Waterbound

1925

Winter

~~~

It was one of those unexplainable days, where the occasional snowflake danced through the air despite the clear blue skies and everything glittered with frost. The frozen lake at Prospect Park teemed with ice skaters, all bundled up in thick coats and scarves, their hats pulled tightly down over their ears.

Ever since their unexpected date six months earlier, Fabrizio and Lelia had slipped into a comfortable friendship. Neither dared to broach the topic of where it might be leading. All Fabrizio knew was that as time went on, he found himself less interested in spending time with Louise and more interested in sitting next to Lelia's desk. No small part of him was aware that they were clearly headed for something more, but memories of the last time he had allowed himself to fall in love were still prominent in his mind and he didn't allow himself to even consider the idea.

Ice skating had been Lelia's idea and, despite never having been skating before, Fabrizio had reluctantly gone along with it. All he could think about as they laced up their rented skates was how foolish he was soon to look. He would fall. Lelia would laugh. And they would never see each other ever again.

But the moment they stepped onto the ice, Lelia's feet flew out from under her and she landed on her backside and started to laugh. "Can you tell I've never done this before?" She asked as she struggled back to her feet.

"Why you suggest it then?" Fabrizio grinned, relieved that they could be terrible together.

She held tightly to his arm. "I've always thought it looked like fun."

A group of skaters suddenly glided by, chatting effortlessly as they skated. There was no wobbling, no loss of balance. They made it look as easy as walking.

"That look easy," he pointed out. "Now we just do what they do."

"And what are they doing?"

"Not falling."

Fabrizio took her hand and they pushed off together, slowly and unsteadily and holding each other up.

"You know what I don't understand?" Lelia asked after they had skated in silence for a few minutes.

"How they skate backwards?"

"Well, that too," she said. "But also, there were a group of men at work the other day talking about how they gave women the right to vote."

"That's a good thing, no?"

"It is," she explained. "But they didn't give us the right. They simply stopped withholding it."

"But you couldn't vote until now." He didn't fully understand.

"No, and why do you think that is?" Lelia wobbled for a second, clutching at him to regain her balance. "It's because at some point in history, a group of men decided that they were afraid of their women having a voice."

"Of course, they afraid," Fabrizio replied. "Women are smarter than men. Everyone know it. They just don't speak of it."

Lelia smiled but before she could respond, a child suddenly zoomed beneath their arms. Startled, they both fell to the ice.

"Coming through," the child called back after he had already passed them.

She laughed. "That little brat."

"I think he in a hurry," Fabrizio said.

Lelia suddenly leaned in and kissed him and the world around them seemed to hold its breath. Yet, just as quickly as the universe had paused for them, they found themselves back sitting on the frozen pond, other skaters whizzing past, casting irritated glances at them for being in the way.