Part Twenty-Two
Something Good To Look Forward To

I took it easy the rest of the weekend. Then Monday came around again , with the beginning of a new week. At least my bruised hip was feeling a little better, but I did learn a very painful lesson on Friday night.  That lesson taught me that I wanted to have some protection on my arms, knees, legs , anywhere I could have it, when I tried to roller skate again. I slowly got ready , there was still some pain when I walked. I had something to eat, and then I went downstairs to wait on Tatiana . I was happy that she picked me in front of my apartment building now . I greeted her with my usual smile. She said, "Good morning, Suzanne."

I sat down and winced thinking that maybe the bruise on my hip was still a little more sore than I had originally thought. She asked me , "Are you Okay?" I replied, "Well, I had a fall, during my roller skating lesson, I bruised my left hip." She frowned and said, "Let me look at it, I may have to take you to the doctor."   I hesitated , then I replied , "Well , it’s kind of hard to show you." She said, "I will come into the school with you, dear I want to see it, as a coach, I am concerned , I see injuries everyday." I replied, "Okay, I will let you see it, but I don’t think a doctor is needed."
She told me, "That will be for me to decide ." I got upset , and I said, " I can’t afford an injury, I have not even tried ice skates." She unbuckled her seatbelt , and she gave me a big hug, as I cried. She whispered, "Don’t cry, don’t worry." I pulled away and wiped my eyes, while I apologized for getting upset.  She just changed the subject, and asked, "Did you like roller skating ?" I blew my nose , and my eyes made contact with hers. I said, "Yes, I mean at first, I was scared, but Andrei and Anna supported me the whole time, when I fell, they were there to help me up." She smiled and replied, "I am so glad you enjoyed yourself, and that an experience from your past was changed for the better."

I smiled too, and I stated, "Tatiana , I want to ice skate, I want to try, I will do whatever it takes to ice skate." She exclaimed, "That’s the spirit , Suzanne!" I replied, "Yeah!" Then she started the engine , and I was on my way to work , along with finding out what I could be up against. We arrived at the preschool, then I showed her where she could park .  We went inside , and I found a rest room. I was still embarrassed , that I had to show her, but I also knew that I wanted to know if I would be fine, or if I was really injured. I just quickly showed her where the bruise was on my left hip.
She asked me if I put anything on it. I told her that I applied ice. She said, "Suzanne, I want to be safer than sorry, please allow me to take you to see a doctor I know." I gave in to her request, and she told me that she would make an appointment for after I got off of work. I thanked her , and walked out of the bathroom.   When I entered my room , Sandra wanted to know how my roller skating experience went. I filled her in, but I left out the part about going to see a doctor. She was happy that I had fun, and she wished me all of the best in following dream. Once my day began , I forgot about the pain, and if it did hurt, I pretended the bruise on my hip did not exist.

The children kept me very busy, and I was counting on that to happen. Some of the girls wanted me to paint pictures with them. Then Ethan asked me to play with the toy train. The morning flew by, and before I knew it, our afternoon group arrived. I gave each child my undivided attention.  Then I assisted Anna, as she took some of the hearts and snowflakes down from the windows. She asked me , "How is your bruise, Suzanne?" I handed her a snowflake , and I replied, "I won’t lie to you , it was hurting, I mean my bruised hip, it kind of smarts now." Anna said, "I am sorry, Suzanne."
I gave her one of the hearts, as I said, "Yeah, Tatiana is taking me to see a doctor she knows , after I get off work, she had a look at it, and was concerned." Anna’s eyes grew big and round, then she exclaimed, "Oh no, Suzanne!" I told her, "Don’t worry, Anna , she just did not want to take any chances."  After we had collected all of children’s artwork, we placed them in each child’s folder. I asked Anna if she knew of a store , where I could buy some knee pads, elbow pads, and other safety gear, that I could wear for next time. She smiled and replied, "I sure do, I will take you this afternoon if you want."

