Note: I appreciate your time, your comments and your votes!
Also note: no actual husbands were harmed in the making of this story.
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It was just an average morning at the office, a Wednesday early in February. I had my office door closed, working on a project that had to be completed by end of day Monday. I was listening to instrumental music on my headphones to help focus, so I didn't hear Jodie knocking on my door. She opened the door anyway and popped her head around it, then stepped inside. I pulled my headphones down.
"Hi! Sorry for barging in. I knocked!" She was in a good mood.
"No problem, Jodie. I was listening to music..", I explained, as if that wasn't obvious.
"What's your plan for lunch?" she asked me.
"I brought a sandwich from home. I'm just going to eat it here."
"No you're not. You're coming skating with me."
"What? I can't skate very well."
"That's okay. You're still coming."
"No, I have to finish this project."
"It's not due until next week!" I forgot that I had already told her about it.
"I don't have any skates."
She turned a bit to show me the big blue shopping bag hanging on her shoulder. "Well, that's why I brought in Todd's hockey skates for you. No more excuses. Let's go!"
"Okay, okay.. I'm coming."
I went to family skates with my parents when I was younger, and again with friends while I was in university. I could stay on my feet and didn't flail my arms around, but I wasn't a fast skater.
Jodie, on the other hand, took figure skating lessons when she was a girl, and even competed until her middle teens. She also took ballet and modern dance lessons, as well as swimming. I wondered where she found the time for all of that. She told me that her parents still had her collection of trophies and ribbons at their house. She felt completely natural and free on the ice.
We got to the rink and put on the skates. Her husband's skates were a bit tight on me, but it would be fine for this one time.
We stepped out and I held onto the boards for a moment while I got used to being on the ice. I hadn't skated in a couple of years. But soon we were making our way around, passing some people and being passed by others. After half a lap, she linked her arm with mine, so she could pull me along and keep me from falling.
After a few laps, she skated in front of me and turned to face me, holding my hands in hers. She was skating backwards and pulling me around the rink, grinning back at me, sometimes glancing back to make sure she didn't run into anyone.
After a few moments, she had a new idea. She spun around again, facing away from me. "Here, hold onto my hips." I put my hands around her waist and hips. She shifted them to the right place, and then she started skating forward, pulling me along behind her. I just had to keep my skates facing the right way, while she did all of the work. Soon we were going faster than I had ever skated before, and I clung to her so I wouldn't fall. It was really fun going so quickly around the ice. I could see why good skaters enjoyed it so much.
I almost fell a couple of times in the turns, but I managed to stay on my feet. After a few laps, we stopped and I grabbed onto the boards, relieved that I was still in one piece.
We did a few more laps with me skating on my own, getting some more practice.
After a while, my feet were getting a bit sore. I told her that I wanted to watch her skate around without me holding her back. I sat in the stands and watched her lap the rink, skating forward and backward, doing spins and a few jumps.
After about 10 minutes of that, it was family time, when children were allowed on the ice, and she came up and joined me in the stands. Her cheeks were rosy from the exercise and the chilly air.
We sat together and watched parents take their young children onto the ice, bundled up in snowsuits and puffy jackets, winter hats under their helmets. She changed back into her shoes.
The parents were so proud, taking videos on their phones, excited that their kids took 5 steps on the ice without falling over. She said that the kids were so cute.
After a few moments, I could tell that she was starting to feel chilly. I took off my jacket and wrapped it around her as she snuggled up to me, my arm around her shoulder. I scanned around the rink, looking for any familiar faces. But I didn't see anyone I knew.
I kissed her on the side of her head, above her ear. She turned and looked into my eyes after I did that, but she didn't say anything, and she gave me a quick smile.
Before long, we had to go back to work. We had been gone for almost 2 hours, and while going in, I felt like a teenager sneaking home after curfew, trying not to wake the parents.
A week later, another Wednesday. I was heading back to my office after going to the washroom. I ran into Jodie by the elevators.
"I'm going to the mall to get lunch -- wanna come?"
I didn't have any lunch plans, and I had no pressing projects this week, so I said yes. My friend Joe had told me about a new place in the food court that I wanted to try.
She drove. We split up and went to different restaurants in the food court, but then sat together to eat and chat.
When we finished lunch, she said that she had a couple of quick errands to do. I waited while she picked up a prescription, and then while she picked out a birthday card for Todd to give to one of his co-workers. Jodie had not even met the guy.
I was starting to get bored, and wanted to get back to work. Finally she was done and we were heading back to her car. In the last hallway before getting to the parking lot, we passed by a store selling bikinis. She stopped and looked at one on display in front of the store. "Let's look in here. It'll be bikini season soon." I looked at my phone to check the time. I didn't even do it consciously. I only realized that I did it because she noticed and reacted. "Come on, we still have some time." She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the bikini store.
I glanced around the store. I was the only guy there, and I felt out of place. I started to tell Jodie that I'd wait outside on the benches, where the other customers' husbands and boyfriends were sitting with their phones. She was looking at the racks, flipping through different bikinis.
She said, "Thanks for being so patient and waiting for me. I'll make it up to you somehow."