Page 154 of Chasing Gold, Catching Her

And then Thriller started playing, the wolves howling through the speakers, and the mood immediately became lighter. The two of them began singing along and dancing together in the kitchen.

After the song ended, they returned to cooking in a much better mood.

Maja started asking about how things were going with the new group of girls in figure skating. Alisa and Tora had both become coaches while continuing to train themselves. It brought them joy to work with children and pass on their knowledge even after the Olympics, and many young skaters wanted to train with them. Alisa had transferred to a Norwegian university and continued her studies, but now she also coached children, where she was able to apply her knowledge of dietetics, nutrition, and, of course, figure skating.

“Yes, everything’s going well. The girls are already doing their first single jumps!”

“Oh, how wonderful! They’re such babies! I remember the first time we brought Tora to practice — she was so tiny, only four years old. She could barely stand on those skates, but then she started skating like a little prodigy! Everyone was shocked. After only a few classes, she was already the best in the group. I still remember how much her first coach praised her.”

Maja smiled softly, slipping into nostalgia as she remembered her daughter’s childhood.

Alisa simply listened and nodded. She had always loved hearing stories about Tora from her parents; it almost felt sacred.

“Well, what about you two? Are you preparing for the competitions and the Olympics in 2030?”

“Yes. We were officially allowed to compete as a woman-and-woman pair in pair figure skating.” Alisa nodded proudly and smiled as she sliced a tomato.

“I’m glad everything is going well for you. You see? You were meant to be here with us. It’s fate… maybe even the work of higher powers. Everything happens for the best, darling.”

Maja gently patted Alisa’s hand, and Alisa nodded, finally understanding the meaning of everything that had happened to her over the past years. Everything truly had happened the way it was supposed to. Now she knew for certain that she was in the right place, with the right people, at the right time.

Divine timing indeed.

* * *

Alisa watched with a smile as her five-year-old girls were already attempting their first single jumps, crossing their arms over their chests and skating after the traces they left on the ice.

She skated over to blonde Amalie, who was sitting on the ice crying, and Alisa gently held out her hand.

“Need some help, baby?”

Amalie looked at her with big blue eyes and seemed ready to cry even harder, but Alisa’s face was full of sympathy. The little girl nodded and Alisa carefully pulled her up with both hands.

“Well, it’s okay. The landing wasn’t that scary, was it?”

Amalie had landed on the wrong edge and fallen slightly onto her butt, but the tears came more from fear than pain. The Axel was one of the hardest jumps to learn.

Alisa brushed the ice particles off her clothes and gently stroked her head. Amalie wiped away her tears and sniffled, preparing to try again. Before jumping, she looked at Alisa and Alisa nodded back at her with an encouraging smile.

Amalie jumped and landed her single Axel successfully with a bright smile, then bounced awkwardly across the ice and fell again, but this time she was laughing. She immediately skated back to Alisa and high-fived her with both hands.

“You did so well! See? You’re doing amazing!”

The girl only smiled before skating away again.

“Alisa!” a familiar and beloved voice called from the stands.

Tora stood there in a blue dress, already prepared to go out onto the ice. They had a joint practice session after the girls’ training ended.

Alisa called out to the girls to finish up and practice their step sequences around the entire rink before leaving the ice, while she herself skated toward her beloved woman waiting behind the protective glass of the arena.

“Your Norwegian is getting better and better!” Tora praised Alisa, and she smiled shyly, pressing both hands against the glass so that her breath fogged it around her face.

“Thank you, I’m trying.”

Alisa smiled, though out of the corner of her eye she still watched her girls finishing their final run-throughs across the rink. She worried about every step they took.

“So, how is single Axel training going today?”