His life in the military held few distinctions. He liked everything to be clearly defined - good or bad, hot or cold, hard or soft. Normally, he despised fence-sitting - but there was something in his life that he loved, that was by definition diverse.
He'd first met this...contradictory wonder as a young lad in Minnesota. His father had thrust them together before he could even walk. It was his earliest memory. Half a century on and he could still remember exactly how he felt. All it took was a single glance at those old black and white photos and he was flooded with feeling. He remembered being excited, but hesitant; free, but secure; chilly, but cosy.
His Dad had taught him everything he knew about the phenomenon and he'd quickly learned how to predict, understand and enjoy it. Most importantly, his Dad had taught him to respect it - because despite its obvious beauty, it could also be deadly.
He and the...indefinable marvel, hadn't always seen eye-to-eye. His memory was bookmarked by a few occasions from his childhood and adulthood. He'd never forget that time when he was 7-years-old - oh boy! If he hadn't been so dreadfully ill, his Mother would have had his hide for disrespecting them both! There was that time as a teenager - his Dad had been so proud! And in more recent memory, there was that occasion with Carter - although it'd been painful, it'd been the start of something magical between them.
Although their shared past had been checkered, it was the positive memories that shone through the most. They'd accomplished some creative and athletic feats together - and in spite of its 'flaky' reputation, it'd never failed to unite his family. He still harboured some remnants of the bad times - including a few visible scars, but he could never hold that against it. To him, it was always perfect - pure and faultless.
Carter didn't understand his relationship with the phenomenon. She accused him of romanticising it. She liked to bore him with the science - break it down to its most basic characteristics, just to annoy him. She did that with his favourite cereal too! There was something about it - something indescribable, that made it so fascinating to him. It was something that couldn't be summarized by a simple equation - something that couldn't be extracted and studied. He tried explaining this to Carter, but she just patted him on the arm and smiled. She really knew how to push his buttons! In spite of her shameless shaming, he knew deep down she was also a fan. Her face would light-up every time they were in close proximity.
Perhaps he'd become sentimental, but his one wish was that his kids would embrace it too. Charlie had been unsure at first - much like his old man, but had eventually warmed to the idea. It had later become a yearly tradition - and were some of his most treasured memories. Now, he had the chance to relive the experience with Jacob and Grace, but he couldn't shake his nervousness! Carter had assured him that with the right attitude, socks and sharpener they'd love it too - but he wasn't so sure.
Grace was probably a little too young to appreciate it, but Jake was older - exactly one year older than he'd been when they'd first met. Jake had already shown some early signs that they'd become great friends - he had a good sense of balance and was tenacious, just like his Mother. He'd tried to prepare Jake for the meeting, but the concept was difficult for the boy to grasp. Technically, Jake had already been exposed to it - but under less rigid conditions. It was a different beast now - barely recognisable. Carter had turned on the technobabble, which seemed to work - before telling Jake that trust was all he needed. Trust in his Father. For a split second, the word 'trust' had thrown him out of orbit - but one look from Carter had sobered him up! They couldn't let the events of the past dictate their future. The past was like a hockey coach - it played a role in sculpting the game, but it couldn't be directly involved in every play. He said a silent prayer to Charlie - asking him to protect his baby brother, before extending his arms out to Jake.
"I sharpened them this morning, so there shouldn't be any unnecessary friction," Carter said, giving their son a gentle push.
Jake expelled a nervous squeal. His joints were locked, his brow furrowed. Sliding one stiff leg in front of the other, he shuffled into the open arms of his Father. His parents both cheered.
"Well done, Jakey! You'll be an expert ice skater, yet! Hold onto my hand and the master will show you how it's done."
From her position on the ice-encrusted jetty, Sam chuckled softly to herself and shook her head. Jack threw her a cheeky wink.
Jake eagerly nodded and placed his tiny hand inside of Jack's larger one. A loving warmth spread from Father to Son, and Jack recalled being in Jake's position some fifty years previous. He'd felt cold and reluctant out on the cabin's frozen lake, but his Dad's protective presence had made the unfamiliar situation feel safe. He hoped Jake was feeling it too.
"Hang on, Jakey!"
A speed-hungry grin spread across the boy's lips as Jack pulled him across the slick surface.
"Faster, Dad, faster!" Jake chanted.
"In good time..!"
Jack brought them to a stop, then spun around to face his son.
"Listen Jake, there's a few things you need to understand about the ice. Firstly, she may be beautiful, but she's also dangerous," he bent down to whisper into Jake's ear, "just like your Mother…"
Jake's neck disappeared into his shoulders as he sniggered in amusement. From the direction of the jetty, a firmly packed snowball flew through the frigid air and struck Jack squarely in the back.
"Umph!" Jack placed a hand on Jake's shoulder to steady himself, "...case in point."
"Secondly, never ever go out on the lake before checking with me or your Mum first. I did that once when I was 7 and I ended up with a broken arm and pneumonia. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Daddy."
A smile pulled at the corner of Jack's mouth and he patted Jake's beanie-covered head.
"Good boy. Okay…" he reached for Jake's hand again and swizzled backwards, "Now, once you get the hang of the basics I'm gonna teach you all kinds of neat stuff like the toe loop and the flip. When you get really good, we can even play some ice hockey!"
As Jack and Jacob whizzed passed Sam, shards of ice shot from their skates. She shifted Grace onto her opposite hip to improve the baby's view. A tiny gloved finger emerged from her snowsuit and she pointed at her Brother and Father.
"Your Dad's going to teach you the same thing when you get older, kiddo. Skating on the lake is an O'Neill family tradition. He taught your brother Charlie, too…"
Sam waited until Jack and Jake were out of earshot.
"...when your old man was a teenager, he won the MVP award in ice hockey. That made his Dad real proud..!" Jack was saying as they skated by.
Sam tightened her grip on Gracie.
"You know, Gracie, your Dad held Charlie's ten-year memorial here at the cabin."
As if sensing the importance of her Mother's words, the baby glanced up at Sam.
"It was a very sad time for your Dad, but he invited me to come along..." she cast her eyes to the heavens before returning her gaze to her husband.
"It was a very important step in our relationship," she whispered to the baby.
As Jack and Jacob swung by the jetty again, the eyes of the former team leader and 2IC met.
"I guess you could say there's snow place like the cabin."