I was psyched up for my race. It was the second in Milwaukee since I returned to the ice. I won my first, but my time was slow compared with what I posted when I was in peak condition back home in Amsterdam. I heard rumors that I had stronger competition for the second race even though it was still a year away from Olympic trials. I considered signing up for two or even three different distances, but in the end, I decided to put all of my energy into the 1,500-meter race. I wore a light jacket over my skin suit and my orange stocking cap while I skated with the crowd warming up on the long track oval.

Sophie and Jerry joined me on the trip to Milwaukee. We rode in the train and shared a taxi ride to a hotel near the ice center. We planned to eat dinner together after the race, and then I was returning to Chicago early the next morning. Sophie and Jerry were staying in the city and moving to a hotel downtown to explore for an extra day. I was happy that my skating led to a much-needed weekend away from home for my favorite couple.

I glanced around at the gathered crowd. I was slowly making a few friends among the other skaters. They respected my talent, and those who chose to specialize in long track always wanted to know why the Dutch were so successful. I gave the bulk of the credit to national and institutional support. Long track speed skating was barely a blip in the sports world of the United States, but in the Netherlands, it was our national sport. Then I cheekily added, “Or maybe it’s connected to the blonde gene.”

Three different coaches approached me at my first race. I waved them off with a statement that I wasn’t sure yet whether I was planning to try and compete for national team status. If I was, I thought that I might wait until my Chicago job expired, and I could return to Amsterdam for focused training with homegrown coaches.

On my final warmup lap, I decided to take it faster than the others. I did my best to avoid other skaters on the outside of the track and broke into full stride on the back straightaway of the oval. My muscles felt loose. I was ready for the race.

As I glided toward a stop near the stands half-filled with spectators, I quickly scanned the crowd. I waved to Sophie and Jerry, and I continued to look around. Most of the crowd looked like families of the skaters. Mom, Dad, and a sibling or two gathered in small groups on the bleachers. My mouth dropped open when I saw someone familiar. James was walking up to the ice directly toward me. Even more shocking, he was carrying a duffel bag. I couldn’t think of a reason for him to have a bag other than he was expecting to race.

My hands began to sweat when I saw him. It was a complete surprise. As he drew close, he offered a hug. My movements were tentative at first, but his embrace was so warm that I dropped my hesitation and hugged him back.

I started to ask what he was doing, and James held a finger to my lips. He smiled and said, “Neither of us is supposed to be here, right?”

I said, “I got over my petty pride.”

James responded, “And I’m getting over my fear.”

“You’re going to race?”

“If they let me. I’m pretty late for registration, but I want to. I need to jump back on the horse and start riding again.”

I hadn’t seen him at first, but Jordi stepped out from behind James like a proper shadow. He addressed James and said, “Now, wait a second, I have a question. You told me the duffel had extra gym clothes in case you decided that you wanted to go for a jog on the running track here or go for a swim later at the hotel. You’ve got skates in there, James?”

I said, “Well, hello there, Jordi. I’m betting he has skates in there. Do I win the money, James?”

James laughed softly. “You win the bet, Lucas. I didn’t mean to deceive you, Jordi, but I hadn’t decided if I was going to try to race when we first got into the car.”

Jordi interrupted again and asked, “Does this mean hockey…”

James held up a hand. “One little baby step at a time.”

I said, “James, why don’t you go to the locker room and get dressed. Meanwhile, I’ll talk to Jordi and figure out what ’s going on.”

James began to step away, and I grabbed his shoulder. I said, “By the way, you have to stick around after the race to meet my sister Sophie. Maybe we can all have dinner together.”

My heart caught in my throat as I watched James walk away in the direction of the locker rooms. I didn’t know if his appearance meant we still had a chance together as a couple, but regardless of what happened in the future, I was happy to see him returning to the ice.

I glanced up to the stands and saw Sophie waving both of her hands. I assumed that she was eager to find out who the guys were standing near me. I held up my hand, and Jerry pulled Sophie’s hands down. She would need to wait. I wanted to talk to Jordi on my own.

Jordi followed me to the end of the stands, and we ducked out of the traffic patterns of skaters and coaches. I asked, “So what’s going on here? I’ve got all kinds of questions to ask, but maybe you can answer many of them by just telling me the basics of what’s going on.”

Jordi launched into an explanation that began with James deciding to swim for exercise. I wound my hand in a circle and asked, “Can you speed it up a little, Jordi? I don’t need the extended version with all of the bonus content.”

He laughed and said, “Well, I have a friend. No, I guess he’s more of an acquaintance who is a speed skater. He’s in high school, and his parents bring him down here to Milwaukee for races. He’s talented enough that he could make the U.S. Olympic squad someday.”

“And this friend saw my race? That’s one step, but how does that lead to James?”

Jordi nodded. “Yes, Eric saw your race, and then he found out there was a video on YouTube.”

I scratched my head. “I didn’t know that.”

Jordi said, “Yeah, and it’s clear enough that I could figure out for sure it was you. That’s where I stepped in.”

“You stepped in?”

“Well, I haven’t seen much of James since he quit playing hockey, but I heard that he took up swimming to try and keep in shape.”

I whispered, “Like me in the off-season.”

Jordi shrugged. “Anyway, I guess I sort of showed him the video of you with my cell phone.”

I wound my hand in a circle again. “Let’s get over the kinda sortas and get to the point.”

“It was crazy, Lucas. He watched you, and minutes later we were planning a late night drive down here. I had no idea that he packed his skates. I thought we were just coming to watch you. Now here we are, and you’re both back on the ice. That makes me happy.”