Ice Castles
The characters are not mine. The plot, excepting the two quotes at the beginning, are mine. No, I do not like Charlie's invisible stepdad. This takes place 3 1/2 years after D3. Jan runs the skate shop. Got it? Good.
"... and that was my window. Last winter, I gave Charlie that one."
"Which window is mine? I want to live there."
~*~*~*~*~
I was younger. I was bolder.
I was a fool.
How could I have thought that just those simple words would convince her, a grown woman with a son who had become a man much too fast, to let me be a part of her life? How could I have thought that she'd wait for when I was truly ready to be that permanent a part of her life, to remarry? Now it's too late...
"Coach?" Eighteen-year-old Charlie Conway asked, rapping his fingers against my doorframe. "Your secretary said I could come on back. I need to talk to you, badly."
I snapped my head up, and ran my fingers over my face.
"Sure, Charlie. Just c'mon in and sit down," I sighed.
"Sorry about this," Charlie muttered, blushing lightly and accepting my invitation. "It's just... this is big, and well... Coach Orion is great for hockey and all, but this is one of those things that... well..."
"What's wrong, Charlie?" I asked, concerned. Even after I had joined the Junior Goodwill Games committee, Charlie and I had often talked on the phone or written letters, along with occasionally chatting on the internet. It had never taken him this long to get to the point before.
"It's about my stepdad," Charlie murmered, looking at his hands. "He... well... he's been cheating on my mom. And sometimes, when she calls him on it, he hits her."
Immediately, I saw red. That bastard! How could he treat such a kind, sweet woman that way? What right does he have to harm even one hair on Casey's head? Just because he happened to marry that Earthbound angel, what right does that give him to abuse her? Quickly, though, I quelled my temper. Charlie may legally be an adult now, but he came to me, and how can I be what he needs if I can't even see straight?
"Am I the first person you've told about this?" I asked.
Charlie nodded.
"Why haven't you told the police? They could do something about the hitting," I suggested.
Charlie looked up at me, and I could see his eyes shining, though he fought to hold the tears back. This would be the first time I had seen him cry since Hans's funeral.
"Jeff's on the squad," he whispered, referring to his stepdad. "And Mom doesn't need a restraining order, she needs a divorce. For that, she has to have a lawyer, and a friend. That's why I came to you."
"Say you'll consider it, coach," Fulton Reed queried, stepping into the room.
"Fulton!" Both Charlie and I cried.
"Sorry, man. I know you wanted to do this on your own, but you know what they say," Fulton said, adressing Charlie.
"'Ducks fly together'," all three of us finished.
"And coach, Charlie's mom is as much a Duck as any one of us, especially when you were gone. If we needed someone to talk to, she was there. If we needed a friendly place to do our homework, the diner's doors were always open, and she'd usually give us a meal on credit if it was a week until our next paycheck and we were all out," Fulton explained, continuing.
I nodded, remembering that Fulton's parents spent most of their time working, and the rest drinking. That explained much of why he loved hockey when he was younger, but never learned to skate.
"Although I usually don't have a problem with that," Adam Banks added, stepping into the room. "She's a lot more a mother than my mom ever is. With my mom, it's always some banquet or seminar or something to go to with my dad, and when I'm dragged along, it's always, 'Our son Adam, the hockey player. He was on Team USA and made Varsity his freshman year in high school, you know.' With Casey, I'm just Adam. She stood in for my parents when they wouldn't show up for Senior Night, you know."
"Adam," I asked, wounded. "Why didn't you ask me?"
"You were busy setting up your office. Besides, Mom and Dad backed out five minutes before the pregame began, and as far as Bobby and Gary are concerned, well... they definately fit the 'Once a Hawk, always a Hawk' stereotype. Didn't want anything to do with a Duck, even if he's their little brother," Adam explained, shrugging and sticking his hands in his pockets.
I nodded. Yes, I know that stereotype all too well. If I remember correctly, Adam and I were the only two to break that stereotype. In any case...
"Besides," he continued. "Can we say a serious case of 'good coach-bad coach'? Or, as Averman might put it, 'the return of Captain Blood'?"
"All right. So why are you three coming to me? There are some great divorce lawyers in the Twin Cities area, much better than I am. What can I do that they can't?" I asked.
"Most of them would probably cheat Mom and me blind," Charlie explained. "Besides, if my mom's mother to us all, you're Dad number one. Hans, Jan, and Mr. Hall are two, three, and four, but Hans is... well..., and Jan and Mr. Hall wouldn't know divorce court from probate court if it came up and bit them."
We all chuckled. Charlie did have a point. Mostly, though, I was touched by what Charlie had called me. "Dad". Not to be concieted or anything, but it is the truth. I took them in when nobody else would. When Charlie was still "Spazway", and when Fulton couldn't skate at all, and Adam had the choice to either skate with the Ducks or not at all. Yeah, I'd taught them a lot, but they'd taught me quite a bit as well. Who was I to turn them down when they... and Casey... probably need me the most. Besides, and I'm not being immodest, the court house's my house.
"Okay, boys," I sighed, and slipped into "serious lawyer" mode. "The sooner you can get Casey to see me, the better."
Fulton, Charlie, and Adam looked at each other. Their faces were pensive, but hopeful. Slowly, small smiles lit their faces.
