Recap: Rikki is disappointed that her mother called and she didn’t get to speak with her. When will her mother come home? It’s hard for her to have to take care of her brothers.
On Sunday morning, I headed to the rink. Aba gave me a phone to borrow. “Ima may be calling.”
I strolled towards the rink, clutching the phone with hope. Please call. I need to speak to you.
I stepped inside the building and sat down on a bench with a great view of Evie practicing with her coach.
Evie waved at me.
“You must pay closer attention!” Mrs. Lister spoke in a harsh tone. “You have to pull arms and legs into a tight position.” She demonstrated with her arms crossed in front and her legs together.
“Your problem is your rotation is too slow. The judges will give you a low score. The tighter the position, the faster the rotation.”
Evie glanced towards me.
“Are you paying attention, Miss Gold? You need to focus.”
Evie dug her toe into the ice.
“Now remember, land on the back outside edge of the blade. Use the right foot for counter-clockwise rotation. I’ve told you this numerous times. Janvier Fernandez never needed repetition.”
I felt bad for Evie. It wasn’t nice to make comparisons. Aba taught us that we each have our own purpose for being in this world and there is no need to compare ourselves to someone else.
Evie started into a triple jump. I could see the concentration on her face. I hoped she would do it well to avoid more criticism.
Evie executed some beautiful spins and twirls, and then her coach skated towards the exit. “See you tomorrow at 8 a.m. sharp. Come more prepared.”
I wished I could skate like that. I was lucky if I could stay upright once around the rink.
I wobbled over to Evie on my rented skates.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hi.” Evie’s eyes looked suspiciously wet.
“You looked amazing out there.”
She shook her head. “Not according to Mrs. Lister. Far from it. Far from Janvier Fernandez or anyone else she coached.”
“Hey, come on, Evie. Don’t let one person get you down. You do your best and the rest is up to…” I pointed upwards.
Evie sighed.
“I’m gonna do that camel spin again. I know I can do it right.”
She glided back onto the ice.
People started filing in for the public skating.
Evie was spinning in the middle. A teenage boy from the public skating session was zooming recklessly. He was zooming in her direction.
“Move!” I yelled.
Evie didn’t hear me.
It all happened so fast. He collided with her. She was knocked onto the ice.
“No!” I gasped.
I rushed to the side wall and leaned over the edge. “Evie, are you okay?”
Evie grimaced. She was holding her ankle.
“Should I go get your mother?”
“No!”
Evie pulled herself onto all fours on the ice.
The boy who had bumped her exited the ice and disappeared.
She rose slowly, wincing.
“It’s okay. I’ll be okay,” she said.
She wobbled over to the bench and massaged her ankle.
“Thank G-d, it’s okay,” she said. “Thank G-d, it wasn’t worse.”
“That boy should have looked where he was going. He didn’t even apologize,” I said.
Evie shrugged. “Come on, let’s work on your skating.” She motioned me onto the ice and repeated her patient explanation of how to push one foot forward and glide and then push the other.
“You’re a patient teacher.” I grasped the wall for dear life and began.
I made two successful circuits around holding the wall when my phone rang.
“I have to take this call,” I told Evie. I skated over to the wall and answered my phone. My heart was thudding. I prayed it was Ima.
“Rikki?” Ima said.
“Ima!” I grabbed onto the wall and exited the rink. I plunked down on the nearest bench. All my feelings poured out at once. “When are you coming home? Why didn’t you call all this time? We need you.”
“Rikki, I miss you. I can’t talk long. Please, I need to give you a message. Listen carefully. Carefully listen. T’hilah arba v’echad, line yud. Please watch your back. Be careful. There are threats. I have to go.”
“But wait. I don’t understand. Ima, when—”
The phone cut off.
Evie stepped off the ice and strode towards me. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m so confused. My mother just called with the strangest message. I haven’t heard from her in two weeks and now…”
“I’m sorry. I hope everything is okay.”
“Evie, I’m sorry. I have to go home. I need to speak with my father.”
“I’ll walk you out,” she said.
I quickly slid off my skates and put on my sneakers. What was Ima trying to tell me? Was she in some sort of danger? What did she mean, watch your back, there are threats?
To be continued…
Susie Garber is the author of Captured (Menucha 2025), an historical fiction novel, Please Be Patient (Menucha 2024), Flight of the Doves (Menucha Publishing 2023), Please Be Polite (Menucha Publishers 2022) , A Bridge in Time (Menucha Publishing 2021), Secrets in Disguise (Menucha Publishers 2020), Denver Dreams, a novel (Jerusalem Publications, 2009), Memorable Characters…Magnificent Stories (Scholastic, 2002), Befriend (Menucha Publishers, 2013), The Road Less Traveled (Feldheim, 2015), fiction serials and features in Binah Magazine and Binyan Magazine and “Moon Song” in Binyan (2021-2022) and Alaskan Gold ( 2023-2024).
