Chapter 4
JONAS
Growing up in Canada before my family moved to California, I knew my way around an ice skating rink, but it was clear by the way Mara was hobbling in her ice skates that she did not.
“Stop laughing at me!” she cried, despite smiling herself. Her cheeks hadn’t been this red in a long time.
“You look like you’d rather walk on all fours.” I said at her bent-over shape.
In protest, she straightened back up, but then waved her arms wildly, her hips dancing forward and backward as she tried to catch her balance.
I shuffled forward on my skates, grabbing her arm and steadying her just in time.
She looked over at me and spoke breathlessly, “You know? I think I can grasp the idea without being on the ice.”
I shook my head. “This is part of the experience. No one’s good right away.”
“You’re just saying that,” she countered. Mara was good at so many things that it was hard for her to be a beginner sometimes.
“I’m not. You can do this.” I stepped slowly beside her and then carefully onto the ice skating rink. We stayed close to the wall and when she watched a kid going by with a little tripod to help him stand up, Mara said, “I want one of those!”
I chuckled, “They don't make them tall enough for you.”
She stuck her tongue out at me and then almost lost her balance and clung onto the wall.
“That's what you get.” I teased.
She shook her head and whined, “Tell me what to do.”
“So the important thing is to keep your knees bent, keep your center of gravity steady. If you lean too far forward or backwards, you'll slip.”
“Okay…” She bent her knees a little bit.
“Good job,” I encouraged. “Now, you can keep one hand on the wall and one hand on mine, and we'll take it nice and slow.”
She nodded, determined. “I’m so not letting these kids outskate me all night.”
I chuckled, loving her competitive spirit. “That’s my girl.”
For the next half hour or so, we made a grand total of two laps around the ice skating rink before Mara said she wanted to try a lap on her own.
I stepped off to the side of the rink and leaned on the railing to watch her.
Her expression was set in one of pure determination as she slowly made her way around the ice.
She wobbled a time or two, but she didn't go down.
When she reached me, her cheeks were flushed and her hair had fallen from the bun atop of her head, forming wisps around her face.
“I think that’s it for the night,” she huffed, trying to catch her breath.
“I’m so proud of you!” I replied and helped her to a bench. “Really, that was amazing for your first time.”
She smiled over at me, her cheeks still flushed with exertion. “Thanks for pushing me out of my comfort zone. I know I don't say it enough, but I'm really lucky to have you. I feel like sometimes I get so lost in story worlds that I miss out on this one.”
I leaned my forehead to hers. “Always.”
We shucked our skates and returned them to the rental counter. As we walked back to the car, she said, “I think I have enough material to get going. Thank you so much for today.”
But I shook my head and said, “The day’s not over yet.”