by Andrew Grey
“Did you win the case?”
“Yes. At the time the plaintiffs were accusing the organization of not doing enough to help them. It was really a stupid argument, and they had no chance of succeeding. The organization was private and not under any obligation to help anyone. The woman had been evicted and was blaming them. I got the case thrown out easily, and once I was done, I asked David if he’d go out with me. On our second date he gave me the drawing I showed you. He said he’d always remembered me and wished he’d been smart enough back then to ask me out.”
Hans made the transition west, and they zoomed out of town. It was freeing in a way to be away from home and going to a place he’d never visited before.
“Sometimes the memories seem like a huge weight pressing down on me,” Malcolm said.
“How so?” Hans asked.
“Well, it’s like I’m supposed to remember everything so I don’t forget David. But each day something fades a little, though I keep working harder and harder to keep the memories focused and sharp. I don’t want to forget David, but the more I try, the more he slips through my fingers, so I try even harder. Then of course there are other times when I realize that David will always be with me and that I’m not going to forget the life we had.” He inhaled deeply and let it go. “Things will change and my life will be different, and that’s okay.” Malcolm sat back and stopped talking about David. He’d done that enough for one day. “How long have you been skiing?”
“I learned years ago. You know I grew up in Denmark, and Nordic sports were part of being a kid there. Winter lasts a long time, so we made the most of it. I cross-country skied, but that’s basic transportation. I tried ski jumping for a while, and that was a rush. I like to think I outgrew that. Now I ski downhill. I used to snowboard as well, but after an injury and a broken arm that meant I had trouble writing for over a month, I decided the thrill wasn’t worth the risk. You said you skied in college.”
“Yeah. I had friends who skied, and they took me with them a few times. I wasn’t very good and spent most of the time in the wedge, looking like a complete dork on the bunny hill. I managed to learn how to fall and did that a lot. But in the end I gave up and let the guys have their fun. It wasn’t worth slowing them down and keeping them off the larger hills, which was what they really wanted.” Malcolm shrugged and looked out at the snow-covered landscape.
“You’re going to have fun today. I promise. We’ll take the time to show you how to ski properly, and you’ll be having fun in no time.”
Malcolm nodded, but he wasn’t so sure about that. However, he wasn’t going to complain. Hans had gone through some trouble to arrange all this, and how long could they stay outside in the cold anyway?
THEIR ROOM at the resort was ready for them, and they went right to it. Hans had reserved a deluxe suite, and it not only had a fireplace but a hot tub as well. Both of which had sexy possibilities.
“Why don’t you get changed, and we can go down, get our lift tickets, and rent you some equipment?”
Hans was already getting into his gear, so Malcolm did the same. He felt a little like the abominable snowman wearing all those layers, but Hans said he’d need it. They trudged out to the ski area and got Malcolm’s equipment and boots.
Hans looked amazing in a ski outfit that matched his skis. He helped Malcolm get his on and adjusted. Then he helped him glide out across the basin toward the rope lift to the top of the bunny hill.
From the bottom, it looked tall. “You’re going to be fine,” Hans said. “Don’t grab the rope all at once, or you’ll fall. Think of it like the clutch on a car and let it get you moving a little before you completely grab hold.”
“Okay.” Malcolm watched Hans, and then he gave it a try, thankful there weren’t too many people behind him. Of course he fell, and Hans came around to help him.
“Try it again.”
Hans held his poles, and Malcolm made sure his skis were straight and tried for the rope again. This time he managed to stay upright, and the rope pulled him up to the top. As soon as he let go, he wondered what to do and instantly fell one more time. Hans helped him up and got his poles for him.
“You made it, and that’s what counts.”
Malcolm wasn’t so sure, but he wasn’t going to give up either. “What do I do now?” Little kids zoomed around him, and Malcolm stifled a groan, but he swallowed the remark that rose to his lips.
