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Chapter 2


“Remember Elizabeth, do your best, that’s all anyone can ask of you” Mrs Keogh said. Buffy smiled and nodded, she still felt nervous though – it would have been unnatural not to.

She’d chosen to do her routine that she’d won her last Junior Ice-Dance Championships gold medal with, a lively, fast-paced piece to a syncopated Latino dance rhythm. She took her place on the ice, and then the music boomed out over the sound-system.

Concentrating, but remembering to smile, she shimmied and shook her shoulders, circled and took off right skate leading, she jumped, twirled, doubled salcow’ed and double toe-looped, lutz’ed and spun, covering the ice with ease – she danced it perfectly – coming to a dead stop, throwing her arms up and dropping her head back on the last note of the music.

She held the pose for a couple of seconds, and heaving for breath, she skated over to where Mrs Keogh, stood with Coach Angel O’Connor and his choreographer, the ex-Russian ballerina, Illyria Rubinskya.

“Very well done Elizabeth!” Angel said, smiling at her

“Please call me Buffy, everybody does! Well, everybody except Mrs Keogh!”

“Buffy it is – well, I have two more dancers to see, so if you’d like to go back to your rooms, I will see you at dinner tonight, and give you my decision”

Buffy unlaced her boots, fixed on the blade-guards and picked up her sports bag. Mrs Keogh had been chatting to the coach and the ex-ballerina, Buffy had read up on Coach O’Connor, and she’d also read how Illyria Rubinskya had defected to the West with her then Russian boyfriend, also a ballet-dancer, Rudolph Poliakov in the early 1970’s.

Walking out of the ice-rink, and across the parking lot to the building that would be home if she won her place there, Buffy said,

“Well, did I do good? It felt good, I knew as soon as I took off I’d nail those jump landings, in fact, I think that’s the best I’ve ever skated that piece!”


“Well Elizabeth, like I said, you can only do your best…you did very well”

Pulling open the door, they just smiled at the reception lady at the desk, and made their way to the lifts. They could hear music playing. Opposite the lifts were double doors leading off to dance rooms, and the gymnasiums. There were two huge dance floors, where general training took place, and there were also several smaller rooms for personal practice.

The building housed 36 rooms. It wasn’t only ice-skater’s, who trained there, but ballet-dancers and gymnasts too.

“I’m starving!” Buffy said as the lift ‘dinged’ to announce its arrival

“Well no doubt there’s something in the room, or maybe there’s room service – we can check when we get upstairs”


Buffy dumped her stuff by her bed and picked up a ‘menu’ card…

“Hmm, let me see, three hours ‘til dinner…I fancy something sweet………I’ll have a slice of apple pie, and a chocolate malt milkshake, please”

Mrs Keogh ordered two pieces of pie (one for her) but a pot of tea for herself.

“Do you think I’ve done it?” Buffy asked chewing the last mouthful of pie.

“I don’t know Elizabeth, I don’t know the calibre of the other dancers. The one girl here today is from the Balkan States, her mother used to be an ice-skater too”

Buffy’s face clouded

“Really?”

“Yes – but you did your best, I know that, and if that isn’t good enough then – well, you can’t do better, you gave it your best shot.”

Buffy nodded

“Well, I’m going to put my feet up” Buffy nodded again, and pulled a magazine out her bag and lay down herself.


******************

“Buffy………Buffy, wake up, its dinner in ten minutes”

Buffy sat up and yawned, her magazine fell to the floor – she must have dropped off, she hadn’t realised how tired she was – she’d been up since 5am that morning for the flight here – the flight itself had been under an hour, it was just hanging about at the airport, and emigration that took the time.

She went into the bathroom and splashed her face, changed her clothes and brushed her hair.

They went down to dinner, the dining room was large and bright, filled with hopefuls, all chattering and excitedly nervous, Buffy no exception.

After a dinner of chicken salad, then fresh fruit and yoghurt – Coach Angel O’Connor stood

“Well, Ladies and gentlemen, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer, and would the following people please assemble in the main hall now please………

Susan Adams, Jane Addison, Julie-Anne Benson, Dianne Brown, Dee-Dee Coulter…………………………………………Shane Robson, Wendi Stevens, Kerry Thompson, Chelsea Whitmore and finally David Wragg – go through to the main hall please, follow Illyria”

Buffy was almost in tears, she wished she’d bought a handkerchief, instead of just sitting in the now practically empty dining room, she just wanted to get her stuff and leave – this was cruel, everybody could look in and see them – the rejects…

“Right, the five of you I have left, would you gymnasts please go with Mr Gunn here…(a girl and boy got up with their chaperones) and I believe there are two ballet dancers?” Angel looked up from his clipboard
Two girls stood hesitantly with their chaperones

“Would you go with Mr Wyndham – right, that leaves you, Miss Summers –welcome aboard – I’ll warn you know, things are going to be tough – you might have been junior champion three times over, but it means nothing now you’re nearly sixteen – you’ll be in the premier league with the adults, it’ll mean working your way through the ranks, if you don’t have the will-power or the stamina, tell me now, so I’m not wasting my time”

Buffy was gob-smacked again! She’d got it wrong, the names he’d called out first were the rejects – not her – she was in she’d done it!

