“After six months, I continued to have problems with my memory. There was no clear timeline of when I’d be cleared to skate again, so Camille decided it would be best if we ended our partnership. Meanwhile, I spent another eighteen months off the ice doing specialized therapy.”
“Oh, Charlie, that’s horrendous,” she said, her voice breaking as her chin quivered.
He hung his head. “Finally, two and a half years after the accident, I decided enough was enough. I had to come to terms with the fact that I was as recovered as I was ever going to be. I had what’s called acquired dyslexia. While I was technically cleared to skate again, I didn’t see a point. I was damaged goods.”
They’d reached one of the vista points on the trail. It afforded hikers the first glimpse of the King’s Summit waterfall through the trees. If they really opened their ears, they might be able to hear its far-off sound.
Charlie sat on a nearby wooden bench. “The only thing I had, my skating, had been taken from me. Looking back, I’m grateful I had a twin who refused to let me wallow in self-pity. She conspired with our nan, and the pair of them convinced me that if I moved here, I could have a fresh start.” He shifted his backpack so it rested on his chest, reached for his water bottle, and took a long drink.
Frankie cautiously sank down next to him. She processed all the information he’d just told her. The pieces of the puzzle were coming together.
Leslie kept referencing the accident’s anniversary when Jack hired her. It must have just passed. Knowing what she knew now, reliving those memories could turn anyone into a grump. Charlie was so much stronger than he looked. He had obviously worked hard to turn himself around and move forward from the past.
She wanted to offer him a hug, but didn’t feel as if their relationship had reached that point. She settled for placing a hand on his knee. “That’s a lot for a person to have to go through both physically and emotionally.”
“It was.” He sat quietly for a moment, playing with the top of his water bottle. “I was bitter and depressed for a long time. I still have days where I struggle, but becoming a skating coach has helped me redirect a lot of that negative energy. I have a sense of purpose again.”
“You’re so good with the kids.”
“It’s hard not to love them. They’re so innocent and always eager to learn. Working with them reminds me of why I originally started skating all those years ago. It was because it was an activity I loved. When I was a kid, it was never about medals or money. It was about racing my sister to the other side of the rink and seeing who could land an Axel first.”
She smiled. “For me, it was about becoming a princess.”
“A princess?”
“Uh-huh. I saw a Dreams on Ice show when I was little. The skaters fascinated me. I wanted to be just like them.”
“I can see that. You’d make a good princess.” They were quiet for a moment, watching a pair of large birds soar through the expansive blue sky. Finally, Charlie asked, “How did you move past your own heartbreak?”
Her body grew hot. She crossed one leg over the other. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve, er . . . never been in any romantic sort of relationship.”
He frowned. “I meant when your pairs partner ended your skating relationship.”
“Oh! I didn’t have too much time to think about it.” She sat taller. “Right after it happened, my dad gave me an ultimatum. If I wasn’t going to skate, he told me, I’d have to find a job and start paying rent. Dad was in the Navy for over thirty years. When he gives orders, he means business.”
“And you applied for Dreams on Ice, just like that?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I looked for retail jobs, but after about a week, Dad intervened. He told me we were going on a road trip. I fell asleep in the car, and when I woke up, we were in Las Vegas to see a DOI show. To this day, I don’t know how he managed it, but he got me an audition and they hired me on the spot.”
“He sounds like a character.”
“He is. Believe me.” She nodded. “You’ll enjoy meeting him and my best friend Gemma. She’s due to visit in a few weeks. She wants to see us skate.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “With memory problems, I don’t make many friends anymore. When I meet people, a good amount of the time, I can’t remember their names or details about them. They take that as a sign that I just don’t care, but it’s not that at all. I physically can’t remember.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Just like the disorganization, the mess, it’s all . . .”
Her heart wanted to melt. “Don’t say another word.” She put a finger to her lips. “Don’t apologize. Don’t explain. You have me, we’re friends.”
She heard him breathe heavily for several seconds as he looked out into the distance. His expression was unreadable. “Thanks, Frankie.”
So Charlie’s problems have to do more with his short term memory than his long term term memory. I know he sometimes struggles to tell his left side from his right side, but otherwise his skating skills don’t seem to be that affected. At least not that I’ve noticed. I guess when you’ve been skating since you’re three, it’s as second nature as walking.
She nodded toward the trail. “Come on, we still have a long way to go. What is it, another mile and a half to the waterfalls?”
He cleared his throat. “Give or take.”
As they left the vista point and began ascending one of the steeper points of the trail, Frankie could tell something between them had shifted. She couldn’t point to exactly what it was yet, but there was no denying that their relationship as friends and partners had just reached a new level.
* * *
