A Chance for Charity (The Immortal Ones) by S.L. Baum

snow. So the three of us went to Mammoth Mountain two
or three times every season,” Link smiled at the memory. It was a
small sad smile.
    “ Thank you for sharing this
with me then. It’s good that you are still honoring his memory this
way. If he loved it so much, he’d want you to continue doing it.
Don’t you think?”
    “ That’s why I’m a ‘ski
bum’. It makes me feel closer to him when I’m racing down a
mountain.”
    “ Can we just meander down
the mountain this weekend and save the racing for later?” I smirked
at him.
    “ I’ll do my best,” Link
promised as we packed all my new gear into the back of the
SUV.
    “ See you Saturday, nine
o’clock sharp,” I promised out the window after I climbed into the
driver’s seat.
    “ I’ll pick you up instead.
I think you’ll need some help with all that stuff,” he said,
altering his original plan.
    “ I think you are right,” I
agreed.
     
    A huge snowstorm blew in that night, dumping
snow for two days straight. When I awoke Saturday morning,
apprehension rolled around in my stomach. It created a ball of
nervous knots. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself. I imagined
myself falling five, ten, fifteen times during my first run. I
cleared my head, determined to control my silly fears. I could do
this. My cell phone started buzzing around the bathroom counter,
and I jumped. It was my habit to always keep it on vibrate
mode.
    “ Hello,” I answered it
without checking the screen.
    “ Hey, Emily. It’s Summer,”
she sounded excited.
    “ Oh, Hi, Summer. What’s
up?”
    “ Well I just found out that
there was enough snow from this last storm to open Meadows. So now
you can go with us,” she exclaimed.
    “ Oh, well actually I
can’t...” I started.
    “ No really, you can. I
already told Rusty I was calling you. Burke convinced Dee to let
him teach her to board. So, we can all go together,” she burst
through before I had a chance to complete my sentence.
    “ Well what I was trying to
say is - I already made plans to learn to ski. Lincoln Knight, who
works at the hardware store, offered to teach me. I kinda wanted to
ski instead of board anyway. I hope you’re okay with
that.”
    “ Lincoln Knight? From the
hardware store? Oh my God! That’s the hot guy that just started
working there a couple of months ago. How did you meet him?” she
squealed into the phone.
    “ Long story,” I
said.
    “ How old is he?”
    “ Twenty-Two... We are just
friends. He wants to teach me to ski. It’s no big deal,” I
explained.
    “ I can’t wait to tell
Delilah. See you on the slopes,” Summer sang as she hung up the
phone.
    I struggled to get all my new ski gear
together. The tall socks, ski pants, and long sleeve shirt I put on
in my room. I left my boots, skis, poles, jacket, goggles, and knit
cap by the side door. I slipped my sheepskin boots on my feet and
waited for Link. He arrived at nine o’clock sharp, just as
promised.
    “ Hello Mr. Knight,” I
greeted him, opening the door before he knocked.
    “ Well hello Miss Johnston.
You’re looking a bit apprehensive this morning. Are you
ready?”
    “ I don’t think I have quite
enough gear over there,” I replied, using sarcasm to cover my
nerves.
    “ Oh? Looks like the right
amount to me,” he smiled that brilliant smile again and my heart
skipped a beat, maybe two. “As soon as lift ten is open you can use
Galloping Goose to ski right out of here and then you won’t have to
lug this gear anywhere.”
    “ That sounds perfect, let’s
wait for that,” I suggested.
    “ Come on little girl, let’s
go,” he said as he picked up my skis and boots and headed to his
SUV.
    I picked up the rest of my stuff and
followed him to the back of the vehicle. “Keep me upright Big
Daddy,” I ordered.
    “ I’ll do my best,” he
promised.
    Link said he knew a guy who worked at one of
the resorts, walking distance to the lifts. The guy let him park in
the resort’s underground garage. So that