I gave her a smile back, and said in return, "Thank you, so much, I learned my lesson, the hard way." She replied, "You’re welcome , I think we better find a helmet for your head too." I laughed before I said, "Yeah, I will look and feel silly, but I will also be ready to fall."  She giggled , and agreed with me, then she told me, that she will just let people know, that I am trying out for a hockey team. I laughed harder at the image of me trying out for a hockey team. Then we stuffed the children’s folders into their backpacks. When it was time for everyone to go home, I helped them get their coats on, if they asked for my help. Otherwise, I would have just made sure that they did not leave anything behind.
After the children went home, Sandra asked Anna and I , if we could take the snowflakes down from the ceiling. Ann said, "Suzanne, I will get the snowflakes this time, and hand them to you." I nodded my head, and patiently waited at the bottom of the ladder, for her to give me the snowflakes.  She went up and down the ladder, then Sandra gave us a basket to place the snowflakes in.

Before we left for the day, Sandra told us, that for tomorrow we would have to take the snowflakes out of the basket , and put them in the appropriate folder.
We both replied, "Okay." Then I walked out into the sunny, but very cold afternoon air. Tatiana was waiting for me, in her car. I slowly made my way to the car, because I was not looking forward to going to the doctor’s appointment .  Tatiana smiled , and I waved. She opened the door and said, "You are right on time." I replied, "Oh, good, I had to stay a little bit longer , we were taking down the children’s artwork for February, this month is going fast isn’t it?" She said, "That’s fine, yes it is going fast." She started the engine , then on the way there to the doctor’s office , she told me about Andrei.

Because, Andrei was talking about his student, and at first I was confused, until Tatiana said it was me. She finished what she was telling me with, "He is so proud of you, as a matter of fact he told his coach ." I asked her, "Andrei is proud of me?" She laughed and replied, "Yes, he is , he had a phone call today, and the told his coach all about your roller skating lesson."
I scratched my head and asked her again, "Tatiana, he talked to you on the phone?" She started laughing and she said, "No, Suzanne, dear, Alyosha called Andrei to check up on him ." I finally understood, and I exclaimed, "Oh my !" Tatiana said, "Don’t worry, he said very nice things about you, Andrei likes your determination , and how you are not willing to give up."  I smiled , I thought it was nice to hear that, but I still could not help wondering if he told Alexei about my fall. I replied, "Wow, I am flattered ." Tatiana said, "He did mention your fall, but he also told Alyosha how you just got back up , and went on skating."

I bit my lip, thinking to myself , How did she know what I was wondering about ?! Oh No! He knows about my fall.  Then Tatiana’s voice cut into my thoughts , and she gave me a big shock when she said, "This will cheer you up, Alyosha is coming back, his tour has a couple shows, here this weekend." I could not believe it, I thought she was kidding me. I replied, "You’re kidding."   Tatiana said back to me, "I am not kidding , he has a show in Hartford and Bridgeport ." I anxiously asked her, "He is not going to see me roller skate is he?" Tatiana said, "Well, dear, that is up to him, he does have some time off, and he is close to his next stop , so he might , and he might not, I would not worry."

I replied, "I am trying not to, I mean I am excited to hear that he is coming ." Tatiana smiled and told me not to worry again. She pulled into the parking lot of the doctor’s office . I unbuckled my seat belt , and got out of the car. Then we went inside, and I signed in , filled out a form , to give my personal information .  Then I handed the clipboard back to the receptionist , and while we waited , I looked at magazines. I also told Tatiana that I was going to buy some protective , safety gear. She was pleased with that news , and told me that was a very good idea.
After we talked for a little while, I watched people drift in and out , as I sat there in the green, leather, chair. I finally heard my name being called, and Tatiana walked in with me. Then I was led to a room, that was on the far left. A nurse came in and checked my vital signs, as she asked me some questions, about my fall, and the pain I was experiencing .  After she left, Tatiana explained to me about what kind of doctor I was seeing. She told me that he was a specialist, that treated injuries. I looked up when a tall man walked in, he had bright red hair , and smiling green eyes. Tatiana said, "Good afternoon , Dr. Robinson ."
 

To Be Continued  

 ‍The Conclusion Of Part Twenty-Two‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

He smiled at us with a gentle smile, and he said, "Hello Suzanne, I am Dr. Robinson, and Tatiana called me, because she was worried about a fall you had." I nodded my head, and I replied, "Yes, nice to meet you, Dr. Robinson ." He said, "Okay, if you can just hop on this table for me and lay down, I will take a look."   I climbed up on the table , and scooted myself up to the little pillow. Then I laid my head down , and relaxed, or tried to relax as much as I could for him. He lifted my sweater up a little, and he felt the bruise , as I pulled the top of my long skirt away. He asked me if it hurt , when he pressed here or there.

