Walking back into the room, I see he’s almost already dressed. He slips his jersey over his head and then steps into his skates again, and he looks up and sees the kids tying their own skates so he doesn’t say anything as he tries to tie his own skates. “You good?” I ask, and he looks at me while he tries to tighten it.

“Here,” I say, putting my own skate on and showing him how I tie it. “You grab the one on the top and pull up.” I show him, and he ties it all the way to the top.

“I did it,” he says happily and then gets up, doing the other one. He grabs his new helmet and puts his mouth guard in.

“How did you get so good at skating?” I ask.

“I use the outdoor rink,” he says. “When Mom is cleaning the rooms, she lets me skate outside.”

“She cleans hotel rooms?” I ask, and he nods his head.

“Not all the time, just on Saturday and Sunday,” he says. “I have to go with her because she doesn’t have anyone to watch me.”

“She’s a good mom,” I say, my head swirling with the information he just told me. She works two jobs and doesn’t even have money to buy breakfast. I want to ask her all the questions, but who the fuck am I that she is going to answer me. I’m just some guy who took her to breakfast once.

Dylan walks over to the wall and grabs his new stick. “I’m going to tape my new stick tonight,” he says, and I smile, grabbing my own helmet and following him on the ice.

He gets on before me, and I’m expecting him to wobble a bit, but instead, he just glides on like he was born to be there. I get on after him and blow the whistle. “Two laps,” I say, twirling my fingers and then blow the whistle again and watch the kids take off. I stand in the middle with Ralph.

“Doesn’t it make you laugh?” He starts to talk. “Some rich kids out there are paying two hundred dollars an hour for someone to train them, and they will never be as good as half of these kids.” I watch the kids go around in the circle, and I spot Dylan right away by the way he moves. “Look at that kid,” Ralph says, pointing at Dylan. “Look at the way he skates. He uses his whole body, which makes him even better.”

“What about if you put a puck on his stick?” I ask, and he smiles at me.