5MORE THAN GOLD
Author's Note: Lake Placid is a real town, the places mentioned within are real, but the characters are my own invention. Any resemblance to any persons living or dead is completely coincidental.
I leaned my arms against the windowsill and gazed outside. The snow falling down among the streets of downtown Lake Placid made for a lovely picture. I could see folks walking on the sidewalk, peering through shop windows and laughing. I sighed. Lake Placid was a beautiful little town, and I would have loved to explore it. But my coach said that I had to stay indoors unless I was practicing at the rink, because she'd heard me cough the other day and was afraid I was coming down with a cold. I felt fine, but after ten years of training with Olga Vorchek I knew better than to argue. So inside my hotel room I stayed, watching the people instead of being out with them.
A knock at my door turned me around. "Come in," I called.
The door opened to reveal my partner, Dan Barker. He grinned sympathetically at my sulky face. "Boy, do you ever look like you're in a foul mood. What's up? See Christina again?"
Christina and David Martin were a brother and sister pair from Colorado. They were also our biggest national competition, and two of the nastiest people you'd ever hope to not meet. I laughed a little. "No, I'm just whining because I can't go outside. It looks so gorgeous out, but Olga says I can't take the risk of getting sick."
Dan made a face. "Lovely. I was going to ask you to help me with my Christmas shopping, but I guess that's out of the question. Maybe we can get out after the competition is over."
I shook my head. "Olga says we have to leave as soon as the comp is done so we can get back home and start back in on our regular training schedule."
Dan crossed the room to collapse on my bed. He picked up my good-luck charm, a stuffed lion, and toyed with it absently. "You know Lee, even though it's supposedly due to Olga that we are the 'number one pair in the nation,' I'm beginning to wonder if we'd be better off without her. She's running our lives, and it's driving me crazy."
We'd had this discussion a few times before, whenever Olga made us do something we didn't want to, or didn't let us do something we wanted. I answered as I always did. "It's the way she was brought up. In the Soviet Union, the coaches ran their students' lives. She thinks that's what made them the best skaters for a while, and that's why she's going to do the same for us. Besides, you know my mother would never allow me to switch coaches. She reminds me of how lucky I am that she found Olga and convinced her to coach us exclusively every time I complain."
"You know, don't think I'm not grateful to your mum for footing the bill for us in everything, but I am getting just a little tired of never being my own person. Everyone else runs our lives."
"Tell me about it."
We were both silent for a few moments, thinking about our career to date. I was seventeen; Dan was nineteen. We'd both been skating since we were four. My mother had been determined that I was going to be the next Kristi Yamaguchi or Tara Lapinski. Dan's folks had wanted him to be the next Wayne Gretsky, but he loved figure skating. By the time I was seven, Mom had fired a successive number of coaches who said that I didn't have much promise as a single skater. Then she met Olga, who had just moved to Virginia after successfully bringing three Russian pair teams to great victory. Olga took one look at me and told Mom bluntly that I would never make a single skater, but that I had great potential as a pair skater. Mom, being an opportunist, hired Olga on the spot and they immediately went looking for a partner for me. They found Dan, whose folks were poor enough that they couldn't afford good coaching for him. He was also having problems because, at age nine, he was already taller than most of the other boys in skating. Olga watched him for a while and pronounced that he was the partner for me. Mom talked to his parents and told them that she would pay all the bills for our skating as long as they would agree to let him move in with my family and be my partner. From what Dan says and I vaguely remember, they were somewhat reluctant, but didn't want to pass up this opportunity for their son, so they agreed. They told him, though, that any time he wanted to quit and come home, he could. I know he was tempted a few times over the years, but Olga always talked him out of it.
After a few years, Dad couldn't stand living in a house dominated by figure skating. That was about the same time that Olga wanted us to move to Connecticut for the better training facilities. Mom and Dad ended up getting a divorce, and Mom, Dan, Olga and I moved to Hartford, CT. I only saw Dad once a year after that, at Thanksgiving time. That's the only holiday we get off. Dan goes home to his folks, and I go visit Dad.
I mentally shook myself. When I thought everything over like that, it sounded like we had a rough life. In a lot of ways, I guess, we did. We never got to do normal kid or teenager stuff. It got pretty lonely. But, we won almost every competition we entered, and in our first year on the senior circuit, we came in second to the three-year reigning champions. They turned pro this year, so we were the top pick to win Nationals. Since it was just the start of the season, however, Olga still felt we had a long way to go before we were ready. This was our second competition of the year.