I told him, that I only felt pain when he touched my bruise. He pulled my sweater back down, and I adjusted my skirt , before I sat up. He said, "I think you are going to be fine, that is a nasty bruise, but your hip seems to be Okay." I was so relieved, and I replied, "Thank you, Dr. Robinson."  He smiled and said in return, "You’re welcome, but you need to still take it easy for a few more days, give the bruise a chance to completely heal." Tatiana thanked him, and then we left. Once we were in the car, I said, "Thank you, Tatiana." She smiled and replied, "You’re welcome , Suzanne , I am very happy that you are not dealing with a injury." I exclaimed , "Me too!"

Tatiana advised me to rest later on , and keep ice on my bruise. I assured her, that I would be taking it easy, after I came home from shopping. She dropped me off, and I called Anna, to tell her about my appointment with Dr. Robinson. Anna told me what time , she would be picking me up. I hung up the phone, and I looked through my mail, then I put my bills in a safe place, before I located my purse.  Then I washed some dishes, and I decided to take the trash out to the trash bin . As I was coming back in, a phone started to ring, I walked as quickly as I could to the nearest phone. However, I quickly realized that my home phones were not ringing.

I was perplexed at first, then my heart jumped into my throat , when I recalled that I had a cell phone! I frantically searched around for it, I could hear it, but I could not find it. I yelled, "Hold on, I am here, I am coming!" I knew the other person would not hear me, but just in case I thought it too, if it was who I wanted or hoped for would be calling me today.  The ringing sound got louder and then I finally found my cell phone, that was under some pillows, in my living room. My heart was pounding hard in my chest, I just knew who was calling, as I pushed the button with a trembling finger. Then I swallowed a lump in my throat and said, "Hello?"
A very familiar voice, a voice I loved to hear replied, "Hello!" I smiled and sat down on the couch. I said, "Hello there!" He asked me, "How are you?" I replied, "I am very good, a little out of breath."

He laughed and wanted to know why I was out of breath. I replied, "I couldn’t find the cell phone , I was just walking into the door, and I heard a faint ringing sound. So, I hurried and I noticed my phones were not ringing, then I practically tore my apartment up looking for my cell phone." He chuckled and replied, "I am sorry, want me to call you again later?" I exclaimed back," No!" He said, "Okay, so I heard you are learning to roller skate." I laughed and replied, "Yeah, that is a long story, but I can give you a shorter version." I felt him smile , and I smiled too.
Then, I said, "Long story short, I found out that my preschool class is going to learn how to ice skate , and I did not want to look like a complete fool , so my co-worker and friend, Anna is teaching me to roller skate. Because, I felt that I needed to build my confidence up, by mastering roller skating. So, there is the story."  He said, "I think that is a good idea." I replied, "Yeah , I fell, but I am Okay, please tell Andrei when you talk to him again , that it is just a bruise , I went to see a doctor today." Alexei replied, "I am happy that you are okay, and I will tell him , when I get a chance."

I said, "Thank you, so how has the tour been treating you?" He replied, "Very good, just very busy, but I love it." I smiled and said, "I could tell you do , at the show in Orlando, that was a wonderful night, you were amazing."  He replied, "Thank you, I am so glad that you had a wonderful night, it was great to see you." I said back to him, "Awww, You are welcome , and I was happy to see you too." There was moment of silence . Then he said, "I am coming back to Connecticut , I um would like to see you, I have missed you."
I replied back, "I want to see you too, I have missed you too, Alexei , very much." He said, "Well, I have a show on Friday and Saturday, but I have a very early show on Sunday, and then some time off." I replied, "That’s good, I don’t know what my weekend will be like yet."  Then he surprised me , when he said, "Let’s go roller skating." I laughed at that idea, then I asked, "Are you serious?" He replied, "Yes, I want to see you roller skate , and I will bring my roller blades, maybe I can get you to try roller blading."

