Thank you for all your nice comments :) Life caught up with me and even though I have a few more chapters already written I didn't find time to edit and post them until now.
Hope you'll enjoy !
It wasn't his first experience with winter weather but it was his worst. New York really wasn't that cold compared to Montreal. Before going out, while Andy and his mother were changing in the bathroom, he turned on the TV and the forecast channel said it was supposed to be -14C, -22C with the wind factor. He didn't know what the wind factor was until now and would have gladly continued to be ignorant. Sharon had insisted on buying him a big coat years ago in NYC and he was really glad about it. He was also very glad to be the same size as her, so he could wear one of her snow-pants and her old but very warm shoes. Sharon and Andy had both insisted that he wore woolen underpants under the ski pants and he was so thankful about it. He would have died otherwise, he was sure of it.
He casted a look at the couple a few steps ahead of him, impressed once again by Sharon's impeccable style. She wore a mid-thigh black coat, a Canada Goose, which she kept on praising the warmth and comfort and which was really well cut, showing her slim frame and dipped waist under the heavy layers of down. Her snow pants were not baggy and making « shush shush » sounds when she walked, they were more form fitted and in a soft shell elastic matter which seemed really comfortable. She had a pair black leather and fur UGG boots, the one everyone had in this city, not the weird one people wore in LA. And she wore an adorable purple hat with a fur pompom that really softened the lines of her face and gave more mischief to her gaze. How could she be graceful in that weather was beyond him but still, she was.
And how she knew how to navigate the city without a map, he couldn't figure either but she led them through the big white streets and up the hill until they arrived to Le Mont Royal. On their way up, they stopped at Andy's insistence at a Tim Hortons to try the local fast-food chain. They didn't have any burgers, a shame but they had a pretty decent BLT and Sharon seemed to love their tomato soup and bread. With warm food in the belly, they finished their ascension and passed in front of something that looked like Hogwarts. Sharon stopped and sat on a concrete stud, her eyes downcast. He wondered if they went up too fast and looked for Andy. He didn't seem out of breath the slightest, which was a good indication. He was going to go to her when the other man grabbed his arm and pulled him away. « Give her a moment, kiddo. »
« Is she okay? » He asked, worried. Sharon was in spectacular shape but she was still very close to 60 and at her age…
« Let her gather her thoughts and say her prayer. » Said Andy.
« She's praying, now?! » He knew she went to mass a lot but still, it was -1000 degrees outside. She could pray all she wants tonight, in the safe abode of their hotel, with a fire roaring and not the wind slapping their face.
« You know her sister died there. She just needs a moment to connect with her. » To say Rusty was surprised would be an understatement.
« What are you talking about? Her sister is in El Salvador! Or is it Guatemala? » He saw the confusion in Andy's gaze.
« Columbia. I'm talking about her other sister, Kathleen, the one who was murdered. » Rusty frowned. Sharon had never mentioned a deceased relative but, again, she didn't talk much about herself and he rarely asked. « She never told you? » Andy seemed more chagrined than anything else.
« Her husband beat her to death. » Said Sharon, her voice barely above a whisper. « She died here, at the Royal Victoria, where she worked. She was just 24 years old and I was 20. She was going to be a doctor, she wanted to be an obstetrician. » He was flabbergasted by what he heard and, at the same time, not really. It sure explained a lot, at least why her family hated Jack so much even before he started to derail and why she had moved all the way across the USA to be with him. And her engagement towards women shelter's and the woman's cause in general.
As they resumed their walking, he couldn't help but wonder what other things Sharon hid. Or what he missed because he never asked her about her life. He knew both her parents died some years ago. He remembered something about her father dying the day she arrived in Park City after being stuck with Major Crimes and her mother's dying of heart problems at Sharon's condo. He read between the lines that she was ill for quite some time and came to live with Sharon for that reason but didn't know much. He felt suddenly very ashamed not to ask more, not to know more. Obviously she had confided in Andy so it wasn't a big secret. He had just not been trustworthy enough to earn that confession. Still, a tiny voice, Sharon's voice, said if only he asked about others…
Finally, they arrived au Mont Royal. He could feel that Sharon was restless and worried. Andy was quite short of breath and they had to take a few breaks climbing up the stairs. In the second row, she made them go on a big path and they climbed more slowly the small mountain. He was a bit surprised by what he found there. In this big metropole, the 2nd largest francophone city in the world (as per the guidebook he looked at), stood cross-country skiers, people jogging on the snow, family and strollers. And on the hill top, where Sharon wanted them to go, where sled runs and a huge skating rink. He never went to a ski resort but it was exactly like he imagined it.
They slowly made their way to Beaver Lake and stopped first to the small boutique for coffee. Andy needed a break and they were happy to oblige. And if it meant warming up in the process, all the better. Soon enough, he found himself on two blades sliding on a very slippery ice ring. Oh he didn't like it at all! He was terrified to fall and break something. He felt unnatural with those things on his feet. He learnt quite late to ride a bike and was still not convinced by the two wheeled things. He never rollerblade before and, of course, never skated. But Sharon was there and she wanted so much, he agreed. He thought at first she had Andy do the same: agree with reluctance. But no. No no no. Andy, with his 6''1 and his legendary goofiness was like a seal on the ice. Gliding without a care in the world, going backwards… no he was a natural.
After what felt like half a day trying to stay up on his skates, listening to the couple's advice and holding Sharon's hand, he finally gave up. He was exhausted by the cold and the fear. He finally sat on one of the benches on one side of the ring and watched people. There were a lot of novices, like him. But there were some very good skaters too. He saw an Asian woman spinning on herself a few times and he found it quite impressive. Andy and Sharon made the loop together for the 1rst time, holding hands, talking. The second time, they passed in front of him, his mothers was going backward, Andy holding her hips, navigating her through the mass of people. He could see they had picked up some speed. By their 3rd passage, they were both going backward, holding one hand and looking above their shoulder not to have an accident. He could see they were both laughing and enjoying themself immensely. He heard another couple talk to them, telling them to do a figure or something like that. He was surprised to see them stop, turn around toward him and, like at the Olympics, Sharon started to spin on herself with Andy's help. When she stopped, she fell into his arms and he made her dip her back, her hand grazing the ice. He helped her straighten, both of them laughing. They skated up to him.
« Where did you learn to do that? » He asked his mother, amazed.
She blushed. « I did a lot of ice skating in my youth. »
« How much of a lot? Did you go to the Olympics, 'cause you really looked awesome, Mom! » His two mothers had the gift to always surprised him.
« No, silly. But I did a few competitions. I even had a scholarship thanks to that. »
« She's too modest. » Interrupted Andy. « She did 5th at the American championship, won two years in a row the collegial and junior's one and competed for the world championship! » He was beaming with pride, his eyes full of love and admiration for his woman.
« Why did you stop then? » Asked Rusty.
« I … I had a few accidents. I tore my knee ligaments just before the world championship. I managed to run for it but I damaged my knee pretty badly by not having a surgery when I needed it. A few months later, I met Jack and.. and falling in love was such a respite after years of competition and the death of my sister. I wanted something new, something other than training all my waking hours. »