“Elizabeth…Elizabeth?”

“Huh?” Buffy had been lost in her reverie, she glanced at Mrs Keogh, who nodded towards Coach Angel O’Connor. Buffy looked and saw he’d got his hand out, so she could shake it

“Oh god! I did it, I mean thankyou! Oh god – I can do it, I promise I’ll work hard!”

“I can promise you that!” Angel said as Buffy shook his hand.

“Well, I’ll let you go to your room, I imagine you are tired, but before you leave tomorrow, I’ll have all the information ready for you, okay?”

“Um, uh huh, yes, thankyou!” Buffy felt so happy she could burst –

“Phone – I must phone mom!”

Not waiting for the lift, Buffy ran up the stairs and swiped her key card at her room door

*************

“BUFFY! Calm down love…now say again?” Joyce wasn’t sure at first whether Buffy was screeching in delight or wailing at failure…

“I’m in – I’VE DONE IT MOM – I’ve done it!”

“You have? – Oh Buffy – that’s – that’s wonderful news!” Joyce swallowed her emotions

Buffy bubbled on about how she’d bring all the information home, and how she’d skated her best…

“I’ll see you tomorrow tea-time then love – do you need a lift from the airport?”

“No, Mrs Keogh will drop me – I’m going to phone dad now!”

“Oh, but – okay then bye!” Joyce put the phone down, feeling mixed emotions – she was so pleased and proud of her daughter, but she was going to be more alone than ever now…


************

“…………………Leave your name and number after the tone, I’ll get back to you…”(BEEP)

“Hi dad, it’s me – don’t tell me you’re working AGAIN! Look, just wanted to remind you what a clever and talented MODEST daughter you have – you are now talking to, well listening to a pupil of the Coach Angel O’Connor American team! – I did it dad! I got in – must go, I’m calling from Vancouver this must be costing a fortune – speak soon, bye!”

Hank was lying on the bed, fully clothed, next to his fully clothed girlfriend, they had been looking at a photo, it was a scan of their baby.

“You haven’t told her about us yet, have you?” Maureen asked

“Joyce thought it best not to, she didn’t want Buffy upset”

Maureen sighed and said,

“Hank, the decree absolute will be through any day now, and the girl is sixteen – she’s hardly a child, she must be told, it’s not JUST Joyce’s choice – I should have some say, you’re practically divorced, we will be getting married, we’re having a baby – Buffy should know! I will be her step mother!”

“She’s nearly sixteen. Yes, I agree, but no, I meant Joyce didn’t want her upset before she did this thing in Canada – now she’s in – I’ll tell her the weekend”

“Promise?”

“Promise”

Hank closed his eyes………god spare him from nagging women………

********************

Joyce had made up her mind, she was going to invite Hank over to the house, and then together they would tell their daughter that they’d decided to call it a day on their marriage, there was no hope of a reconciliation and why let things drag on.

She picked up the phone, pressed Hank’s number, but pressed the cut-off digits before it could ring.

She felt slightly shaky, a little nauseous, and with a slight tremble she pressed Hank’s number again.


“…………………Leave your name and number after the tone, I’ll get back to you, (BEEP)

Joyce swallowed a couple of times, and said,

“Hank, it’s me, Joyce. I don’t know if you’ve spoken to Buffy yet, but she has-“

“Hello”

Joyce was suddenly shocked into silence hearing a woman pick up and speak.

“H-Hello?”

“So Joyce, as Hank always seems too busy to introduce us, I’ll do it myself, hello, I’m Maureen”

Joyce sat down heavily on the stairs, she opened her mouth twice to speak, but nothing came out at first………

“Hello?”

“Oh, um s-sorry, I sorry…have um, well! Do you know if Hank has spoken to Buffy yet – about her American team place?”

“We had a message, yes”

“Good, right, I um, I wasn’t going to tell him…I was just going to say that I think it’s only right if he could come here on Friday night, and together we could tell Buffy about the divorce”

“Excellent idea – I just said to Hank Buffy isn’t a child, she should know, she is nearly sixteen after all” This rankled with Joyce

“I DO know the age of my daughter, I didn’t want her knowing before she did this trial, I wanted for her to give it her best shot without upset, that’s all”

“And I said to Hank, it shouldn’t be just your decision – you will be divorced any time now, Hank and I will be getting married and like it or not, Buffy will be having a step-sister – I will be her step-mother when she stays with us”

“Stays with – look, is Hank there?” Maureen gave Hank a glance, (who was still lying fully clothed on the bed, fast asleep)

“He’s um, he’s in the bath at the moment”

“Well get him to phone me back will you – thankyou, goodbye”

Joyce didn’t wait for a reply, she just put the phone down, she was shaking like a leaf! She looked at the time, it was 8.30pm, and headed for the dining room, taking a bottle of Scotch out of the sideboard and poured herself a large measure………





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