Making History

Blossom

He was unlike any man I have ever met. He was only three years older than me, but his mannerisms and maturity belied his age. He could also let loose and have fun like any other twenty-seven-year-old. He was a gift to me, my Viktor.
I am Tessa Middleton, a twenty-four-year-old woman living in London along with my parents and my younger sister Rebecca who is ten years old. Among the two of us, she is more academic. She is contemplating skipping primary school and attending high school. At that age, I was an academic as well. However, I preferred to devote my time to figure skating.
There was a different person inside me when I was on the ice. I glided across the ice and let myself be carried away by the music. In my opinion, I was not precisely a prodigy like my idol Viktor Nikiforov, who won a gold medal at the tender age of sixteen, while I was thirteen at the time. When I saw this on TV, I was captivated by his beautiful blue eyes and was compelled to watch. How could someone like him stand to be so hot? I would always dream about the day we would skate together in a beautiful duet, and I would imagine which costumes we would wear, and I felt like we belonged together. As I spun in the air as he lifted me into the air, I was able to land successfully on the ice. He would never let me fall, not even once. "I got you, moya milaya." His accent made his words even more heartwarming.
We finished the program and embraced as the applause roared, and he leaned forward and kissed me softly as we stood there.

"Tessa! It is time for you to wake up," rang Mum's voice from downstairs. I was disappointed that the dream had ended. Rolling over, I groaned because the only thing I disliked about figure skating was getting up early to go to the ice rink. As I stumbled out of bed, I selected the clothing I wanted to wear for the day. I chose my favorite dark blue top with black leggings and my tan-colored ice skates.

In a spiral, I skated across the ice with my right leg tossed in the air while I spun.

As Mum and Rebecca watched and cheered, they were beaming with pride. Rebecca insisted that I record a video of myself performing a routine inspired by Viktor's, which earned him the gold medal at the Grand Prix Final. Following in his footsteps was something I wished to do, but not obsessively.

For the next move in the routine, I glided across the ice to gain enough momentum. It was a quadruple axle, which was difficult for any skater. "Come on, Tess! You can do it!" Mum cheered encouragingly. As I ascended, I began spinning. I had already completed the first three spins, and then as I reached the fourth spin, I stumbled when I landed back on the ice. I felt frustrated because I had spent most of the season trying to get that move right, but I avoided touching the ice. If my hand touched the ice, I would lose points.

"I'm proud of you, Tess!" Rebecca encouraged, holding her phone to record the routine. It was nice of her to encourage me since she knew I was struggling with that move. The music was coming to an end, and then I curtsied. 

Mum and Rebecca were clapping as I stood in my final pose.  

"How was that?" I skated over to where Mum and Rebecca were standing. "It was wonderful!" Mum grinned excitedly while she ruffled my hair. "Aw, Mum!" I laughed, fixing my hair back into its ponytail. "You looked like a magic snow princess on the ice," my little sister smiled and gave me a proud hug. "Thanks, sis," I patted her on her head. I got off the ice to take off my skates because my feet hurt, and I was exhausted. I had been skating and practicing for the past six hours. 

I noticed Rebecca sitting next to me with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

The smile on Rebecca's face said it all: "Imagine if Viktor saw you doing that routine," she said with a chuckle. As I sighed, I smiled, "Wouldn't it be great if he did?" If Viktor saw me perform, then all my dreams would come true. I guess you could say that I was just a fan pining over my idol at the time, and I was, at least. He was an older man with all of the European women falling at his feet. I hoped to be one of those lucky women. 

"I think you should put it on YouTube, and I'm sure he'll see it," Mum suggested. Suddenly, I got slightly nervous at the suggestion, "But I lost my balance at the end." "It was just one tiny movement that no one would notice," my mother reassured me. 

"Come on, Tessa. It's the opportunity of a lifetime." my little sister begged with her bottom lip stuck in a pout. 

I thought about it for a moment, and I imagined all the possible outcomes. What if he did see it? Would he be impressed, or would he think it was mediocre? Because I was getting a little tired of taking the safe route through everything, I felt it was time to close my eyes and take a leap of faith. I was twenty-four years old and had been stuck around England for most of my life. I stuck with tournaments around the area in Europe. I was frightened of the unknown but must do something with my life. I needed to go to worldwide skating tournaments. I needed to blossom. 

"Okay, let's do it." 

I took my laptop from my gym bag and connected Rebecca's phone to the computer. I opened YouTube and uploaded the video to my channel; everything was about to change.