Courtesy: realoict.pw

CHEERS AND TEARS    

- P.Krishnamoorthy     

The waning winter was drifting into oblivion at the approach of the spring around the corner.  Its trails were well evidenced in the huge accumulation of snow and ice all over  Boston in Massachusetts.  Lucy Michell  got up early and looked through the window to have a glimpse of the morning sun. She was fascinated with the pearl-like ice crystals, uniformly  formed at the edges of  the building rooftops and leafless trees. She developed a unique attachment for the ‘white stuff’ right  from her childhood. This later turned out to be an obsession and finally  to an aspiration in her life to become a national star in the figure skating sport. This obsession  even led her to a hostile parting as a drop out from her school. She spent all her time in “The Mischells’Sporting Goods” store, owned by her parents Michael Mischell and Elizabeth Mischell in Boston,where she was exploring avenues with various figure skating stars who visited the store.

            That was a Saturday morning. As she entered the store, she was astounded to see John Owens, the famous coach and the owner of the Skating Institute, talking to her dad. She interrupted their talk and introduced herself - “Mr. Owens, I am Lucy Mischell.  I have heard about you and your institute.  My life ambition is to be at the top of  the line in the figure skating sport. I would like to join your institute to achieve this”. John looked at her with an analytical eye from head to foot, followed by a few queries in an effort to assess her aptitude.  He was convinced that she had a lot potential for development and  felt she could definitely become somebody in THE sport. “Lucy! Is it okay for you to drop by our institute this weekend for an on-the-spot study of the various facilities”. “Mr. Owens! Thanks for the offer. I look forward to IT,” Lucy instantly responded.   She  was at the peak of excitement; for her long cherished desire was becoming a reality. She wanted to yell the happy news to her boy friend, David Huxley.  She called him on the telephone:

            “David! I have great news for you. I have been asked to take training for the figure skating sport in John Owen’s Institute this weekend. John assured me that he would make me  ‘somebody’ in that sport. I am sorry I had to cancel our date this weekend”. With one  breath she finished her conversation. She maintained a pause for David’s reaction. While he was not  concerned about  the cancellation of the date, he was alarmed  AT the undercurrent of the new scenario developing between them. He sensed that he would be playing only second fiddle in her life; the first one being  her ‘favourite’sport’. He knew that  Lucy would be concentrating more on  her sport than spending time with him. She resented his advice of possible risks and dangers in the sport as just a subtle note, for she was bent upon pursuing it. He was also haunted more on a possibility, if she would,  by any chance,  become a national star, then  he would only be a silent spectator among thousands in the arena, and lose his connection  with her. He was equally reluctant to discourage her, for that may jeopardize even the little hope he had on her changing to what he wanted. He answered her.“Lucy! Congratulations. I feel sad on the cancellation of our date.  Anyway my best wishes to you in your pursuit and enjoy the training sessions”.  He went off the line. Lucy did pick up the thread of his frustrated feelings.

            The imposing frontage of the Skating Institute looked very impressive to her. John took her inside  on a tour of the various facilities. Lucy’s first day in the Institute remarkably instilled self-confidence in the sport. John explained to her that this sport was a fascinating mixture of tantalizing qualities which include impending doom, and  living  on the edge concept  --  that there was every chance to witness a career and at the same time destroy it in the split of a second with a wrong move. Lucy was extremely quick in grasping the situation and eagerly involved herself in the  various programs. John found her to be a perfect student - intelligent, capable, eager and willing.  It was from the first day that Lucy noticed John’s personal involvement in coaching her.  In fact he was spending more time with her in all the sessions thus depriving of the other girls of his training.  Lucy did not like John’s constant attention, for it was more a  frequent intervention in her exercises.  His personal attention even extended to fixing her skates on her feet.  Whenever he touched her, a strange feeling swept through her spines. She disliked it and  reacted  emotionally.  At such moments, she remembered David. Whenever John took her hands, he instilled confidence in her. Whatever John’s intentions were or his comments that she had all the ingradients for the sport, they required her to be disciplined and concerted in execution,   Lucy considered them as an outburst of his obsession towards her.  However,  she reserved her reactions, as any hostility towards it, might become counter-productive.

