I stop.
She doesn’t see me. She’s in the middle of a skating sequence, moving through it with her eyes forward and her whole body committed to it in a way I’ve only seen with athletes on TV. I stand in the doorway and I don’t move.
I’ve watched her coach. I’ve watched her demonstrate dozens of times.
But this is different.
This is what she actually is.
The spin combination she runs is - I don’t have the vocabulary for it, I’m a hockey player, I don’t know the names of things. Those moves shouldn’t be possible, but somehow they are. She lands and the edge is so clean it’s almost silent and she goes straight into the next sequence without pausing. I’m standing at the back of the rink barely breathing.
This is what she gave up.
I find a seat without deciding to and I watch. I’m aware that I should announce myself, that every second I don’t is another second this becomes something other than accidental, but I can’t make myself interrupt it.
Then she lands the final spin and turns.
She sees me.
I raise a hand. Caught. Sorry. Not sorry enough to have left.
She stops.
I stand up and come down towards her. I open the gate and step onto the ice in my shoes which is stupid, but I’m already committed.
“I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“You should have announced yourself.”
“Yeah.” I stop a few feet from her. “I know.”
She’s still in her skates, which means she has about three inches on me. Her hair is loose and her cheeks are flushed from the skating.
“It was incredible.”
“Thank you.” But of course, she’s a champion – she already knows she’s good.
We stand there for a moment.
And then I remember what I need to confront her about. What I’ve decided after last night, since watching Skelly’s hand on her back outside Tierney’s.
“I need to ask you something.”
“Okay.”
“Skelly. Northern State coach. You’re aware they’re in our conference.”
“I’m aware.”
“You’re our skating coach. You’re working with this team, you have access to our sessions, our technique work, our-”
“What exactly are you suggesting?”
“I’m not suggesting anything. I’m saying it looks bad. It’s a conflict of interest and someone needs to say it.”
Her chin comes up. “It’s a drink with a colleague.”
“It’s dinner with the opposition.”
