Chapter 37: Where We Go From Here
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Alexi was not home. In fact, it was no longer Alexi's home. He had moved out just a few days before. His mother did not know where he was. On a hunch, I called my apartment.
"Hello." A man's voice.
"Alexi, thank God you're there. I suspected that you would be when I talked to your mother. What happened?"
"My father got abusive and I stood between him and my mother. I've got another black eye. After that, I begged her to leave. She wouldn't, not in a strange country. So I took Ivan. She can choose to stay but he is too young. I went to the only place that I could think of. I thought you wouldn't mind. I hoped... "
"Alexi, don't worry about it. You were right to do what you did. If I had been there, I'd have taken you in anyway... You didn't desert her, you know, she could have chosen to leave too."
"I'll be leaving here as soon as I can find somewhere for us to live."
"Don't Alexi, just stay there. It's fine with me. Neither my USFSA sponsor nor my mother pays for it, the apartment is mine to use as I like. I would like it if you and Ivan would stay."
"I don't want to be indebted to Alexandre Klukov."
"It's MY Apartment! Stay there until I get to Chicago and then we can decide what to do. I don't imagine that you have loads of money to spare, maybe we can work something out."
"He isn't going to like that."
"I don't have to check my life with him, but for your information, Sasha is right here, nodding his head in approval, if that's what you need."
"Well, all right. I really appreciate it. We are not, as you implied, running over with money."
"Then that's settled. Now, on to the hard stuff."
"It gets worse?"
"I've been invited to train in Tennessee with Oksana Russavini." There was shocked silence at the other end of the phone.
"How did that come about?"
"I never mentioned to you, but I stayed with them at the Olympics. Sasha arranged it. She spoke to some Americans about me and they said nice things. I did an audition outside of Nagano for her between the men's short and long programs."
"Where does that leave me? I suppose that you are going."
"Well, it's not that simple. She all but offered me a partner from her uh... stable, but I had told her back at Nagano that I had an audition with a potential partner in the States. She wrote that she would consider him."
"You want me to go where to train with Russavini?"
"Tennessee, it's a southern state. And yes, that is exactly what I meant. I don't know how you feel about her, but I think she'd take you seeing as you haven't gotten to be any worse of a skater and are a much improved human being."
"Thanks."
"But Alexi, that means training closely with Yelena... and Mikhael. And it means that we'd probably be playing second fiddle to them all the time." Nothing. "We'd also have to decide, which we need to anyway, what nation we are going to represent. , Latvia or the US."
"Not Russia?"
"I have no intention of losing a competition slot to either Yelena and Mikhael or Irina and Vitor. There are up and coming pairs in Russia with far more experience than we have. We're already better than most of what the US has to offer. The Steiglets will give us a run for our money and Lyons and Wells might, Ina and Dungjen too if they don't go pro. But at worst that puts us in the top 7 our first year. With Russavini as our coach, we could overcome the international standard US pair 0.2 deduction."
"What about the Olympics?"
"You'd have to be a citizen. It is 4 years away."
"Is that long enough?"
"I don't know. We don't have to decide any time soon about that, but we do need to decide whether or not to go to Tennessee. Mushanovic's going too... he might take Ivan. I think that Russavini could arrange an audition if I asked."
"I don't know, Yelena. I'm going to have to talk it over with my coach. I'll bet Ivan would jump pretty high for a chance with Mushanovic. He's jumping up and down right now, just at the thought."
"You think about it."
"Have you asked Russavini about me yet?"
"No, I was going to try to get in touch with her next."
"Do that. If she is willing to give it a try, I might be."
"What about Mikhael?"
"We'll burn that bridge when we get to it, remember?"
It took 2 days to find Oksana Russavini. We knew she was already in Nashville, we just couldn't get her. We followed a scratch in the ice all the way from St Petersburg, Russia to Nashville, Tennessee, USA. When I did get to speak with her, she already knew why I was calling.
"You did not say that your audition was with Alexi Stanachev."
"I didn't think it would be a popular thing to say and I wanted to judge him on his skating."
"Not on his character?"
"His character has made a change for the better."
"So Yelena tells me you say. Do you still say it?"
"Yeah, Alexi has been a good partner so far, we get along pretty well."
"Hmmm... "
"Is the invitation still open? Even with Alexi?"
"You won't take a new partner?"
"It would be a tough choice. Alexi and I have been working hard. We match well and we're good friends. I think we've got a real future, a bright one. On the other hand, you're the hottest coach in pairs skating. I'm incredibly flattered to be asked to train with you. I'd be a fool to let anything get in the way."
"Hmmm. Sweet words, but I believe you. I'll have no lies. I did not like Alexi Stanachev. He treated Yelena shamefully. He would not be gentled. If you have gentled him , then I'll hold no grudges."
"He's gentled himself. I had nothing to do with it."
"Have you spoken with him?"
"Yes. He's cautiously positive."
"You will come to Nashville to see?"
"When would you want us to come. Alexi and I have been off the ice since the middle of July. I had an injury."
"Yelena told me."
"We're both somewhat rusty."
"It is not the skating I am interested in."
"It's Alexi."
"I will not have the same violent young man. He must be different, as you say."
"What about Mikhael? He literally hates Alexi."
"Does Alexi hate Mikhael still? For 'stealing' Yelena?"
"No, I think Alexi has gotten over that. He loved Yelena, even if it was a sick sort of love, but he knows that it was his own fault that he lost her. I do think that he's pretty angry about the incident with Sasha at the show."
"What was that?"
"Right after my accident, Sasha sent tickets to his show with instructions that I was to bring my partner. Mikhael saw the bruises on my face and knowing who my partner was, jumped to conclusions. He carried the tale back to Sasha. Sasha was... protective. He and Alexi ended up with a fair number of contusions."
"So Sasha and Alexi don't get along... to be expected, I guess"
"Actually, they do get along. There is some jealousy on either side, but they seem to deal with it. We all try to be as adult as we possibly can about it... Excuse me, Sasha, if you must laugh that loudly, will you please go somewhere else?"
"As long as you have that worked out."
"Alexi's fine, but what about Mikhael?"
"We will see... at worst, we can keep them separated. Now, I will expect to see you the second week of September, with or without Alexi Stanachev."
"Make arrangements for three, Alexi's responsible for his brother now."
Text Copyright © 1998-2003 Mary E. Tyler