            It was the end of six months since her inception into the institute.  Lucy could not believe that she had successfully completed the various tests for the regional meet. She was anxiously  waiting for the posting of test results on the candidates who were selected.  To her dismay, she found her name IN first place on the list.  She also noted that second place was awarded to Catherine, her rival in the rink.  She was overjoyed at  her recognition. The regional meet at Laurel, Maryland was well attended with competitors from neighboring areas. For such a big meet, she  was nervous in the rink, but  managed to overcome it by her  strong motivation and determination to win.  After various events, she mastered the most difficult program  of the triple loop. The jump involved a take off on an edge that she did without the help of a toe pick and made a perfect landing.  This made a huge impression on the judges who declared her the winner of the regional title.

            It was a remarkable moment for Lucy, and watched by thousands of people applauding her achievement.  Their chorus cheers exhilarated her so deeply, her eyes swelled with tears. What a great moment in life!  An athletic-bridge to virtual bliss! The whole arena was echoing with loud cheers.  All eyes were focused on her modest poise; she wore an  exquisite dress in shining silvery blue. Of course, her parents were there rejoicing with her. THEY thanked John for inspiring and supporting her to reach that level.  And what a strange coincidence it was that David had to be away in Europe on an official assignment. He did not want to be there.

            Catherine who was in second place on the victory stand, though outwardly jubilant, was still  disappointed of having lost the first position.  She believed that Lucy was able to reach the first place mainly because of John’s special attention toward her; and believed  that John  was wooing her for a different ‘sweetheart’ kind of relationship; for on  Lucy’s entry into the Institute, Catherine HAD lost her preferred status with John though she hailed from a rich family with strong political clout. 

            John briefed Lucy on the next plan and schedule of programs including the national meet. He wanted her to concentrate more on various triples including the triple-triple combination on this event as  the chances were better to impress the judges.

            David found a drastic change in Lucy on his return. She spent longer hours in the institute preparing for the national event. This had an impact on their relationship,  resulting  in cancelling her dates with David quite often. David became very sensitive over her indifference. A kind of animosity creeped in; he was even imagining ways and means to spoil her winning chances in the national meet.  During  her few dates with him, Lucy found an enormous change in his personality. Her regional victory had fuelled his inhibitions to feel that if she became a national star, he would be left alone. “Lucy! Don’t you think life has something more than becoming a national star in any sport. A happy marriage, home and children are much more valuable than the honour you would probably get as a national star.”  “David! In any sport, there is a time to retire and that is an individual’s choice. In my instance, it would not be more than a year or two; I am equally interested in settling down in life, too. As you know I was craving for this distinction right from my childhood; now it is working in my favor.  Why do you discourage me in this venture? I thought you would support and give me moral support. Would you not be happy if I became  a national star?” David had an answer for her.  “Well! If that is what you want, you should  have it, but not with my support.” No compromise,  she sensed his stern and stubborn attitude. Even though there were cancellations of their dates due to her busy sessions, David perceived them as intentional indifference.

            With more time spent at the Institute, Lucy felt that she had to tackle John’s embarrassing moves to beguile her. Though John’s involvement with her was more to motivate and prepare her for the national meet, she felt it was too overly personal. She thought he deserved some reaction from her to make him understand that she was not prepared to accept  any other relationship except that of  trainer-trainee. She also felt that her impulsive reaction might be  counter-productive to John’s coaching efforts. But  finally, she decided to tolerate such scenarios with safeguards until the  national meet ended.

            Atlanta  appeared proud and festive to host the national event. John and his entourage landed there  just a day before the event and checked in at the Hilton Hotel.  On arriving at the reception desk Lucy was told that a package awaited her. It turned out that David had sent it. This was a total surprise, for she never expected  anything from David. The package  contained a pair of skates with a greeting card wishing her the best.  David’s wishes had impacted so strong in her mind that she felt she had already won the national title. She called  and left a message thanking him for the thoughtful gift. The evening meet in the rink was on. Each participant was allowed to practice for a prescribed time in various rinks. Lucy tried her new skates during practice and she felt extremely comfortable, in particular when performing the triple axle.  John was quite surprised at her perfect landing in the triple axle. When he congratulated her, she did tell him that she was able to do it only with the new skates she had received from David.

