In the past few months after hockey season ended, Mr. Banks gave my mother a promotion and raise at work. He thought he would want to help out with our current situation. Mother found a small two-storied home within District 5 lines. The house was small like our old one but it was only the two of us.

In March, my birthday had come and I became 14 years old, now starting high school in the fall. It was the middle of May and the summer started creeping in on me.

I only saw the Ducks on occasion, like at school, except for Charlie and Connie who I visited quite often. However, I was upset that Banksie and I never got to see each other after offseason since I was so busy with school work.

During Coach Bombay's leave to play with the Waves, Ms. Conway got remarried since she lost contact with Coach Bombay. Charlie and I picked up our apprenticeship jobs at Hans shop where we met his brother Jan.

He taught us how to sharpen skates, which we found pleasing and relaxing. Charlie and I spent most of our time away from home sharpening skates at the shop.

Jan would post up new newspaper clippings and photos of Coach Bombay. The papers called him "The Minnesota Miracle Man". Every time Jan would put up a new photo or newspaper clipping, it would always make me feel happy inside for a little while, then it would disappear from sadness.

One day, while the two of us sharpened skates in the back, Jan told us that Coach Bombay would be coming home due to a knee injury. Charlie and I were ecstatic from this news, we couldn't wait to see Coach. Show him all the changes, show him how much we changed. Charlie just grew like a weed and made me feel short. Puberty on the other hand hit me like a train. Gave me a whole new face and body, which is thin.

The next day, when Charlie and I showed up for work in the morning, Jan had told us to be quiet because Coach was sleeping.

"When did he get here?" I asked Jan while looking at Coach Bombay sleeping on the couch through french doors.

"Last night, 11 o'clock-ish." He responded.

Charlie and I then went to our stations and got to work, putting on our safety glasses before starting to sharpen the skates.

What felt like hours of sharpening, Charlie stopped sharpening and walked into the room where Coach was sleeping, "Sorry, did I wake you?" Charlie said while opening up the doors.

"Hey, Charlie." Coach smiled while sitting up.

"Hey Coach, great to see you." He strides over to Coach who then embraced him.

Quickly, I turned off the machine and took off my glasses, putting them on the collar of my shirt, "Coach! Your awake!" I smiled widely before running up to him.

His eyes went wide, "Vic! Oh my God, you're a completely different girl than the one I last saw!" We embraced each other.

"Well, not too much, Mister Big Stuff over here keeps growing like a weed and making me feel short." I elbowed Charlie playfully, who laughed.

He then shot his hands in the air, "Well it's not my fault that I keep growing!"

Jan then stepped in the room with a tray in his hands, he made trumpet noises with his mouth, "For breakfast my specialty, Jan's hasen-"

"Hasenpfeffer and eggs." We all said together while looking at each other.

Jan smiled before setting the tray down on the coffee table, "Yeah, I thought I smelled something burning." Coach joked around before the four of us sat down.

"I see you've met my new apprentices." Jan gestured to the two of us.

Charlie looked over at Coach, "Jan told us that you did this job when you were our age."

"Yeah, that's right and I hope he pays you guys more than he paid me." Coach took a plate of food from Jan.

"You got paid!?" Charlie and I looked at each other.

"How come we don't get paid?" I looked at Jan who handed Charlie a plate of food.

"Eat, eat, everybody, before the hasenpfeffer gets cold." Jan then looked at me, handing me my plate.

The four of us then started eating the food in silence, "So Vic, I just wanted to say thanks for being there for me when I got my injury." Coach Bombay looked over at me.

I was so confused about what he was talking about, I was never there to see his injury, "Coach," I started, looking at Charlie. "I wasn't there at your game."

"Ya, Vicki hasn't left town," Charlie added.

Coach, in confusion, set his plate down, "Then why did I hear you and see you at my game, taking care of me?" He folded his hands.

"You were probably hallucinating, Gordon." Jan stepped in.

"Probably, but I swear you were there Vicki." Coach looked between Jan and I.

"Like I said, she hasn't left town." Charlie reminded Coach while eating some eggs.

Changing the subject, Coach picked up his plate and continued to eat, "So hows the team?" He looked happy but anxious to hear the response.

"Well," I sighed, then Coach's face dropped. "Tammy, Tommy, Karp, and Peter all moved and Terry just oped and quit the team." I frowned, then started eating more eggs.

Coach sighed, "Well how about everyone else?"

"I only see Charlie and Connie more than the team at school besides Banks, since he goes to a private school in Edina." I frowned at mentioning Banks in the conversation.

"We'll have you seen him lately?" Coach leaned forward.

"No," I shook my head. "I've been so busy with school work that it's kinda been overwhelming and I really don't think he would recognize me anyway," My face dropped at the thought of Banksie. "He didn't even get me a birthday present!"

"Well, we, being the team, didn't get you anything cause we've all been busy and we wanna make it special," Charlie explained.

"Well besides you Char, ya got me something small for my birthday at least." Coach and Jan looked between us.

"Ok, ok, enough with the birthday talk, eat up so you two can go back to skate sharpening." Jan chuckled which made Coach chuckle a bit.

