Empty Handed

Axels (Chapter Two)

MATT
I wake up startled; another bad dream. I've always had nightmares; all my life literally. I check the time on my phone and it's 6:20am. I spend a little time admiring it - I recently won it at an art competition. I just wrote some mumbo jumbo and called it a poem then, I won. The organisers and judges clearly had no idea what a poem should be.

My eyes travel around my room and stop at my not so comfortable bed. I live at the ice rink. You might complain about Ben harbouring me illegally but being honest, Ben saved my life. He let me stay in this room; not for free though. I work here to pay for rent which is almost nothing and I get weekly stipends. I also spend a little time playing around the rink with my friends.

I smile a little as I remember Sonya and Mike. They're really awesome. They have always come here for ice skating training; way over two years now. I join them most of the time. It's fun.
I can't imagine what my life would be like if I was stuck in a foster home. One thing that has been constant ever since I was born and as moved from home to home is skating.

At my last home...

I shut that thought out and get up to start the day's activities. Although the rink doesn't open till 9am, it'll be better if I get started cleaning the place early so I can watch people come, have a good time and go. It lifts my spirits a little bit watching people happy. It's also kind of depressing when I think about it. So I don't.

I go the room with cleaning supplies. I grab a mop and a bucket, a broom a wool bonnet, a scrub brush, glass cleaner, Dasher board sealer and abrasive lotion cleanser. Mr. White would never let me use the ice resurfacer; he's always worried about accidents and whatnot, so, I'm to always wait for James and Sarah before doing anything about cleaning the ice. I start walking to the ice.

James is in his mid twenties, I think, and Sarah is in her early twenties. The three of us work at the rink, cleaning mostly. There are some other people working at the rink but I don't really know them.
Smith, who is a good friend of Mr. White and is in his forties, handles the paper work with Mr. White.

I'm done sweeping, mopping and almost halfway done cleaning the glass doors before I remember to get my headphones and turn the music up. I go back in to grab my phone and headset. When I come back, I spot Sonya walking to the entrance of the rink.

"Hey sicko!", I shout.

She fake gasps and exclaims "You crazy bastard!" She opens the door in a very sassy way and saunters over to me.

"No Mike today?" I say noticing Mike's absence.

"One, it is pretty early. Two, that idiot fell asleep when I called him. I could hear him snoring over the phone. I'd make him choke on his tongue if I could." She frowns and inspects her nails.

"Hey uh, I've been landing my double axels a lot these days and it just keeps getting cleaner each day. I don't need you to say anything sappy like 'I am so proud Sonya.' I'm proud of me the most." She wriggles her eyebrows.

"You've gotta be kidding me." She's way too pompous.

"I think I'm ready for a triple."

"Slow down cow girl. It's not that easy." I give her a little glare.

"Hey about yesterday, what was all that about? With the man in the suit?"
Yesterday, the legendary ex-Olympian, Evan Lysacek, being a newly established figureskating coach,

came to the rink to scout for new talents and luckily for me, I happened to be practising my triple axel which I landed. May I note that, I land two triple axels perfectly out of ten? I guess I was lucky.

Evan got my number, had a talk with Ben and at the moment, I'm waiting to hear from him.

[Please note that Evan Lysacek in this book is still a fictional character. I just needed to make reference to an actual Olympic Gold medalist and provide a video which would seem more real.]

Sonya interrupts my reverie by snapping her fingers. It still beats me how she wasn't able to recognise him.

"Hello! I lost you there for a second."

"So, you didn't answer my question."

"One, you buffoon, that was Evan Lysacek. Two, apparently, he coaches people now and wants to coach me." I say feeling a little irritated.

She goes quiet.

"Damn! I missed the chance to be with my man. So, will he be coming here frequently? Or do I have to find him myself?"

"Good luck with that."