Far From Home

“Yeah, well after falling on my butt one too many times and forgetting how to use the break, they went back in a box inside my closet.”

Sam offered me a reassuring smile and squeezed my hand.

“Let’s get you laced up, then we can worry about the ice.”

With her guidance, I got my skates laced and managed to walk back to the break in the wall which served as an entrance to the rink. Then, holding my hand, she stepped out onto the ice, steadying me when I did the same. Out of habit, I immediately held out my other arm, not at all surprised when I skidded back into a wall.

Ever patient, Sam waited for me to right myself. “Hold on to the wall a sec so I can show you a few basics.”

Gladly.

In front of me, Sam stood with her legs shoulder-width apart and her knees slightly bent. “This is the position you’ll start in. The blades on your skates have two edges; one inside, and one outside. You’ll be learning to skate on the inside edge

as it’s easier. The biggest thing you need to keep in mind is to keep your weight centered over your skates, otherwise, that’ll happen.” She gestured at a skater across the way who, in the process of trying to catch himself, fell back on his ass.

“To start, you’ll put most of your weight on your left skate,” she explained, “then push off with your right like this.”

She demonstrated it, much like the starting position, holding the pose a moment longer before stopping and skating back to me again. “It looks super complicated, but it really isn’t. Your skates fit, which is the most important part. The rest shouldn’t be nearly as bad as you remember from your inline skating days.”

“Day,” I corrected her. “I didn’t even last an hour.”

“That’s a shame. It can be a lot of fun. So are you ready to give it another go?”

I craned my neck to see where the other skater had gone, catching sight of him as he clung to the opposite wall.

“Don’t worry about him,” she said as she placed a hand on my arm. “I’m right here with you, and I promise not to let you fall. Just trust in yourself, okay?”

I trust my own two feet. The skates, on the other hand, were something else entirely. They didn’t feel like an extension of myself the way my shoes did. They were foreign, strange, and would take some getting used to.

“I’m going to let go of you now,” Sam said as she slowly backed away to give me some space.

I nodded even though I’d rather keep her hand in mine.

Not only for balance but also to have contact with her. “Okay, so shoulder-width apart?”

“Bend your knees a bit. Like that. You want to lean on the inside edge of your skate. Good. Good.” She approached me again and fixed my posture, straightening my torso as she did.

“Much better. Now,”—she spoke as she turned her back to me

—“what I need you to do is put your weight on your left skate, turn the right foot to the side a tiny bit, flick your ankle, then slowly push off with your toe.”

I exhaled, then followed her example, pushing myself forward the tiniest bit. “I did it!” Best of all, I didn’t fall over.

Sam glanced back at me. “I want you to do it again, but this time hold the position for three seconds before standing with your skates shoulders apart. It sounds silly, but it’ll make you feel more confident.”

Again, I followed her example, pushing off with my right skate and keeping it off the ground for a while longer before stepping back down. Once I did, Sam repeated the process. We spent a few minutes practicing, and once she thought I was ready, she showed me how to transition to the other foot. The biggest problem I had was shifting my weight, but after a while, I got the hang of it.

“Do you think you’re ready to go out into the rink now?”

she asked once I’d finished gliding.

“I thought we already were.” There was a long wall surrounding us and plenty of ice under my feet.

“Away from the wall,” she said with a smile. “I’ll still be right beside you, but playing over here is a bit limiting.”

I took her hand when she offered it to me, and with a bit of effort, actually kept up with her as we pulled away from the wall. The rink was starting to fill up with other skaters, which meant even more bodies to avoid. Deep down, I was terrified of running into someone, falling, or getting cut up by someone else’s skates, but I fought my panic back as Sam grinned from ear to ear.

“How long did it take you to learn to do those fancy spins?” I asked as we finished another lap around the rink.