Page 24 of Fated Midlife Christmas
“It’s not for everyone.” Though she didn’t need him for balance anymore, Lars continued to hold her hand as they made their way around the pond. “My father told me that a lot of the Olympians you see have to get up and get to practice before even going to school, and that they have to start at a very early age. I like to think I’m disciplined, but that sounds like too much.”
“You’re good, though,” Amanda noted as they moved a little to the right, letting a faster skater pass them. “I imagine there’s no shortage of frozen ponds where you’re from.”
“That’s true. We skate all the time. I know I’ll never stand on a podium for a gold medal, but I still enjoy it. It’s a bit ofa tradition for us, really. At least a couple of times a year, my family goes out on the ice together. Sometimes, we’ll play a bit of hockey, too.” His mind wandered back to Longyearbyen and his family. Erik and Alva were probably out there on the ice right now, having a bit of fun during the holiday season.
“What other holiday traditions does your family have?” The wind was beginning to pick up, and Amanda pulled her hat a little further down over her ears.
“Oh, let’s see. I think I’d already mentioned the almond in the rice pudding. We always suspected that our mother made sure a different person got it each year. She denied it, but no one ever found it two years in a row.” Lars could still taste that warm, thick pudding and feel the excitement and hope of digging in and looking for the almond.
“She sounds sweet.”
“She was. She passed away several years ago.”
Amanda stopped focusing on her skating long enough to look up at him, her eyes sincere. “I’m sorry. I know how tough that is.”
“Thank you. It’s taken a while to adjust, but I have a lot of fond memories. She was also very good at putting our Advent calendars together. I’ve seen the ones you have here in the stores, the cardboard ones. Erik and I each had a wooden one that was reused every year, and our parents would fill them up with little trinkets. When we were very young, they would try to make sure everything was the same. As we got older, they tailored it more to our interests. It was always a lot of fun.”
“So you got more than just chocolates?” she asked.
“Oh, yes! My mother could manage to put even a pair of socks or underwear behind those little doors, and my father would choose things like tools or fishing lures. One year, I peeked at the next day, and I had to pretend that I didn’t know what I was getting. It was just a small gift, and now I don’t even rememberwhat it was, but I could hardly stand it. I never peeked again.” He smiled as he remembered the joy of opening each little wooden door and the laughter that would fill the room when it was something amusing or practical. Even when they were busy, the Olsens always made time after dinner to get together and celebrate each night during Advent.
“We didn’t do Advent calendars, but my mom did something kind of similar with our stockings.” Amanda lifted her chin and tipped her head slightly back, looking content. “She saw how much we liked unwrapping our gifts, so she started wrapping every little thing that was in our stockings, too. And it changed for us as we got older. Instead of just candy and little toys, we’d get makeup, hairbrushes, or even air fresheners for our cars. It’s kind of funny that something so little and practical could be just as happy and memorable as getting a new stereo.”
Lars considered this for a moment. “You’re right, but I think it’s the idea that we know to expect it. Traditions are something we can rely on, even when we can’t control the rest of the world.”
He was missing out on plenty of traditions at home that year, as well as his duties to the clan. Those were something everyone else relied on. He had responsibilities that were waiting for him as soon as he returned.
As much as he missed his family and his homeland, he had something special with Amanda. Before long, he’d have to give it all up and return to what he knew, what everyone expected. He would go back to Longyearbyen and back to work. He missed his home now, but he’d miss Amanda once he returned. Sadness crept up inside him, threatening to overpower any good time the two of them could have there together.
It didn’t help that Lars felt a bit of distance between himself and Amanda. They were still new to each other, so it made sense even though they were fated. He wondered if it might have something to do with the physical distance that would separatethem soon enough, but then she’d look up at him or smile at him and make his polar bear swell with pleasure once again.
“It’s getting chilly,” Amanda noted as the wind gusted once again. She slapped her hand on her head to keep her hat from flying away and scrunched her shoulders up around her neck.
Lars knew he could probably stay out there for hours before he actually got cold enough to even notice, but he was used to a much different climate. “Let’s go over here.”
Someone had the brilliant idea to set up a small stand right on the edge of the pond, where they sold snacks and hot drinks. “Two hot chocolates, please.”
When they were served, Amanda took a steamy sip and relaxed her shoulders. “Oh, that’s wonderful.”
“Look, they’ve even got a place for us to sit down.” Lars gestured to one of several benches, which had been arranged close enough to the ice that they could simply step over a bit of frozen ground and have a seat.
“Now if only the benches were heated like the seats in my car, I’d be good to go,” she laughed as she sat next to him.
Lars carefully sipped his cocoa, trying to avoid getting whipped cream on his nose. He put one arm on the back of the bench and turned to Amanda.
She pulled her cup away from her face and looked up at him with alarm. “What is it?”
“I just thought we should talk,” he began.
“Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?” she asked with a smile.
“I mean about something more.” They hadn’t truly addressed what stood between them and their future. It was just one thing, really, but it was big. Thousands of miles wide. He could come to Salem and spend a very happy holiday there with her, but it would end eventually.
She dabbed the corner of her mouth and looked at him somberly.
Lars felt his pulse quicken. His polar bear rumbled sourly at the very idea of leaving her to go back home. He felt as though fate had played a nasty trick on him, putting him in a small community on a distant island and then putting his mate all the way down in America. Judging by the look on her face, she was just as disappointed by the revelation as he was.
How could he even begin to discuss something so monumental?