“You remember the wedge? It’s a way of controlling your speed,” Hans said. “But you have little control and everyone falls on their butt. The other way is to just go down the hill, but if you go straight, you go too fast and can’t control it. The trick is to weave back and forth, and to do that you simply shift your weight a little. I’m going to show you. Don’t do it until I come back up. We’ll work together, okay?”
Malcolm nodded, and Hans went down the hill like it was nothing. Malcolm watched the way he moved and began mimicking him without going down. He watched as Hans slid over to the rope, and up he came as easily and gracefully as anything Malcolm had ever seen.
“Do you want to give it a try?” Hans asked.
“I’ll give it a shot.” He moved into position and stopped. How on earth was he supposed to do this?
“Just a second. Make sure your skis are straight and don’t cross the tips. Also look where you want to go. Your body will tend to take you there.”
Malcolm lifted his gaze toward the lodge and closed his eyes. Maybe if he wished hard enough he’d magically transport inside in front of a fire. When he opened them he was still outside and swore under his breath before starting down the hill. He turned to the right, and it worked. So he tried going left, went ass over teakettle, and ended up lying flat in the snow. His skis came off and continued happily down the hill. Hans schussed up to him and helped him up. Malcolm brushed himself off and managed to walk the rest of the way down the hill to retrieve his skis.
“That was good.”
“Huh?” he asked skeptically, as eight-year-olds called to their parents to watch them zoom by him. This was totally embarrassing.
“You turned. Let’s go back up and try again.” He led the way over to the rope, and Malcolm went back up. This time he managed to make it down the hill without falling, which he counted as a victory.
“Go on and catch the lift to the bigger runs,” Malcolm said. “I know that’s where you’d like to be. Let me stay here for a little while and see if I can figure this out.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. Go and have fun.” Malcolm caught Hans’s eye and smiled. Hans was so excited, and Malcolm was determined not to make a complete fool of himself. When Hans slid away to the main lifts, Malcolm went up the rope pull. He did it again and again, slowly getting the hang of things. When Hans returned, he showed him what he’d figured out and how he could actually make it down the hill, turning back and forth.
“See, I knew you could do it,” Hans said when he reached the bottom. “The last part is to use your legs as shock absorbers. Bend them so when you go over a bump, you don’t shake your entire body.”
Hans showed him, and Malcolm went down one more time, feeling confident.
“That’s it. You have the basics. Now let’s go have some fun.”
“Okay, where?” Malcolm asked, and Hans looked at the lift that went halfway to heaven. “You have to be crazy. You want me to go all the way up there?”
“Yeah. There are easier runs off to the side. We’ll go down those. They’re faster than this one and longer, but not as steep as that one.”
Hans went over, and Malcolm reluctantly followed, wondering if he was putting his life in Hans’s hands.
They rode up in the lift together. That part he liked. Hans pointed things out, and the two of them held hands like naughty teenagers. Hell, if he’d had his way they might have done other things like teenagers, but they ended up at the top before Malcolm really knew it. With a stroke of luck, Malcolm was able to get off without falling and followed Hans as they skied d
own a trail to a lower portion of the mountain.
“This is it,” Hans said, and Malcolm looked down toward the bottom of the cliff they were standing on top of. Okay, it wasn’t that steep or tall, but dang…. “Just use your skis to control your descent and go from side to side, and you’ll be awesome. It’s just a little steeper than the hill you were just on and only a bit longer. I’ll stay behind you and watch.”
“Okay,” Malcolm said and pushed off at an angle. He turned and started going straight down, picking up speed. He turned again and slowed. That was awesome. So he turned back and was going straight downhill. This time he kept going and went faster and faster. He was now too scared to turn, so he hoped like hell everyone was out of the way. Malcolm was doing great, and the bottom of the hill was in sight. He adjusted his skis, and his legs flew out from under him. He did his best to go down onto his butt but ended up on his side, rolling like a log. All he could think to do was keep his arms in because he didn’t want to snap them. He lost both skis, and his poles went flying.
