Recap: Maggie opens up and shares with Evie that she had a difficult home life. When Evie gets home, she asks her aunt for her father’s number. Then she finds herself debating if she should call him.
That night, I had the same dream I’ve had for many nights.
“Go, good luck,” Mom said, as she waved me onto the ice. Everyone was lined up for the skating competition. There were Mao Asada and Kim Yuna and two other unknown competitors…and me.
I had to win. I just had to win. Someone so important was in the audience cheering for me. I couldn’t let him down. I glanced toward the bleachers, and he waved to me and held up his arm in a victory sign. Dad was here. He’d driven in just to watch me because he said he loves me so much and misses me all the time.
I had to win it for him. I visualized the triple axel in slow motion, rotating perfectly and landing on the back edge of my skate with perfect aplomb.
Each contestant was called, one by one. Kim Yuna executed an almost perfect program except that she popped the triple axel. She ended her program in a graceful camel spin and the audience burst into applause.
Her TES score was high, but she missed a triple axel, so that deducted from her final score. She had 53, which was pretty good.
I needed a higher one.
Kim Yuna popped two jumps. I didn’t want to be happy for someone else’s error, but this left me room to jump ahead.
The announcer called the other two competitors. They both scored low on the TEC. One of them, Katrina, was crying. I felt bad for her.
Then I heard my name. My heart fluttered. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I thought of something Rikki had taught me. Daven before you want to accomplish something. I davened.
I glided onto the ice and began with my easy layback spin. I transitioned into a Bielmann spin, lifting my leg way over my head in a perfect position. There was a hush in the room as I readied myself for the quad. I’d only done it a few times, but I had to execute it for this competition. I built up momentum and flew into the air. I loved that moment when I felt like I was flying. I rotated once, twice, three times, and then four, and then I landed gracefully on the back edge of my skate.
I was breathing heavily.
I was flying in the air in a huge, perfect spiral. I landed perfectly and the crowd roared. Then the scores were announced and my name rang out. Evie Gold won the gold medal. I skated to the edge where a man with kind brown eyes and a huge smile was cheering. He enveloped me in a hug. “Evie, my daughter! I knew you would win. I love you! I’ve missed you so much!”
“Evie, wake up, dear.” I opened my eyes. Morning sunlight streamed into the room. Aunt Ruthie was holding Emmie in her arms. “I’m sorry to wake you, but your friend Rikki is on the phone. She says it’s important.”
I rubbed sleep from my eyes. Aunt Ruthie handed me my phone.
“Good morning,” I said. I was still thinking of that wonderful feeling of my father cheering for me and telling me he loved me. I made a decision. Today, I was going to call him. Maybe even this morning.
“The tz’dakah skate is starting in a couple hours and I’m so nervous. Can we just review a little before I go out there? I’ve got ten people sponsoring me and I don’t want to blow it.”
“Sure. Let me just call my mom to make sure we can use the rink today before the public session. I’ll call you back.”
Mom okayed it, so I called Rikki back.
“Great. Listen, I’m tired of those FBI guys trailing me. So annoying. I’m going to come to your house through the back way.” There was a wooded area with a path that led from her house to the back of the houses on our block.
“Are you sure? Maybe we shouldn’t take any chances.”
“Come on. There aren’t any terrorists around. I’m sick of having those guys follow me everywhere.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you in the back and we’ll walk together. But are you sure it’s safe to have no one watching?”
“Yes, I’m sure. It’s been a week and no one has bothered me. I want my life to be back to normal.”
There wasn’t time for me to call him now, but later today.
I felt a bit uneasy about avoiding the FBI agents; but Rikki was so definite, I just decided to go along with her wishes.
Junie followed me outside in back. I had to shoo her back into the house. She was getting very attached to me. Rikki met me in the backyard, and we strolled together using the back path. My skates were tied and draped over my shoulder. A spring breeze riffled through my hair. It was a beautiful spring day.
I noticed a robin perched on a nearby branch.
“Thanks for this extra lesson, Evie. I really—”
Suddenly, a human shadow fell across our path.
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).
