Bernard, Clairveau, acted as pillow for Laney, his youngest, while his older son Caleb vied with the dog for the loudest snore. Jenny, the in-between daughter, was the earliest to rise, and simply hugged her dad until he stumbled to his feet.

“What are the plans for today?” she asked, while the other two kids woke more slowly.

“Well, if you can wait until later to open the rest of your presents, I thought we’d head over to Whistler’s Pond and get some skating in,” Daniel replied, rubbing his eyes.

“Yay!” cried Laney. “I’ve wanted to go skating all winter, but Mom’s always too busy.”

“Well, not today, pumpkin,” Daniel replied, absorbing her leaping body with an audible “Oof!”

Breakfast was hurried and not very nutritious: coffee cake, tea and juice, with a couple of bananas and part of a leftover Smoothie that Jenna had brought home from her fast food job. It seemed to take more time to just get their skates together, untied from last year’s knots and matched up with suitable gloves and hats for the morning cold, than it did to make and consume their breakfast.

Caleb drove, proud to show off his “new” car, a less-than-eight-year-old Audi with a really nice tan leather interior. Daniel wanted to say he was jealous, but instead, he complimented his son on his good choice of vehicles.

“You bought it local, I hope?” he asked Caleb.

“Of course, Dad,” Caleb replied never taking his eyes off the road. “After you kept bugging me to do that with all those texts, how could I not?”

“And you got a warranty, too?” Daniel prodded further.

“Six months,” his son replied. “Full drivetrain and all electronics.”

“That’s excellent,” Daniel replied.

He relaxed in the front passenger seats as the girls gabbed between themselves in the back, discussing each other’s music tastes, and whether Laney had caught up to Jenna in height yet. They’re growing up just fine, Daniel thought to himself. They’re making good choices. They’re being smart. He almost shed a tear when he added, They won’t miss me. Not too much.

Their collective excitement dimmed when they got to within a half-block of old Farmer Whistler’s place, with his four-acre private pond nestled between his property and the newest subdivision. Where Daniel recalled taking the three when they were younger to an undiscovered winter jewel, it now seemed as busy as the rink at Rockefeller Center. Cars lined both sides of the dead-end road, and hundreds of footprints in the snow told them they wouldn’t be alone on the ice.

Caleb managed to squeeze in his car between two haphazardly parked SUVs, and they retrieved their skates and other gear. Daniel kept their spirits up, assuring them that most of the people in all of these cars would probably be adults too old or disinterested to actually be on the ice, and would probably be sitting in lawn chairs or on cushions, drinking hot chocolate or Irish coffee.

“What’s Irish coffee?” Laney asked. “Does it have four-leaf clovers in it?”

“No,” her father replied, wondering how much to tell her. “It’s just…stronger than normal.”

Caleb took over. “It’s got alcohol in it,” he confided to her. “Tastes horrible.”

“Then why do they put it in their coffee?” she inquired further.

Jenna piped up, “Because they’re knuckleheads!” she said loudly, using one of her Father’s favorite words. The four laughed at her perfect application of the term.

The scene that greeted them as they topped the last low ridge froze their spirits more than the gentle wintry breeze. The pond, easily three hundred feet wide and twice that in length, was crammed with hundreds of skaters of all shapes, sizes, and skill levels, though the average body was on the more muscled and bulkier side. It looked like someone had hired every semi-professional hockey team in the country to show up on this crisp and clear Christmas morning, and offered to pay them for every butt they planted on the ice.

“Oh, no!” Laney said, sounding utterly defeated. “Dad, there’s not enough room!”

Jenna called out, “Maybe we can come back tomorrow?”

Daniel heaved a surprisingly large sigh. “I wish we could, honey, but I have to leave early tomorrow. I have a flight up to Minneapolis, that I…” He paused for a moment, again wondering how much to share. “I can’t delay my appointment tomorrow.”

Caleb glanced at his father and wondered what he wasn’t telling them. He’d seen the stack of hospital and specialist bills his mother had pushed into his father’s hands when his dad had arrived the day before. He knew it had to be serious enough that his father wouldn’t tell them.

Jenna struggled to get her skates on while sitting on a mostly dry boulder off to the left. “Well, I haven’t skated in a year, and no stampede of cattle is gonna keep me off this ice!”

Laney joined her, while Daniel and Caleb made do with a small patch of ice-covered ground. When they were all set, the four hobbled across the ground to the side of the pond. They gingerly set off across the surprisingly smooth surface, only to be almost instantly flattened by two high schoolers intent on skating as fast as possible through the slower crowd.

“Hey, look out!” Daniel yelled, but the two were already long gone, leaving a trail of laughter in their wake.

Another disaster almost occurred seconds later, as a pack of girls, each with their cellphones out, were taking simultaneous selfies as they chortled and waved, bouncing off of one older couple and narrowly flattening Laney, who didn’t see them coming up from behind. Only Caleb’s quick action to pull her out of the way saved her from a nasty accident.

More groups flew around the crowded surface, few of them watching where they were going, or looking out for the smaller kids there, some much younger than Laney.

Jenna was beside herself. “Dad, there’s too many people! And none of them are being careful!”

Daniel put his hands on his hips for a moment, wondering what to do. Then, his face grew a devious smile. “No problem. I got this.”

He skated a few strides away from his kids and grabbed his stomach with both hands. “Oh, God, how old was that bacon at your mom’s place?” His head lurched forward, and he held back something in his mouth. “Did any of you kids have the—urp! The casserole?”

He held one hand above his head, trying to suggest he was OK, but his other hand clutched his heaving stomach like his intestines were going to explode.

“Oh, Lord!” He put a hand up to his closed lips, and his cheeks expanded. He looked like he was going to hurl right there on the ice. His grunts and moans were loud and impressive, and they had an immediate effect.

Everyone within range cleared out, fast, heading for the nearest shore. Parents guided their children away, teens headed to the distant area of the pond, and the speedskaters wheeled right around and joined them, disappearing into the quickly thinning crowd.

For the next ten minutes, surrounded by sidelined onlookers with stony glares, Daniel and his three kids had a wonderful time skating around the almost empty half of the pond, completely unchallenged. When anyone came up to ask Daniel if he was feeling better, he began the “Oh, Lord, I’m about to hurl” routine again, and they backed off.

Eventually, other skaters got wise that Daniel was merely putting on an act, and slowly rejoined them on the pond. But the audible demonstration had had its effect: there was now a perpetual and sizeable “no-skate zone” around the four of them, which gave them all the safety they needed.

After about an hour and a half, Laney and Jenna admitted they’d skated enough for one morning, and decided the lure of unopened presents was too much to resist. They convinced Caleb and their father that it was time to leave.

As they undid their skates and put on their boots, Jenna nudged her father in the ribs. “That was a pretty good show you put on back there.”

“Anything for you guys,” he replied proudly.

As they walked towards the low ridge and the parked cars, there were followed by laughter, a few cheers and catcalls, and a smattering of “Glad you didn’t lose it on the ice!” and “Next time, stick to the fruit plate!” recommendations.

Daniel took it all in with eminent grace. He whirled about, doffed his knit cap with a regal bow, and loudly proclaimed, “Elvis has left the building!” which garnered even more laughter.

Laney hugged him around the waist. “You’re the best, Dad.”

Daniel laughed and hugged her tight. “I am, aren’t I?”

It may have been the last time the four of them ever skated together, but it was also a moment in time the three children would cherish for the rest of their lives.