Malcolm was never so grateful to come to a stop in his life. The first thing he did was take inventory. His legs and arms worked. His head wasn’t aching and didn’t seem to have been split open. His face was cold as hell, but that was because his head was in the snow. He lifted his neck and slowly got his knees under him.
“Are you hurt?” Hans asked as he raced up to him.
“I don’t know. I don’t think I broke anything.”
“I’ll get your stuff,” Hans said, and Malcolm secretly hoped he couldn’t find everything. Of course, he brought the skis and poles over. “You were doing great until you crossed your skis.”
“You mean until I rolled down the hill like a lump and landed in a pile?” He looked up toward the top as they got their things and moved out of the way.
“I’ll help you get the skis on, and then we can try it again.”
“Oh God,” Malcolm groaned under his breath. Hans helped him with the skis, and they glided over to the lift once again, waiting in line for their turn. Malcolm was starting to wonder if hell was actually in an upward direction, especially the closer they got to the top once again.
Somehow, by sheer will he got to the bottom without falling. Hans was thrilled, but Malcolm’s hip was aching. He didn’t want to disappoint Hans, so he followed him up again, and after a few more runs, he was getting better and falling less.
“Are you ready to warm up?” Hans asked.
Malcolm nodded, and they skied over to the lodge, took off their skis, propped them in the place provided, and went inside. It was warm, and they were lucky enough to find empty chairs in the large hotel lobby, near the fireplace. A huge fire burned in the hearth, and Malcolm sighed as he took off his boots and put his feet up.
“Did you have a good time?” Hans asked, scooting his chair close enough that he could touch Malcolm’s hand.
“It was different than what I remembered. I actually did it,” Malcolm said and shifted slightly in the chair. His hip ached, and the pain was increasing. But he didn’t want to dampen Hans’s fun, so he kept quiet. “When is dinner?”
“We have a reservation for seven. That’s an hour and a half from now. Are you warmed up enough for another run?” Hans was clearly anxious to get back out.
“Not really.” He was thawing out, but the thought of going back into the cold made him shiver. “If you want to go back out, you can, and I’ll head down to the room.” Malcolm levered himself onto his feet. He tried not to make a face, but his hip ached something awful. “I’m fine,” he lied when Hans helped him up.
“No, you’re not.” Hans picked up his boots. “I’ll get the skis and things.” He went back to the door they’d come in, and Malcolm got his boots and slowly walked to the elevator and then down to their room.
Once inside, Malcolm carefully stripped off his snow gear and sweater. Then he pulled off his jeans and groaned. His right hip was turning purple. He’d bruised himself really badly. Ice was probably best, but the thought of being cold again was too much. Malcolm lay back on the bed, resting his hip and back, breathing deeply and trying to relax. He closed his eyes.
Hans came in carrying everything with him. He set the skis out on the balcony and came back in. “Tired?”
Malcolm tugged at the band of his boxer briefs, and Hans hissed. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“Because I didn’t want to stop you from having a good time.” He lay still as Hans gently touched his hip.
“Is it broken?”
“No. I think I just bruised it. I’ll take something for the pain and inflammation and get dressed in a little while.” He sighed as Hans sat on the edge of the bed. “I don’t want you to stop having fun. If you want to go back out after dinner, please do.”
“Nope. After dinner we’ll get you comfortable and see what we can do to make you forget about your hip.”
Malcolm wasn’t sure he wanted to move at all. Hans brought him his kit and a glass of water. Malcolm took a couple of ibuprofen and then lay back again to wait for them to kick in. Half an hour later, the pain began to recede, and Malcolm moved slowly, getting dressed and waiting for Hans to do the same. Then they left the room and gingerly went down for dinner.
In the dining room, he and Hans were shown to their table. Malcolm put the injury out of his mind as best he could.
“I’m sorry you’re hurt.”
