Skating Around My Heart

The kids are adorable, all bundled in their puffy neon jackets and crazy patterned mittens. Their matching scarves trailed after them like the tail of a comet as they take turns doing spins out on the ice. A taller skater occasionally leading them into more complex forms or picking them up. I smile from the fence as I watch my wife on the ice and remember the first time I saw her out there.

I had first noticed her on the ride up to the pond. After I’d climbed into the backseat of my friend, Terrys, car. She had thrown her head back in laughter, sat next to Terry in the passenger seat. Her light eyes caught my attention as they flicked back to the girl next to me. The hour long ride to Travis’ taught me her name was Alana and that the girl next to me was her sister, Sarah. I also learned they both knew Terry from classes at the college. Alana took World Mythology with Terry and Sarah had been in Journalism with them. I had started to feel more comfortable, more like I would have a chance if I opened my mouth. Then we’d arrived and the frozen “pond” was more of a lake. And of course, Alana pulled out her own well worn skates from the trunk.

She'd been glorious! All dark curls pulled up out of her face and multi-colored, chunky scarf taking over her neck and shoulders. Her coat had been open showing off a cozy cream sweater and shimmering leggings. She skated fast and her breath billowed around her head like fog whenever she had changed direction. How she hadn’t been absolutely freezing I don’t know. All I knew was that every time she had skated past me my breath caught and my eyes went a little blurry.

The next time she had come around Alana skated backwards, and slipped into a routine. As she had reached the middle of the lake her foot came up and she sank into a spin once her fingers had hooked behind the blade. I hadn’t realized I'd been holding my breath until she'd come back out of the spin. I knew absolutely nothing about skating, or dancing for that matter, but I had known whatever it was she’d just done was impressive. I'd felt justified in my awe when I'd heard Sarah gasp near me. The small group on the ice with her, Terry and Travis amongst them, had whooped as she'd gone into a deep curtsy I still don’t think I could accomplish on land.

That had been the moment my brain ceased proper function, or at least that would be what I’d tell people later. Truthfully, I think my mental capacities had up and left as soon as I’d gotten into that car with her. Anyway, I'd gotten the bright idea that I needed to connect on her level, which meant that even though I had approximately zero knowledge of how skating worked I had needed to get out on that ice. Skates that Travis’ family had for visitors had barely fit me and it was felt as I'd wobbled onto the ice.

I had tried to imitate the back and forth motion I’d seen my sister do at her hockey practices years ago. But no matter what I did I couldn’t seem to reach the level of speed that Alana, Travis, and Terry had up ahead. It was probably due to my having hugged the fence. However, I'd been struck with brilliance or stupidity (probably the latter) and had decided all I needed to do was launch myself from the fence further onto the ice. I'd had no way back after I launched myself and no idea as to how I would keep myself upright once I'd get further from the fence. Like most rational thinking in the face of utter idiocy, neither of these things had occurred to me until after I had sent myself out onto the ice.

Almost immediately my right leg had been a little too far away from my left and I think the only way I hadn’t fallen flat on my ass at that point had been my arms waving wildly out from my sides. I’m sure I looked ridiculous, but by then my false bravado had faded into an all too real understanding of how badly I’d f’d up so I had hardly had the time to be embarrassed. Just as I had been trying to figure out the most graceful way to crawl back across the ice to safety, an angel glided up to me. Alana skated out of nowhere and tapped my arm.

“Uhm, do you want a little help?” Her voice had been soft and deep and I'd been beyond thankful that she hadn't outright laughed at me even if I could hear the hint of laughter behind her words.

“Tha-uh, that would be great. Thank you,” I'd sheepishly taken her hand and realized they were covered by fingerless gloves that matched her scarf.

She helped me straighten up a little and started to walk me through what I’d been doing wrong. I had found myself entranced, just watched her talk. She lit up as she started explaining how she learned some of the simple gliding motions, and my heart jumps into my throat when she laughed through a story of one of her first times out on the ice.

“You"- I cleared my throat- "you’re really awesome at this. The explaining thing, I mean also the skating, I mean uh yeah,” I'd winced at my nonexistent conversational skills. I should've let her talk indefinitely.

“I should hope I am, at both actually, I teach ki- a beginners class at Deb’s rink. It’s across town but I prefer working at a female led rink.”

“Woah, you teach. That’s really-“ I wanted to say hot or cute, but that’s probably not appropriate. I should say cool, cool is normal. “-really hot! I mean cute, I mean cool. You teaching is really, really cool.”

I could not have put my foot in my mouth more if I had tried. I couldn’t even face palm because she’d still been holding me up by my elbows.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” I couldn’t face palm but I felt as my face tried to make up for it by turning bright red.

“No worries, I think you’re adorable.” I had looked up, a little shocked, to see her own cheeks pink a little.

“Oh” Hadn’t I just been the picture of literacy?

“Honestly, I’m kind of glad I got to help you out here. I’ve been looking for an excuse to talk to you since you got in the car. When Terry started talking about their friend Melody, I just knew I needed to meet you. I got a little nervous in the car though and didn’t just say hi like a normal person,” She had taken one of her hands off my arm to rub the back of her neck.

“I, well, I guess we’re both not normal. I’ve been wanting to uh talk to you since I got in the car,” I chuckled nervously as I realized that since she’d moved one hand we'd begun holding hands. We were like a couple out skating on the ice holding hands, even if I had still been a bit wobbly it’s a pretty picture to me.

“Heh, yeah I guess you’re right,” She smiled over at me and wove her fingers with mine.

The moment had been broken when Terry’s boyfriend, Trey, yelled out onto the ice that Gavin and Stacy had brought pizza up and to "get your asses back inside if you want to eat tonight". I saw Devon, Travis' husband, smack Trey upside the head and had silently thanked him.

“I suppose we should head in, do you, uh, do you want to skate in on your own,” Alana barely got the question out before I blurted out my answer.

“Oh god, no please don’t make me get myself back,” I'd been so loud I had heard Stace, Sarah, and Devon all cackle at me from the safety of the fence. I had silently retracted my gratitude for Devon, evidently he didn't deserve it.

She'd smiled at me softly and said nothing more while she'd towed me back to the shore. That week I had spent my time being blown away by an amazing woman and further blown away that she wanted to spend any time with me. I had caught a couple of conspiratorial glances exchanged around the group of friends. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’d all been behind getting us together. We were officially dating by the end of that week, married by the next year, and when Travis had announced to our group that his family was selling the lake house a few years later we'd made the plunge and bought it.

Now I get to spend my winters standing by the fence line as my beautiful wife spins our kids in circles out on the ice. The girls never understand why I burst into uncontrollable laughter whenever they ask if Mama, thats me, is gonna come out on the ice. Sometimes Alana, Mom to our girls, will still drag me out, weave our fingers together again to spin me around the lake, and transport me back to being that bumbling and enamored wreck she had first met.

***

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story. If you enjoyed it please consider liking, subscribing, and/or sharing to socials and with friends.

If you enjoyed reading this story you may like this one.