It was the first time they had seen each other in years.
More than years. A thousand triple axels around the sun. Or so it felt. Since then, daily life had crawled at a glacial pace, yet the years had somehow soared by. Not a word spoken, not a sentiment shared. Now here they were again. Kitted up. Boots on. Ready to take on the rink once more. ‘Celebs Go Skating’. Neither one of them thought they would ever be desperate enough to be forced out of Olympic retirement for ‘Celebs Go fucking Skating’. After they had finished getting ready - lycra, peplum, and spangled, bedazzled, skin-tight vests, they left their hair and make-up stations and walked with morbid purpose towards one another. They nodded a curt ‘hello’ in the general direction of each other’s beings, gravely, resolutely, memories seeping in. They had sworn they would never be here together again. Not after the last time. In this macabre reunion, neither of them owned the words, couldn’t think of any to borrow, and so they remembered that fateful day in solitary seclusion.
Their final routine was in February 2002. It was Salt Lake City, Utah. It should have been their gateway to greatness. By that great millenium, Olympic Figure Skating had been storming the Winter Games for almost 100 years. A century of grace, of poise, of death defying manoeuvres that thrust the most gifted into stardom. 1998 was clouded with drama, scandal, and stumbles. Russia had dominated. 2002 was their year. The year Armenia would finally sweep the rink and take home the Gold. Such pride hadn’t been brought back to their country since 1996, Atlanta, Georgia. Armen Nazaryan wrestled with the greatest Gods and came home glowing in their defeated light. Granted, Figure Skating was more delicate, lighter, than Heavyweight Wrestling, but it was also more controlled, more thought out, stronger in so many other ways. Masculine and feminine in equal measure.
When the music began, they had started strong. They were in sync. Two young lovers exploring one another with eyes closed, intuition guiding them both towards a sweet, familiar climax that usually required little exertion. This time, though, after one missed beat, youthful angst crept in, hands fumbled. Miscommunication took hold, taking their feet to places they never intended. They couldn’t trust their instincts. Before they knew it, the music made no sense. Tears of devastated sorrow poured from their endless eyes and neither could muster the strength to spin, to soar. But they had to push through. Aeons later, the music came to a halt. Either the song ended, or somebody took pity on them and hit ‘stop’. Whatever the conclusion, their souls had been massacred on the rink and everything was over. Every dream, sufficiently dashed. They wished to glide off unseen, keep their eyes closed and be done with it. An eruption of laughter. Their tears froze in a jet stream as they poured to the ice below. They didn’t wait to hear their scores.
18 years later, side by side once more, at the edge of the rink, arms intertwined.
“It’s nice to see you, Artem,” Maria hesitantly whispered, as they heard the Master of Ceremonies address the crowd from the centre of the rink, “It’s been too long.”
The curtain started to part, and Artem hazarded a solemn smile in Maria’s direction. He had never forgiven himself. He had never forgiven her. The spotlight hit them.
“Skating the routine that landed them in last place during the 2002 Winter Olympics, Maria Krasiltseva and Artem Znachkov!” Through the blinding light, laughter erupted from every direction, and with hearts a sinking anchor, they realised they had been set up. They were the joke contestants. A laughing stock, even eighteen years on. Maria felt Artem’s grip tighten in her hand, she looked up and he nodded once more, and she felt his resolve lift her spirits. She whipped her head forwards and beamed. They put one skate onto the ice, and they were off.
The routine was etched into their memories, it hadn’t changed. But their bodies had. Muscles that were once supple, strong, full of life and limber, were now tighter, weaker, soft around the edges with a gross air of rigidity. Having almost doubled in age, neither of them were surprised to be visited by the unwelcome guest of shame, persistently knocking. Yet, after a turn about the rink, their youthful intuition returned. They closed their eyes and melted into one another. Separate limbs became one moving force. They sped and they soared faster than either one of them had sped or soared in years. They loved it more than either one wanted to admit. To themselves. To each other. Yet admit it they did. In their glides, in their lifts, in every spin and lutz, they admitted joy freely.
As the music sang on, and the laughter around them was doused, the routine evolved. Muscle memory kicked in with every Toe Loop and Axel. Surprising hands guided Maria’s legs in new ways and stole her from the Earth. She let them. She gave in to Artem’s silent commands. He threw her higher, span her tighter, and leapt farther himself. When the whole room stood in a collective cheer, they felt the end of their tryst falling upon them. Maria didn’t want it to end. Suddenly, a reckless idea whispered itself into her periphery. The Throw Quad Salchow. The most savage, most nefarious manoeuvre known to Figure Skating kind. She didn’t need to ask him to try, permission didn’t live here anymore. As they were gliding backwards, taking in the fickle adoration of the crowds, Maria lifted her left foot, and subtly it crept up Artem’s calf. That was all he needed. He bent, squeezed, lifted and propelled her frame upwards and outwards. Maria’s mortal body span four clean rotations before plummeting back from the Heavens, that same left foot rigid, prepared for the landing.
The shrieks were gargantuan and encompassing. Finally, they had a new memory to replace Salt Lake City, Utah, February 2002.