I looked at Dan at the same moment he looked at me. We both laughed. He tossed Leo, my lion, back onto my pillow. "Ah well, Lee, it's a life."
"Not too bad of a one, either," I added. I checked my watch. "We'd better get a move on; Olga wants us at the rink early so we can watch some of the others' practice."
"I'll go grab my stuff." He left, and I checked myself in the mirror. Olga had strict dress codes about how we were to look at all times. For dinner, for practice, for schooling (we both had tutors), for socializing, everything. We didn't have any requirements for relaxing clothes, because we never had a chance just to relax. Everything was scheduled for us.
My appearance passed inspection. Black stretch pants, boat-necked white top, black boots, hair pulled back into a tight bun, with a minimum of curls escaping, and limited makeup. Personally, I thought I looked dreadfully boring, but what I thought really didn't matter. I snatched my white wool pea coat, grabbed my skating bag, and headed down to the lobby.
Once there, I waited for Dan to show. Olga didn't like me going places by myself. To my chagrin, Christina Martin was there also with her latest boyfriend, a skier from Sweden. She giggled maliciously when she saw me.
"Oh hello, Leah, all fitted out in our latest designs by Olga?" She whispered something to the blond giant next to her and they both laughed. I smiled sweetly.
"What number is this, Christina? Twenty? Or have you started numbering them by year to keep track? That would make him, hmm, number six, I guess. He's cuter than the last one. Will he last longer than a month this time?"
I saw with satisfaction that Christina's face was turning red. Her boyfriend apparently knew enough English to pick up the gist of what I said. Dan came down the stairs before she could answer. He nodded to Christina, took my arm, and led me outside without saying a word.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to rise to her bait, Lee?" he asked in exasperation. "When you insult her back you just bring yourself down to her level. You're better than that."
The disappointment in his voice cut. I wanted to defend myself, but I knew he was right. "Sorry Dan. I know, I just let her get under my skin again. I'll try to be better."
He patted my arm. "I know." He laughed suddenly. "You did zing her pretty good."
We both chuckled.
At the rink, Olga was waiting for us. She scowled at my flushed face.
"I told you to do not much outside," she said, drawing herself up to her full imposing height and using all her considerable girth to intimidate me. "You do not disobey?"
"Of course not, Olga," interposed Dan. "We just walked over here quickly, so her face is flushed from that. It's no big deal."
She frowned, but allowed us to move toward the ice to watch the other pairs. She criticized each one, pointing out how they could do better, how their coaches were imbeciles, and how lucky we were to have her as a coach. We'd heard it all before, so we just nodded in all the right places and set ourselves to seeing who would be the biggest competition. A Russian pair looked most likely to me. They didn't quite have our technical skill level, but their artistry was phenomenal. They must have had a wonderful choreographer. We'd gone through a number of choreographers, mostly because none of them could stand working with Olga and Mom. The one we had now I didn't like, but he was good enough, I guess. Still, I envied this team their style. They obviously enjoyed skating, too. Sheer joy just shone in their faces the whole time they were on the ice. I felt wistful. The last time I'd been that happy was when Dad used to come to watch me skate, back before the divorce.
Soon enough, it was time for us to change into our practice outfits, put our skates on, and get on the ice ourselves. Olga was unbearable. Everything we did was wrong. She yelled at us, swore at us in Russian, threw her hands up, and finally ordered us off the ice. Dan was furious, but I was accustomed to it by now. Far worse than Olga's temper tantrums were my mother's lectures, always ending with, "Is this how you're going to repay me for all the years of sacrifice I've put into your career?" Not like I'd ever been asked if I wanted her to make those sacrifices.
I obediently skated off, but I had to drag Dan along with me. He wanted to defy Olga and keep practicing. We'd tried that once, and she refused to speak to us for a week. We'd ended up losing all the competitions we'd entered that month. Now I had learned it was better to just go along.
In the back room, she made us do our off-ice exercises twice as long as normal—punishment, I suppose, for not living up to her standards on the ice. She complained the whole time we were doing it that we were ungrateful and didn't appreciate what she did for us. Finally, Dan snapped. He put me down from a lift, grabbed his jacket, and stormed out the door without a word.
"Where you going?" shouted Olga. When he didn't answer, she turned her full wrath on me. It was my fault he was so unreliable, I should work harder, if I was more like the skaters she'd worked with in Russia we'd be champions, what was my mother going to say? I took it all. I hated getting yelled at, but I wasn't strong like Dan. I couldn't just leave. Finally Olga wore herself down and ordered me to go straight back to my hotel room and not leave until dinner. She herself made a dramatic exit without looking back to see whether or not I was going to obey. She had no reason to doubt that I would. I always did. I slowly put my stuff back into my bag, fighting back tears.
