"Do you even have experience with figure skating?" Christine asked cautiously. She knew that this was probably a bad idea, but she wasn't really in a place to refuse his offer.
"I wouldn't be offering if I didn't." The voice replied indigently.
"Is it alright if I think about it?" She inquired. With everything that had happened in the last twenty minutes, she wasn't sure if she trusted herself in making such a big decision.
"That is fine. If your answer is yes then be here Tomorrow at 8 pm, in your absence I'll assume your answer is no." With that, the ice skating rink into a silence and Christine, although not fully sure, assumed he was gone. She made her way off the rink and sitting on bench, gingerly took of her skates, being careful not to scuff or crease the leather and exchanged them for worn sneakers. She quickly grabbed her stuff and stuffed it into a black duffle bag while scurrying out of the building, not feeling quite as safe in there as she has previously. Pushing the heavy entrance door , she stepped out into the warm afternoon sun and quickly shuffled the contents of her of her bag to find her phone. Quickly turning it off silent, she began to shuffle through her endless notifications, noticing a reoccurring theme of her friend Meg try to call her on every single app that allowed it. Christine quickly unlocked her phone and called Meg, assuming that whatever reason she was trying to contact her for was important.
"Hey Chris!" Meg's chirpy voice came from the phone.
"Hey Meg. I just wanted to return your call."
"Oh yeah, I called you like 40 times." Meg began speaking with a full mouth
"Yeah sorry, I had my skating lesson moved from yesterday to today." Christine apologised Christine could hear a loud swallow from the other end of the phone before Meg started speaking a thousand miles an hour.
"Yeah! Yeah! That's what I wanted to talk about. I was talking to my mum the other day and she brought up that Carla has another coach- yeah a third- and you'll never guess who it is!"Christine racked her brain to think who was possible available to take on another student.
An "Oh" escaped from her lips as she realised the answer. "It's Brian isn't it?'
"Yeah. Wow I'm really impressed you got that." Meg laughed "Guess you and your rival will have the same coach now. Do you think he'll try and play you off each other in order to get you guys to try harder?"
"He's not my coach anymore." Christine's words came out more bitter than she expected them to. "He said that he had too many students and needed to drop one. And I was that lucky one."
"Oh no Christine!" Meg changed her attitude and her tone became more consoling which made tears threaten Christine's eyes once again. "I'm so sorry. That's such a jerk move of him to just take on another student and drop another on like that. And so close to nationals too! Honestly this is why I hated figure skating, there so much darn politics behind the whole thing. If I ever see him at the rink, so help me , I will grab my hockey stick- wait no my blades would do more damage- I will grab my skates and make sure that he won't be able to take on anymore students"
Christine giggled "Thanks Meg but I don't think you need to go that far. Beside I never really like Brian that much anyway. Its not to bad since I technically already have an offer from another teacher but I think I need to spend a bit of time thinking about if I actually want to carry on ice skating."
"Awe Chris. You loved ice skating and I'm sure that you still do. I remember that you used to have such a spark while skating, even when we were kids and I'm sure that it'll return once you get over this rocky patch, brighter than ever. But if you decide that you don't want to carry on then I'll support you. Don't ever forget that I'll make a place for you in our hockey team if you want."
"Thanks Meg. I'm at Mumma's house now so I've got to go. We'll talk later though" Christine began to wrap up their phone call as she walked up the driveway to the small, brick house at it's end.
"Oh yeah Defs. I haven't been able to fill you in all the hot gossip surrounding my life yet. " She agreed with a giggle before hanging up.
Now only barred from the house by an old wooden door, Christine shuffled through her bag again and exchanged her phone for her keys, which she fumbled with until she was able to find the one that was able to complement the door and allow her to get passed it.
"I'm home Mumma" Christine called out as she entered.
"Oh Christine your home." Christine followed the voice to the kitchen where an older lady was struggling to stand up from the seat she was sitting in. "There is a chicken pot pie in the oven it should be ready in roughly half an hour."
"No need to get up Mumma," Christine gently said as she gestured for her to stay in her chair "I'll put my stuff away and be back in 20 minutes for dinner."
"But you'll be waiting around for 10 minutes." She pointed out.
"I can make the salad and serve tonight." Christine replied.Heading to her room, Christine flopped onto her bed with her phone in hand, ready to block out the world and the troubles of the day. Scrolling away the time, she passively stared at photos that friends and acquittances had posted and some tiktoks until she could hear the alarm on the oven penetrate the thin walls of her room. Groaning, she struggled to stand up, the time on her phone doing nothing to replenish her energy. Making a quick salad to accompany the pie and serving the meal, she brought over her own plate as well as one for Mumma Val to the small table and took a place beside her.
"Thank you dear." She said as she received her meal from Christine
"How was practice today?"
"Brain said that he couldn't coach me anymore." Christine decided to leave out the part that he took up another student, knowing Mumma Val would probably embarrass her by calling him up and telling him off for her.
"Oh no! Do you need another coach? Maybe Mrs Giry can organise someone for you again." Mumma Val tried to help.
"Well I already technically have had offer by someone." Christine hesitantly confessed while poking at her meal with a fork.
"Who?" Mumma pried.
"Well, I don't know." Prompted by Mumma's questioning look, Christine continued "I couldn't see him when he offered and he never gave his name."Mumma dropped her knife and fork.
"He really did come." she whispered.
"Who?" Christine asked, confused who would prompt this response from her.
"Do you remember your father used to tell you about the Angel of winter?"
"Of course Mumma, but-"
"Your father said that the angel would be watching over you whenever you went skating, and now his come to you in your time of need!" Mumma joyfully explained.
Christine's mind echoed her father's final words to her. "I will always be watching over you Chris, and i'll send the angel of winter to you with your skating now that I can't"
"I'm not sure if its an angel Mumma" She mumbled.
"Maybe not, but maybe you have just been visited by an angel. When you will you see this coach next?"
"Tomorrow." Christine answered without thinking.
"Well you can ask him tomorrow if he is the angel." Mumma concluded for Christine.