"All right!"
The characters are not mine. The plot, excepting the two quotes at the beginning, are mine. No, I do not like Charlie's invisible stepdad. This takes place 3 1/2 years after D3. Jan runs the skate shop. Got it? Good.
"... and that was my window. Last winter, I gave Charlie that one."
"Which window is mine? I want to live there."
~*~*~*~*~
I was younger. I was bolder.
I was a fool.
How could I have thought that just those simple words would convince her, a grown woman with a son who had become a man much too fast, to let me be a part of her life? How could I have thought that she'd wait for when I was truly ready to be that permanent a part of her life, to remarry? Now it's too late...
"Coach?" Eighteen-year-old Charlie Conway asked, rapping his fingers against my doorframe. "Your secretary said I could come on back. I need to talk to you, badly."
I snapped my head up, and ran my fingers over my face.
"Sure, Charlie. Just c'mon in and sit down," I sighed.
"Sorry about this," Charlie muttered, blushing lightly and accepting my invitation. "It's just... this is big, and well... Coach Orion is great for hockey and all, but this is one of those things that... well..."
"What's wrong, Charlie?" I asked, concerned. Even after I had joined the Junior Goodwill Games committee, Charlie and I had often talked on the phone or written letters, along with occasionally chatting on the internet. It had never taken him this long to get to the point before.
"It's about my stepdad," Charlie murmered, looking at his hands. "He... well... he's been cheating on my mom. And sometimes, when she calls him on it, he hits her."
Immediately, I saw red. That bastard! How could he treat such a kind, sweet woman that way? What right does he have to harm even one hair on Casey's head? Just because he happened to marry that Earthbound angel, what right does that give him to abuse her? Quickly, though, I quelled my temper. Charlie may legally be an adult now, but he came to me, and how can I be what he needs if I can't even see straight?
"Am I the first person you've told about this?" I asked.
Charlie nodded.
"Why haven't you told the police? They could do something about the hitting," I suggested.
Charlie looked up at me, and I could see his eyes shining, though he fought to hold the tears back. This would be the first time I had seen him cry since Hans's funeral.
"Jeff's on the squad," he whispered, referring to his stepdad. "And Mom doesn't need a restraining order, she needs a divorce. For that, she has to have a lawyer, and a friend. That's why I came to you."
"Say you'll consider it, coach," Fulton Reed queried, stepping into the room.
"Fulton!" Both Charlie and I cried.
"Sorry, man. I know you wanted to do this on your own, but you know what they say," Fulton said, adressing Charlie.
"'Ducks fly together'," all three of us finished.
"And coach, Charlie's mom is as much a Duck as any one of us, especially when you were gone. If we needed someone to talk to, she was there. If we needed a friendly place to do our homework, the diner's doors were always open, and she'd usually give us a meal on credit if it was a week until our next paycheck and we were all out," Fulton explained, continuing.
I nodded, remembering that Fulton's parents spent most of their time working, and the rest drinking. That explained much of why he loved hockey when he was younger, but never learned to skate.
"Although I usually don't have a problem with that," Adam Banks added, stepping into the room. "She's a lot more a mother than my mom ever is. With my mom, it's always some banquet or seminar or something to go to with my dad, and when I'm dragged along, it's always, 'Our son Adam, the hockey player. He was on Team USA and made Varsity his freshman year in high school, you know.' With Casey, I'm just Adam. She stood in for my parents when they wouldn't show up for Senior Night, you know."
"Adam," I asked, wounded. "Why didn't you ask me?"
"You were busy setting up your office. Besides, Mom and Dad backed out five minutes before the pregame began, and as far as Bobby and Gary are concerned, well... they definately fit the 'Once a Hawk, always a Hawk' stereotype. Didn't want anything to do with a Duck, even if he's their little brother," Adam explained, shrugging and sticking his hands in his pockets.
I nodded. Yes, I know that stereotype all too well. If I remember correctly, Adam and I were the only two to break that stereotype. In any case...
"Besides," he continued. "Can we say a serious case of 'good coach-bad coach'? Or, as Averman might put it, 'the return of Captain Blood'?"
"All right. So why are you three coming to me? There are some great divorce lawyers in the Twin Cities area, much better than I am. What can I do that they can't?" I asked.
"Most of them would probably cheat Mom and me blind," Charlie explained. "Besides, if my mom's mother to us all, you're Dad number one. Hans, Jan, and Mr. Hall are two, three, and four, but Hans is... well..., and Jan and Mr. Hall wouldn't know divorce court from probate court if it came up and bit them."
We all chuckled. Charlie did have a point. Mostly, though, I was touched by what Charlie had called me. "Dad". Not to be concieted or anything, but it is the truth. I took them in when nobody else would. When Charlie was still "Spazway", and when Fulton couldn't skate at all, and Adam had the choice to either skate with the Ducks or not at all. Yeah, I'd taught them a lot, but they'd taught me quite a bit as well. Who was I to turn them down when they... and Casey... probably need me the most. Besides, and I'm not being immodest, the court house's my house.
"Okay, boys," I sighed, and slipped into "serious lawyer" mode. "The sooner you can get Casey to see me, the better."
Fulton, Charlie, and Adam looked at each other. Their faces were pensive, but hopeful. Slowly, small smiles lit their faces.
"All right!"