I used to like skating, when I was a kid, but for the last seven years it had become a nightmare. I was trapped inside my mother's dream for me, with no way out. I had no friends because of skating, practically no father, no real life. I didn't even know who I was anymore. I became whoever I was told to be. Dan managed to stay true to himself, but I wasn't like him. When we were together I relied on his strength, but too often it wasn't enough. I was a puppet being pulled about by the puppet masters.
"Life sucks," I muttered under my breath as I shoved my stretch gloves into their compartment. I was seriously tempted to go out and go shopping, but I knew that I just couldn't. I decided to go back to the hotel room as I'd been told, but I would call my dad. Maybe he would cheer me up, although I doubted it. Whenever I complained about skating he'd go into a rant against Mom, and I'd end up getting frustrated.
"Mind if I join you?"
I looked up to see a cheerful face smiling down at me. I came to my feet quickly. It was the guy from the Russian team I'd noticed earlier. He grinned. "I'm sorry. I assumed you were heading back to the hotel, and I thought maybe I could walk with you, if you didn't mind?"
I thought for a moment. Olga didn't approve of us fraternizing with other skaters, but this time she had forgotten to specifically tell me not to. I smiled. "I'd be delighted."
Without another word he took my bag and slung it over his own shoulder. His own skates were in a wheeled bag, as I noticed with envy. I'd wanted one of those, but Olga didn't approve.
"I'm Leah Masters," I said as we walked.
"I know. You and Dan Barker are the American pair who are slated to win your Nationals this year. I was watching you on the ice. You're very good."
I flushed. "Our coach doesn't think so."
He laughed. "Don't feel bad about her. Our coach used to make my partner cry every day. Finally I told him to knock it off or I was getting us a different coach. He didn't believe me at first, but then I put him on suspension and Marina and I worked alone. He got the message after that."
"Wow." I looked at him suspiciously. His straight brown hair was cut military short, he had a gold chain around his neck, a gold earring in his left ear, and he walked and spoke like an American. "Are you sure you're Russian?"
He laughed again. I decided I liked his laugh. It was big and full and echoed through the cold air. "Alexei Viktorovich Lenov, at your service. I was born in Russia, but my parents moved here to the U.S. when I was three. I moved back to Russia for a while when I was sixteen to skate, but then Marina and I moved back here for better training."
"That explains it." I looked at him again. "You're very good, too. Your choreography is wonderful."
He laughed yet again. "Thank you."
We talked about skating the rest of the way to the hotel. Once there, he handed my bag back to me. "Would you like to go for a walk—without the bags? The path around the lake is beautiful."
I was sorely tempted, but my rebellion hadn't reached that far. Reluctantly, I shook my head. "Olga doesn't want me out any more than is necessary."
"Ah. What about dinner tonight, then?"
For a moment, I couldn't speak. Call me naive, but until now it hadn't occurred to me that this boy might be interested in me. I thought he was just being nice. I was immensely flattered, and I really wanted to say yes, but I knew I couldn't. Not just Olga, but Mom would kill me too if I went out on a date—especially with another pair skater. I had to shake my head again. "I can't."
He looked disappointed, but nodded. "Then I will see you tomorrow at practice." He winked. "Don't worry—I will not say anything to you in front of the coach. I don't want you to get in trouble." He laughed again, and left.
A warm feeling spread through me. I had expected him to brush me off after my refusal, but not only was he still interested, he actually understood. I went slowly up the stairs to my room. Dan was inside waiting for me. He had a smirk on his face.
"I had been waiting to apologize for leaving you with the ogre, but I see it had happy results."
I just looked at him. "How do you know?"
He nodded at the window. "I watched you walking down the street with the Russian. He's pretty cute, but still! What is Olga going to say?"
"She's not going to say anything, because she's not going to know." I flopped down on the bed and pulled Leo to my chest. "It was a harmless walk. Even if I wanted it to be anything more, I'm not that bold or sneaky."
He sat next to me. "I really am sorry, Lee. I know I shouldn't have left you there, but if I'd stayed another minute I would have hit her or something. I don't know how much longer I can take this."
"It's what we have to do if we want to be the best," I said, but my words didn't sound convincing to my own ears.
"And how badly do we want to be the best?" he asked, surprising me.
