A Soulmate's Love

Chapter 1 - A History

Life is like a book...

~

To understand why I am the way I am, the story must start when I was 5 years old. Grace had been figure skating for a few years and it was now my time to learn. I remember heading to the rink, butterflies in my stomach, my leg bouncing and picking at my hands, I had to be amazing, or else I would disappoint. When I got there, I was in awe of what I was seeing, girls gracefully spinning and jumping in the air, as if they were angels floating on clouds. They had long, slim legs, a small waist, and they were ethereal. The rest of the day passed in a blur, I was in admiration of everything I saw around me, and I was surprised at how much I had improved, having fun simultaneously. I knew that one day, I was going to be one of those girls...

Time Jump 2 Years - I'm 7 years Old

It's been 2 years. I've begun waking up at 4:00 every morning to skate from 5:00 am to 9:00. My coach drives me to school every day, criticizing everything that I did wrong at that practice. I'm tired. I know she must just be stressed because of the approaching competition, March Mania, so I understand. My mom is taking me out to buy my dress today, which is the most exciting thing about figure skating. Because of my curly hair, dark skin, and Afrocentric features, my solo is Annie! At the appointment, I marvel at the variety of dresses, each sparkling and beautiful. We pick an assortment of red dresses and I go to change.

" I don't know if I love this one, it just doesn't feel right and it's itchy."

"Sweetie if you lost weight, it would look better, nothing is wrong with the dress, and I know that you'll be happier, and thank me when you lose those extra 5 pounds." And so I did, my new meals, carefully prepared by my mom, consisted of a salad with 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and lettuce, and 2 rice cakes. I envied my friends who had sandwiches, pasta, and anything other than what I had had every day this week. I had gotten used to not eating much at school, but thankfully I had a few friends that would give me some snacks.

Even though I had had practice this morning for 4 hours, I still had to leave school, 1 hour early, to go to the rink. I hated leaving. I was one of the kids that thoroughly enjoyed school, hanging with friends, and reading quietly, and for once, I wanted to be normal. To go home like all of my other friends and have a playdate, watch T.V, and just do nothing. 

At the rink, I had begun with off-ice, which is working out and practicing jumps you'd do on the ice, on hard ground. Tired, I tied my skates, wincing at the blisters that had formed on my soles and the burns forming on my fingers, dreading what was coming. 

"ALTHEA! What did I tell you about your inside edge! Watch Amber, she's the only one doing it right!"

Amber was one of my best friends at figure skating, but something inside me always envied her. She was everything I was not, the type of skinny that even if she ate 4-course meals, she would lose weight, rich beyond words, and glowing. I was used to my coach comparing us girls to each other, as if she was trying to turn us against each other, after all, we were approximately the same age and would end up competing, but we all loved one another because, at the end of the day when the coach made us cry, we would understand.

Time Jump to that Summer

Summer had finally come, and after a long winter, we deserved it. In the past, our summers would consist of going to our cottage at the lake, and just enjoying each other for a few weeks. That's what I loved about having so many siblings, the memories I made and the fun I had were something I wouldn't trade for the world. But this summer was different. My brothers were 13 and 15 and would be doing their hockey Bootcamp. They were amazing, they would train almost every day and this year they got to train with older and more advanced players.