            John was even critical of Catherine’s performance and said: “Lucy. I am sure with your steadfast excellent performance so far, you have all the chances to win compared to the records of the other competitors. It would be a great honor to the Institute if you get the national title”. That night she was upbeat  with a feeling of happiness pervading. David’s gift, and John’s compliments for her triple axle performance over Catherine, delivered positive feelings toward winning the title.  Also, she was elated and proud at the responsibility of bringing glory to the institute.

            Next morning there was the ceremonial inauguration of the national meet. Lucy was the sixth of the fifteen skaters, with Catherine in the eighth position. As she entered the rink, her eyes quickly made a cursory glance at the audience and panel of judges. She found the judges’ panel to be well-balanced in age and gender. She stood in the center of the rink in a gorgeous outfit – combination of  black and red with her golden hair pulled back tightly with a black ribbon. She bowed down as a mark of respect to the audience and the judge’s panel.  After her initial smooth circling of the rink with twists and turns to the rhythmic music and a captivating blend of grace and strength, she looked at the audience whose initial response was quite favorable. Next came the triples that she performed well. It was magnificent to see her in the air with such accuracy and grace. The relentless drive in her was also fueled by desire for personal perfection in performing  that particular rendition.  There was a thunderous applause from the arena.   When she landed after four clean triples and spinned out of a fifth to land, she hit the icy surface so fast and sudden she fell flat and  became unconscious. There  was  commotion in the arena. She was rushed to the hospital

            The inside of the Northside Hospital was as usual quiet and calm.  In one of the rooms, Lucy was sleeping with her right leg in heavy cast kept upward through a sling. The Mischells appeared dazed and were pondering as to how  to inform Lucy about her condition. When she opened her eyes slightly, she looked around. She was able to see the brightness of the radiant sunlight through the blinds. She saw her right leg heavily bandaged in cast. She then saw her parents looking intensely at her. Even in her blurred vision, she could see her parents’ devastated faces. Lucy tried to enquire about the details of the accident. Before they could respond, a team of doctors entered the room and the chief orthopedic surgeon said: “Good morning Lucy.  How do you feel now?”. With an effort, Lucy complained of crucial pain in the right leg. “Lucy, THE pain would be there for a couple of days as we operated on your right ankle. It was broken very badly. You would have to be in bed for at least six weeks. After a week from now,  you would be discharged to return home.” “When could I get back to the rink, doc?”  She was keen to have a favorable reply from the doctors. “Unfortunately, not in the immediate future. Probably not for ever! We are trying our best at least to make you walk with a support. The damage to the ankle was quite serious.” That was the most unkind news that Lucy had expected to hear  from anybody. Her long treasured desire to win the national title now appeared like an oasis in a desert, and  far from reality. Only she knew how much she craved for recognition, and the built-in hopes in her life were now shattered into bits.

            Tears rolled down her eyes as she looked at her right leg again. She was anxious to know the details of the accident as she had rehearsed every nuance of the triples event so many times until it became second nature. There was no reason for her to have met with such a terrible accident. The Mitchells understood her eagerness and said: “Lucy! Your accident is under serious investigation by all authorities.  They suspect  that it was due to defective and  refurbished  blades in the skates that could have tripped you toward falling.  As  you landed from the triple on the ice with speed and weight, the blades in the skates came out from the boot causing an imbalance and making you fall. The experts are studying the whole accident; possibly in a week’s time we would know the details.”

“Dad! Did  David know anything about this and did he call us here?” “Yes. David called when you were in surgery.  He was shocked to know this. Since he was tied up with his assignments, he regretted he could not be here now. He said he would visit you soon. Lucy’s thoughts were making wild guesses.  She suspected David, as he was the one who had sent her the skates.   She strongly believed that David would  have liked her to become immobile for this event, as no other person than he could have done this.  She was sarcastic on David as the author of a well worked out plot as he was often critical of her athletic aspirations. She was certain   that David’s inability to visit her was not due to an official assignment; it was his guilty conscience that was forbidding him to call on her.  When Lucy knew that the first place in the national meet was won by Catherine, she almost broke down in tears. It was annoying; and more so when she knew that John was least concerned about her crippled condition, as he just wished her speedy recovery on the telephone. He was overwhelmed by Catherine’s performance and consequent distinction for the institute.