“I think I was starting to get the hang of it,” Malcolm said before ordering a glass of wine. Outside the huge windows that lined one wall, skiers continued going up and down the slopes under powerful lights that shone over the entire area. “After dinner if you want to go back out, I think you should. I’ll rest in the room for a while, and when you come back in we can spend some time in the hot tub.”
Hans was obviously torn and said nothing, but Malcolm knew he’d come here to ski and have a good time. Sitting with Malcolm in the room or in front of the fire wasn’t what an active guy like Hans was interested in.
“I’ll be fine.” Hans reached across the table. “I came here to be with you.” He squeezed Malcolm’s hand. “Have you decided what you’re going to have for dinner?”
“I’m thinking of the chicken.” He’d already decided to have something simple. That was usually safest. The food coming out of the kitchen looked good and made Malcolm hungry. “How about you?”
“I was thinking steak,” Hans said with a grin. When the server brought their drinks, they placed their orders.
“What else do you like to do with your time besides ski?” Malcolm asked before sipping his wine.
“I’m certified for open-water and deep-water diving. I love riding horses and racing dune buggies, though I haven’t done that in a while. I used to have my own buggy but gave that up a few years ago. So I took up sailing. I’d love to be part of a competitive team, but that hasn’t happened yet. I think I might be a little too old, but I’d really like to explore it.”
“You probably live in the wrong place for that. Don’t most of the races take place off the East and West Coast?”
“There are plenty of Great Lakes races.”
Hans sipped his water, eyes lighting up with excitement. Malcolm drank most of his glass of wine. Then he flagged down the server for another. There was no way in hell he could keep up with Hans. Scuba diving, competitive sailing, racing. Heck, he went skiing with him once and hurt himself. If he tried the other things Hans did, he’d probably end up dead. Getting drunk wasn’t going to help, but the warmth of the wine felt good.
“How do you get to be on one of those teams?” he asked Hans.
“Sometimes they have calls for members, but mostly you have to know someone and get a reputation within the community. I’m just starting out, so a top race team is probably out of the question, but I think it would be an awesome challenge and make the premise for a really good book. I love to include my activities in my books. The things that happen have to feel real even if they aren’t possible outside of
my imagination.”
“I never thought of that.”
“In my next book, I’m going after Atlantis. So many other writers have tackled the same idea, so I want to try something different. There’s a team who believes they have actually discovered Atlantis, close to where Plato described it. Believe it or not, they think it’s in Spain, and there is evidence of a great wall of water that would have covered the city. The whole thing is really cool, and I’d like to explore that in a book. Of course, there will be more to it than that, and I’ll glam it up a bit, because there has to be something there that needs to be found to save the world from complete destruction.”
“Will you go to Spain?” Malcolm asked.
“I went last year to see the location. It doesn’t look like much, but the contours of the land are interesting, and satellite photographs show the entire layout. So I can probably work from what I have. But I may need to go back. Sometimes I don’t know until I start writing. I plot out the books to a point, but then I need to write to see what else I need.”
Malcolm shifted in his chair, his hip aching once again. The painkiller was only doing so much. Thankfully the server brought their meals. They continued talking while they ate, but Malcolm’s mind kept wandering to his hip and the ache that didn’t seem to go away. Once dinner was over, Malcolm had a difficult time getting up. His hip didn’t want to move, which was just awesome. They went back to the room, and Malcolm lay on the bed while Hans hovered.
“Go on and ski for a while if you want. The slopes are open for another few hours, and you may as well have some fun,” Malcolm told him.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Go have some fun, and I’ll be right here waiting for you.” He felt so damn old at the moment.
“Are you sure it’s just a bruise?” Hans asked, and Malcolm nodded. “You really want me to go?”
“You want the truth? I want you to stay right here with me. But I know you want to be out there having fun. You spent most of the time we were out there with me, and you need some time to let loose. I’m not going anywhere, though if I can get my hip to cooperate, I might see if there’s a chair by the fire.”