The two of us then went back to skate sharpening after we finished breakfast, leaving Coach and Jan. Charlie and I had sharpening stations facing each other so we could look and talk to each other. After a while I just threw off my glasses and leaned against the table, thinking about Banks just was a stab in the heart. Charlie then looked up from sharpening and shut off the machine before taking off his glasses.

He walked over to my station, standing in front of me, "What happened between you two?" Charlie asked calmly in a soft voice.

Looking up at his sympathetic eyes, I gave a small smile, "I dunno. We just got busy I guess. After that dinner date, we only called each other a few times and after that, we lost contact," Shaking my head, tears started forming in my eyes, and rolling down my face. "When my birthday came, I never got anything from him which really hurt," I fluttered my lashes rapidly before wiping the tears away carefully not to smudge my mascara. "I just really miss him. And the team. The Ducks. We're a family. A flock. A flock sticks together-" I croaked out.

"We did stay together, Vicki, thanks to you! Without you or Coach, we'd be lost!" Charlie lifted up my chin with his fingers, making me look up at him. "You did keep us together, Vicki," He repeated, then wiped my tears away with his fingers. "You're stronger than you know it. You can push through this." Charlie crossed his arms over his chest, nodding his head.

I then stood up straight, putting on my big girl pants and composing myself again, "Your absolutely right Char. I'm a strong, powerful, teenager." Nodding my head and sniffing my nose, I placed my hands on my hips.

"And there's the Vicki I know!" Charlie grinned before walking over to me. "Welcome back sis." He then kissed my forehead, then walked back to his station.

"Aww, don't get too soft on me Conway." I teased before putting on my glasses.

"Aw, me!" Charlie scoffed before putting on his glasses. "Never in a million years, Reed!" He then turned on the machine, the two of us continued to sharpen the skates piled up in the back room on racks.

Every now and again, Jan would come in the room to check to see how we were doing with the skates. Then he would go back to talking with Coach. After a while, Jan took the tray of plates away while Coach walked into the main shop area by the cash register where all the photos and clippings were. Stopping my machine, taking off my glasses, I crept up to the front and spied on Coach.

Coach took down the clipping of the Ducks winning State Championship with our picture. Jan slowly approached behind him. Coach turned to Jan who stood beside him, then looked back at the framed clipping, "That was a good day," He paused. "God, look at Charlie and Vicki, they've grown."

Jan lightly smiled, "They do that," He chuckled and took the frame. "Since his mother remarried and her mother got the new house, the two spend most of they're time here, I had to hire them."

"Ya, I should have kept in touch more." Coach frowned before hobbling away.

"Well your here now, so what's your plan? Have you talked to Ducksworth?" Jan asked, hanging the clipping back up on the wall.

"I'm not a lawyer, Jan, I'm a player." He said bitterly.

"But your injury requires some rest and time." Jan reminded Coach.

"Well, time isn't something I have a whole lot of," Coach went over to the hockey sticks on the rack. "I was so close to the NHL, Jan, this close," He gestured with his fingers while turning to Jan who stood behind the counter. "And man, I was alive."

Coach then sat down, "Have you thought about coaching? You were the Minnesota Miracle Man."

"Ya, coaching the Ducks was one of the best things I've ever done but I can't make a living coaching PeeWee hockey." Coach sighed.

"When there is a way there must be a will," Jan reminded Coach, coming from behind the counter. "My hockey suppliers tell me that Team USA is still without a Coach for The Junior Goodwill Games." Jan then sat next to him on the bench in the shop near the hockey sticks.

"Well, give 'em a call for me, Jan," Coach sounded optimistic. "Maybe I'll be able to sharpen their skates." He said bitterly.

"Don't mock skate sharpening-" Jan pointed a finger at Coach, scolding him.

"I know Jan, it's a great skill, but I don't wanna be sharpening skates in this rinkey-dink town anymore. I want something better. Something bigger." Coach said, frowning.

I sighed at Coach's comment, then came out from my hiding spot, walking into the shop area where there was a great silence in the air, "Is it ok if me and Charlie leave for today?" I asked Jan, gesturing to the back where Charlie could still be heard sharpening skates.

Jan then turned to look at me, "Yes of course Vicki," He smiled before standing up. "Have a good rest of your day." We embraced each other before Coach stood up.

"Thanks, Jan," Then I walked to Coach. "It's nice to have ya, home Coach, I'll see ya later." I smiled before we wrapped each other in a warm tight embrace.

He patted my back making a loud slap sound, "Nice to see you too, Vicki." When we broke away, the two smiled at me before I ran into the back room.

"Charlie!" I yelled so he could hear me over the noise. He looked up, turning off the machine. "We can leave now." I smiled.

"Aww, sweet!" He pumped his fist in the air before taking off his glasses and setting them down on the workbench.

I also did the same with my pair, Charlie then peeked his head out of the backroom to say goodbye, "Bye Jan! Bye Coach! See ya later!" He waved.

"Goodbye Charlie!" Jan waved along with Coach. The two of us stepped out of the shop through the back door and hopped on our bikes, strapping our bike helmets on first before riding home to the Conway apartment where I would have to tutor Charlie in science.