Ice Skating 101

Ice Skating 101

Susan W. Hudson

“You can do it. Stop ruminating; it was not your fault.” Angie said as she opened her cozy pink robe and wrapped it around Andrew’s waist encasing them in a cocoon. She hugged him tightly giving him her love, support, and reassurance. He was standing at the back door, looking at the soft, delicate snow as he often did.

“Come on, Andy, let’s have breakfast.”

Andrew had been sniffing the coffee and bacon she had been preparing. He followed her to the kitchen and settled in as she handed him a cup of rich black coffee, a glass of orange juice, and a plate of bacon, toast, and scrambled eggs. She also put out the ketchup. She still could not understand his taste for ketchup on his eggs, but she had accepted it.

“What’s on the agenda for today?” Andrew asked her.

They worked together on the Foundation for injured skaters that they had started. 

“We need to get the newsletter out to our donors. You need to finish up your request for contributions to the fall fundraiser, and it will be ready to go.”

“Okay, but what about our ‘outing’?”

Andrew had not put on his ice skates since “the incident” ten years ago. He had finally agreed to do so.

Angie had been a semi-professional ice skater preparing for the upcoming Olympics. She learned to skate when she was three years old and went on to earn many accolades and many medals. She was a tiny thing, standing five feet tall and weighing in at 100 pounds.  She was also a stick of dynamite; she practiced relentlessly and always gave her competitors a challenge.

Andrew was also a skater. His parents were skaters, and they introduced him to the ice rink as soon as he could walk. They coached him into his teens when he chose pairs skating. He had several partners over the years. Ultimately, he found Melody. She was a small beautiful blond who fell right in sync with his thoughtful and methodical way of making pairs look like one.  They were lovely together.

“We don’t have to go if you still feel uncomfortable,” Angie assured him.

“No. The fresh snow is perfect. When is Benjamin meeting us there?”

“He’ll be there at 2:00. He will guide you through.”

The ice skating rink is where Angie and Andrew met and fell in love. It was just after he and Melody had formed a pair. They dated for six months and then married. They were such a perfect match. Only two things troubled them as a couple: Andrew continued to obsess over the “incident,” and they had not been able to conceive a much longed-for child.

Shortly after they married, in a rigorous practice session, Andrew hit a rough spot on the rink floor and Melody took a hard fall. Angie and the medics rushed to her. She had a concussion and a severe spinal cord injury. She survived the next few weeks in a coma. 

The physicians and medical staff worked diligently to save her. When she finally opened her eyes and spoke, they were thrilled that she could communicate with them. The concussion healed with time, but she had been rendered paraplegic. Andrew went into a deep spiral of depression. He felt he was to blame and hung up his skates.

Melody started physical therapy as soon as she was strong enough. Andrew and Angie helped her therapists and encouraged her to talk to them and keep her mind strong. They got their Foundation off with a bang. Donations swarmed in. A large part of the money they raised went to Melody’s hospital and recuperative bills.

“It was not your fault,” Melody told Andrew when she realized the severity of his depression.

“I know, but I could have been more careful, I could have tried harder to break your fall.”

“No, you did all you could. You are a wonderful person, and now, just help me heal.”

Melody exercised her arms and to keep them strong; she regained some movement in her legs. Angie had finally convinced Andrew that getting back on the ice would be therapy for his depressed state of mind.

They struck out for the rink in their Jeep. It was only fifteen minutes, and the snow had subsided. Benjamin was already there and on the ice. 

“Benjamin is going to skate with you and help you get your ‘ice-legs’ back. You know he loves you too and he is the epitome of patience. I will be watching, cheering, and giving my suggestions. Please don’t worry. It will be fine.”

When Andrew brought the Jeep to a halt Angie said:

“Andrew, the reason Benjamin is here to help us is that we are two months pregnant.”

“What!”

“We are two months pregnant and the doctor does not want me to skate just now.”

“Oh, I love you so much. This is wonderful news. I’ll do my best.”

Andrew and Angie decided to have a home birth. They found a wonderful coach, and Angie was healthy and strong. Melody was there in her automated chair their Foundation had provided for her. The baby was born without any complications. Andrew cleaned him up and cut the cord. He handed the baby boy to Melody wrapped up in Angie’s cozy pink robe.

“Mel, you are a lucky boy. You have wonderful parents and I am proud to be your godmother.”

That day seven months ago when Andrew put the tip of his skate on the solidly frozen lake was the beginning of a new life for him. Benjamin went with him for the first couple of rounds until he got his bearings. Andrew was back to himself in no time, and Angie cheered him on. He was so elated that he had listened to those who cared for him so much.

Mel learned to walk early. He was immediately fitted for skates. Mel had no interest in the snow nor ice skating. He was totally fascinated by his godmother’s automated chair and how her face lit up when he saw him.

By the time Mel turned three, it was abundantly clear that he would not follow in his parents’ “skate steps.” He loved being inside, warm and cozy. He was incessantly building something; he loved Erector Sets and Legos. He was precious and personable; he had a knack for lighting up faces and rooms. 

Andrew and Ashley added a room to their home for Melody and added a low counter in the kitchen so she could cook with Mel there to help her and learn the art; he was almost always by her side.

Mel and Melody were both thrilled when Andrew and Angie announced to them that they would be adding a member to their family in a few months. Mel wanted to name his new little sister “Hope” for everything that kept people going and made them smile.