From mrspencil: learning to skate
"That's it, John, just hold on to me." John gripped my arm tightly as I skated slowly beside him, his movements hesitant and stilted. He'd told me about the fun he and his brother had had as children, skating on their local pond, and so I had thought it a fine idea to go skating together as a surprise. It was only when we had arrived that John confided to me that he had not been ice-skating since he had received his leg wound, and did not know if he could still do it. I had offered for us to leave, but he had insisted it was worth a try, thus leading us to where we were now.
I pulled John gently forward, still holding his arm tightly. It was taking some time for John's skills to return, but he was still improving much faster than a beginner would have. It would not be much longer, I hoped, until we could take a proper turn around the ice together.
In my eagerness, I pulled slightly too hard, and John lost his balance, pulling me to the ice with him. I lay there for a moment, quite frozen with surprise, while John worriedly asked me if I was hurt. Once my shock had passed, I began to laugh. It seemed John was not the only one who far from an expert skater!
Together, John and I stumbled upright, still laughing. "Maybe we should stop now," I giggled. "It seems I am not such a good teacher as I thought!"
"Nonsense!" With a bright smile, John turned to me. "I'm sure we're almost there, Mary. Let's have one more try."
I nodded my agreement, finally reigning in my giggles, and took his arm in mine. "Let's try." Arm I'm arm, we took off. At first, John's steps were wobbly, just as they had been before we crashed, but they then grew smooth, lengthening our, until the two of us were gliding side by side across the ice. I laughed from sheer exhilaration. This feeling was worth every moment it had taken to get there.