The First Time I held Your Hand

Claira, a young lady who just moved to her new home from a large city, has difficulty adjusting to the weather at her new northern home. Her old home use to have palm trees and warm weather, generally all the time.

Claira has never had to wear a heavy winter coat, gloves, and snow boots. Clair's parents divorced, so her mother decided to move the two of them back to where she grew up. Clair's mother is excited to be home, but Clair is unsure of her new surroundings. Clair's mother Sarah recommended she go for a walk, not very far but to look around the place she now lives to see how beautiful life can be.

Sarah started for the door, but her mother stopped her.

"First, you have to bundle up; I know that is something you must get used to doing, but I am sure it will remind you when you open that door up. Fridge'd temperatures usually get everyone's attention the first time they forget to bundle up," said Sarah.

Sarah went to open up the closet door and put on her new coat, gloves, and snow boots her mother bought her shortly after they arrived.

"Your snowsuit arrives in a week; You will have to stay close to the house until it arrives, or you will freeze," said Sarah.

Clair goes outside to find that it had started to snow. It is the first time Clair had seen snow; her mother never brought her up here for a visit even though she is from here. Sarah's parents moved to a warmer climate when they retired.

Clair started watching the snowfall. It kept getting faster and faster until she could not see very far in front of her. Clair walked towards where she thought her home was until Clair noticed something flat, cold, and slick under her feet. She would try to walk, but she would slip and fall. What was now under her feet? It was not solid as she could hear how hollow it was when she fell, creating a bong noise under her. Clair did not know, but someone was watching her from the other side of the frozen pond. Clair slowly made it back up to her feet, and she slowly started to scoot her feet back towards what she thought was the side of the frozen pond. Still unsure where she was, Clair decided to keep going; until she started hearing a crack. She spun around to figure out what was making that cracking sound, and just as she stopped spinning, the land gave way, and she plunged into the fringed pond.

Clifford saw her start to go into the water, grabbed his rope off of his four-wheeler, and ran as fast as he could over the solid frozen part of the pond! Clifford ran to a tree, tied the rope around it and the other end around himself, then ran out into the lake after her! By the time he made it to her, all he could see was her hand above the water. He grabbed her hand, pulled her up on top of the ice, started pulling them both to the edge of the pond. The water at this part of the pond was shallow; they could stand and walk out of the pond. Clifford remembered a house just up the hill, grabbed Clair's arm, and started walking Toward's the house. Once they made it to the house, Sarah was standing there waiting on Clair to come home. As soon as Sarah saw Clair with someone else coming her way, she opened the door and allowed them into the house.

"Who are you, and why is Clair wet?" said Sarah.

"She was standing on the pond, and the ice broke from underneath her feet, " said Clifford.

"Oh, my goodness! The both of you move by the fireplace and get warm! I will get some dry clothes for you, Clair.

"I really should be getting back home. I have been gone all day. My parents will worry," said Clifford.

"You can stay in our guest room, as I would not allow anyone to go out in a storm like this. Use our phone, call your family, and explain what happened. Dinner will be ready soon."

Sarah walks over to Clair and gives her clothing, and Clair walks out of the room to change.

"Sarah put your wet things in the washing machine. I will wash them after dinner, " said Sarah.

Sarah comes back into the living room where the fireplace is and sits down beside Clifford.

"What is your name?" said Claria

"Clifford."

"Thank you, Clifford."

"Your welcome, Sarah."

"The pond does not freeze in that spot until after the first hard snow. I know you did not know that, so that is why I waited at the edge of the pond to make sure you would be safe. I had been out all day trying to find a good spot to fish, but most of the good places were frozen. I guess it is ice fishing from now on," said Clifford.

"I am not used to living in this type of climate. I do not know anything about living in an area like this."

"Well, the next time you want to go for a walk, just let me know, and I will take you out; it is a beautiful place to live if you can get used to the cold."

"Is it true most people who live up here homeschool their children?" said Clair.

"Yes, I was homeschooled."

"You were homeschooled?"

"Yes, I graduated last year. I am nineteen, and I am not sure what I want to do for a living yet, so I am taking a year off to find out what I am good at," said Clifford.

"Well, your good at rescuing people! I am a living example!"

They both smiled at each other, and then Clair's mother said it is time for dinner.

"Oh, I need to call my parents real quick!"

Clifford went to the phone to call his parents. When he was finished, he joined Clair and Sarah in the kitchen.

"My mother said thank you for allowing me to stay here she agreed with you about not going out in the storm. I think you know my mother!"

"What makes you think that?" said Sarah.

"Well, she told me that an old friend of hers was moving in at her parents' house and wanted me to tell you, hello and she looks forward to seeing you when the weather is better."

"Is your mother's name Flora?"

"Yes!"

"Your mother and I use to hang out and do the craziest stuff! Well, maybe I will not talk about it. Everyone eat up before it gets cold,"

The next day the weather had cleared up enough to go ice skating.

"Oh, no, I am staying away from that lake!" said Clair.

"I will go skating if you go," said Sarah.

"I have a pair of skates in my four-wheeler. I will get them!"

"Are you sure the lake is frozen this time?"

"Yes, after the first hard snow, remember," said Clifford.

"Okay, I will try. I have never ice skated before."

"It is kind of like roller skating but with ice."

"I will get my old ice skates out, and you can use them," said Sarah.

Clifford went to get his skates and meet Clair at the pond.

"Okay, you will have to show me how to skate," said Clair.

"It is easy. The hardest part is toning your muscles to get used to the movement."

Clifford steps out on the ice where just the day before, Clair had fallen into the water.

"It does freeze after the first hard snow? Just like you said it would," said Clair.

Clair stands up and puts one foot on the ice. Clifford comes to her and helps her on the ice; he holds her until she feels confident enough to skate independently.

"This is not as hard as I thought it would be!" said Clair.

Clifford started to skate all around the pond and then around back to Clair.

"Do you want to skate side by side?" said Clifford.

"Sure, I will try!"

The two of them skated all around until Clair hit a bump in the ice and fell. Clifford helped her up, and when she stood up, she looked deeply into Clifford's eyes, and he did the same. They looked deeply into each other's eyes, and at that moment.

"What?" said Clifford.

"What, what?" said Clair

"I do not know you are looking at me!"

"Yeah, you are looking at me too!"

"Oh, sorry, I have never met anyone like you."

"Nor, I have ever met anyone like you."

"Do you want to skate together?"

"Yes."

They skated hand in hand while Clair's mother was watching from their yard. She is going to the store before the next snowstorm gets to their quaint little village. She watches them for a few minutes and then makes for her car. Sarah thinks to herself.

"She will be all right while I am gone."

She gets in the car and leaves. Clifford and Clair skate around on the frozen pond all morning long, and suddenly Clifford remembered the lunch his mother prepares for them on Sundays and invites Clair to his house for lunch.

"I have my four-wheeler over here. It will seat us both."

They leave for Clifford's house, where they find Clair's mother visiting with Clifford's mother.