I sat up. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, are we willing to give up everything else just to be the best? Look at us, Lee. You're seventeen and can't have a boyfriend, or even talk to a guy besides me. You can't even go out to go shopping in a town that's made for shoppers. I don't even have my own car, or a girlfriend, or any friends at all besides you, for that matter. You never get to see your dad, and the only times I get to see my folks are when they're waving at me from the stands after a comp. We have pathetic excuses for lives. Is it all worth it? What's the real point in it all?"
I heard what he was saying, and it tugged at me, but I wasn't convinced. "What else is there for us to do, Danny? All I've ever known is skating. This is who I am."
"Is it? Do you really know who you are? Lee, do you even like skating anymore?"
"What are you saying, Danny? Do you want to quit?" I felt like crying just at the idea. He looked at my face and slowed down.
"Relax, Lee. I'm not going to ditch you. I just want to know for myself that there's more to life than skating. I want to be able to have a life!"
I didn't feel comforted. "Mom will kill me if I even think about doing anything else."
"Leah, you can't live your whole life based on what your mother wants. So she gets mad at you. Maybe she even kicks you out. You've got another parent. If worse comes to worse, you've always got me. I'm never going to desert you." He looked pleadingly at me. "Come on, Lee. Don't you want to see what else is out there? Don't you want to be able to go out with that hot Russian guy if he asks you?" My expression must have changed, because he said, "What?"
"He already did ask me to dinner," I admitted. "I had to tell him no."
His face darkened. "That's it. I'm not taking any more of this." He picked up the phone.
"What are you doing?" I cried.
"I'm going to set a few things straight with Olga." He dialed her room number, told her to meet us in my room, and hung up before she could respond. We waited silently until she entered, a look of patronization on her face.
"I hope you are ready to say sorry for before," she announced.
Dan stood up. "Yes I am. Olga, I'm sorry that I didn't stand up to you and Mrs. Masters the first moment you started to run our lives. From now on, Lee and I are doing things our way. Maybe we won't be as famous as fast, but we don't really care. If we want to go hang out with friends, we're going to go. If a cute Russian skater asks Lee out, she's going to say yes—as long as she wants to. If I see a fast car that I want to buy, I'm going to buy it. We're not going to let our lives be dictated by you anymore. And I'm not going to let you bully us during practices. If you yell or swear at us again, we're walking away, and we might not come back. I'm sick of you pushing us around and ruining our lives. It stops here."
Olga swelled up. Her face was deep red. "How dare? How you dare to speak to me such? Do you not know who am I? You are nothing without me! You will not speak to me in fashion such."
Dan pulled me up next to him. "Then we're leaving. Come on Lee." We moved toward the door.
Olga shook her finger at us. "If you leave, do not come back. Olga Vasilovna Vorchek does not take orders from student! If you are ungrateful, I walk away and don't come back."
Dan turned to her. "If that's the way you want it, fine. We'll get a new coach." Pulling me along with him, he walked out and closed the door.
I was numb with shock. "Dan, my mother's going to—"
He cut me off. "I'll deal with your mother. Lee, we can't go on like this. Now, let's go shopping. Forget about Olga. Forget about skating. Let's have some fun for once in our lives!"
I shook myself. "Alright." I determined to enjoy this afternoon and evening, whatever happened tomorrow. I grinned at him. "If I'm going to have fun, I'm starting with this." I ripped the bobby pins out of my bun and let my auburn curls tumble down around my shoulders. "First thing I'm going to buy is a new outfit, too."
He laughed. We started down the hall when a door creaked open. David Martin sneered at us. "What seems to be the trouble, Danny-boy? Coach mad at you again? Could hear her yelling all the way in here. Run and hide, little boy. You don't have the guts enough to stand up to her."
Dan looked steadily at him, then at me. He began to laugh. I joined him, unable to stop myself. David just looked confused. He pulled his head back in his room as we staggered down the hall, laughing helplessly.
We had a great time shopping. I ended up buying myself a pair of corduroy pants, a turtleneck sweater, and stylish heeled brown boots. I stuffed my old clothes into the shopping bag and wore the new ones. I had never picked out my own clothes before. It felt great. After we bought Christmas presents for all of Dan's family, we headed to one of the many pizza places for supper. Olga loathed pizza, and consequently never let us have any. We polished off a whole pepperoni pie by ourselves. Afterwards we walked around the lake to work off all the fat. It was a beautiful walk, with the moon shining silver above, the snow lying softly on the ground, and the not-yet frozen lake shimmering in the moonlight. We got back to the hotel around midnight. Olga had long since left my room. Dan dropped me off, and we agreed to meet for breakfast at the hotel dining room at six and then hit the ice for practice, with or without Olga.