            What would be her future now ? Just before the accident, she had three choices to tackle - John’s obsession, David’s possessiveness and her aspiration to become a national star.  It was an irony of fate that the  post-accident scenario left her with nothing - John would no more be interested in her as a partner or a student due to her immobility; David would not perceive his future with an invalid and the unkindest of all, her aspiration to become a national star could remain only  a dream and not a reality.  She had to be alone for the rest of her life which she should accept as a reality and come to terms with it.

            The doorbell rang to announce a visitor. Lucy responded . The Mischells were away on a short evening walk. The door was opened slowly and she was shocked to see David coming into her room.  She could not believe it.  He was holding a big bouquet of bright, fresh flowers. He enquired  on her condition, placing the bouquet on the side table near the bed. After a formal thanks for the flowers,  Lucy turned her face and looked on the other side. Obviously she  was not inclined to look at him; her wild guess of him being the culprit still lingered in her mind. She was quite embarrassed to raise the subject with him.

            “Lucy! Do you still believe that I was responsible for your accident because of the skates I sent you. Presumably this meant  that I tampered with the blades in the skates to make you fall so that you would not ever pursue this sport in future. I agree that I was hostile to your aspirations in the sport. But I am not that inhuman to meddle with blades to cause an accident. With your successive recognitions in various meets, I realised my mistake and changed my selfish attitude and that was responsible for my gift to you. Still you could suspect me because of how the blades were replaced. Really I do not have an answer to this as I am as ignorant as you are. ”David  became visibly emotional. Lucy saw him sobbing. She was also moved with his emotional rhetoric to prove his innocence, and this relieved  her from wild thoughts about him. Even when Lucy suspected him, somewhere in her inner self, David still stayed strong as her man. They were interrupted BY the entry of doctors.  David anxiously asked the doctors on Lucy’s condition.

            “David! She would be all right to walk after six weeks of bed rest and therapy. But her chances of continuing the figure skating sport would be nearly impossible. Even to walk, she may have to do so with support.”  Lucy was anxiously studying  the reaction on David’s face following the doctor’s version about her future. As they were talking, the Mischells entered the room and joined the discussions.  The TV in the room was relaying a musical programme. Suddenly everybody’s attention was drawn to the TV for an  announcement of a breaking news, which was: 

“ John Owens, the owner of the Figure Skating Institute along with Catherine Hudson, the national champion was arrested in the afternoon at Atlanta airport. It was reported that John was the only suspect who masterminded  the previous day’s fall of Lucy Mischell through replacing the new blades with defective ones in her new skates. As per prosecution,  before the event, when Lucy was talking on a long distance call from David few yards from her locker room which was open at that time, John was able to get the skates from there  with the help of Catherine. He then replaced the new blades with repaired ones and kept the skates back in her locker.  As John had disappeared immediately after Lucy’s fall in the arena, he became a suspect for the investigating authorities. While tampering of the skate blades was very evident, the new blades taken from the skates were not first traceable in spite of all searches in John’s and Catherine’s rooms. On suspicion that John might be keeping them in his jacket,  a  team of inspectors followed him  to the airport. When clearing through security,  they found two metal pieces on him that turned out to be the new blades removed from the skates.  The authorities also announced stripping of the national champion title from Catherine forthwith, as she was an accessory to John’s action. THE final piece of the puzzle had fallen into place with the corroborating evidence of the telephone call made by Catherine to her father in Los Angeles immediately after the national event, when she reminded him of his monetary commitment to John.  It was alleged that John was badly in need of funds to expand his institute and Catherine’s father had  agreed to provide funds if he could do something for Catherine to win the  national  championship.” 

            Lucy could not believe that John would do this for money. All along, John was so much critical of  Catherine and never left even an iota of evidence of his plot for Lucy’s downfall. She was happy at  the withdrawal of the title from Catherine, and  David’s innocence proven beyond any doubt. David looked intensely at Lucy and reaffirmed his binding love with her. As Lucy recollected the memories of multiple cheers when  she won the regional title a few months prior,  tears rolled down from her eyes at the sudden turn of events to make her believe that life is full of cheers and tears.