I was quiet , then I replied, "Okay, but you have to promise me something." He asked, "What is it ?" I said, "You can’t laugh , when you see me at the roller rink." He wanted to know more details, and I reluctantly replied with, "Well, I thought that I should wear some protective gear, for the next time I roller skate. I guess that fall shook me up. "  He said, "That is a good idea , too and I would not laugh at you." I replied with relief in my voice, "Thank you for saying that." He told me, "You’re welcome, Suzanne." I saw the time on the clock, and I knew that Anna would be coming soon . I was aware that I could not allow her to catch me on the phone, talking to Alexei.
However, I did not want to say Good bye to him either. Alexei said, "You still there?" I shook my head , in an effort to clear away my thoughts. Then I told him, "Yes, sorry I am still here." He said, "It’s Okay, I have to go in a few minutes, but I have enjoyed talking to you again, I really missed hearing your voice. "  I smiled and tried not to get choked up, as I replied, "Yes, I really enjoyed talking to you too, and I missed hearing your voice too." A few more moments of silence passed, then I heard him say, "Good bye, Suzanne." I felt the tears as they started to fill my eyes.

I whispered, "Take care of yourself, Alexei." He suddenly asked, "Are you crying?" I wiped my eyes , and sucked in my breath, before I replied, "No, I just don’t want to hang up right now." He whispered, "Don’t cry , I will be seeing you very soon." I softly said, "I can’t wait."  He replied, "Me too, um Suzanne could we um, just go roller skating alone?" My heart jumped into my throat, as I thought to myself, Is he asking me out on a date? Then I answered my question with, No, don’t be silly.  He was waiting for my answer to his question , and I found my voice again . I told him, "Yes , we could , that would be fun , I will be looking forward to it." He cheerfully exclaimed, "Great!" The smile on my face became a little brighter, and I heard him say, "I will be too, but now I have to go." I said, "Okay, Goodbye for now Alexei."
He responded with , "Yes only for now, I might call you again to you know, plan our evening together." Then I anxiously thought to myself, Wow this sounds like a date! We said "Good bye" , and hung up . I had so many mixed emotions hitting me at once. I was excited, eager, scared, nervous, happy, and worried. I got up from the couch, and I placed my cell phone in an area where I could easily reach it.

A few minutes later, Anna came , and I made myself concentrate , as I left with her to go find the proper gear for my future roller skating adventures. Anna was helpful , she advised me on which kind of gear, I should have. She also had me try each piece of the equipment on, so that we could see if everything would fit me just right.  She also explained to me about the importance of having the right fit, and how the gear could not be too loose or too tight. I gave her my full attention , as we spent a couple of hours looking around, until I was sure that I picked out the best safety gear for me to use and wear.
I ended up buying a helmet, shin pads, wrist guards, and elbow pads. I paid for my purchases, and Anna drove me home. I thanked her , before I got out of her car, and she told me that she was glad to help. I went inside, then I fixed my self a grilled cheese sandwich , and a bowl of chicken noodle soup , that was made with ramen noodles.  After I finished eating, I cared for my bruise, using a towel filled with ice. I just relaxed and watched some movies, while I applied the ice to the bruise. Later on, I made it to my bedroom, where I fell asleep, and I had very sweet dreams .
A few days later, I had a very pleasant phone conversation with Alexei, he was happy to hear that my bruise was healed, and we also discussed the details for our outing on Sunday night, which made me happy, because he gave me something good to look forward to.

To Be Continued

‍To Be Continued

 ‍Part Twenty-Three A Skating Date Continued ‍

To Be Continued

‍Party Twenty-Three A Skating Date Continued

To Be Continued

 ‍Part Twenty-Three A Skating Date Continued

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To Be Continued

 ‍Part Twenty-Three A Skating Date Continued

Afterwards, I arranged the roses , and I looked for the perfect spot to put them in. I tried to see how the roses would have looked on my table. I placed it in the center, and I decided , that my table would be the best place to show them off. I had a better understanding of the reason behind why he had asked me what my favorite color was , when we last talked on the phone. I turned the light on, and dimmed it a little. I felt that, I had just created the perfect setting for a romantic evening. I easily pictured a candle lit dinner, with Alexei, and holding his hand, or having his hand holding mine. I smiled and left the planet for a few minutes, until I was startled back to reality by Alexei.

He made me jump a little , before I discovered that he had come into the room , and joined me. He said, "I did not mean to scare you, but I just wanted to come and tell you, the towels have been put away." I could feel my cheeks burn, and of course I was blushing. I turned to face him and I replied, "Thank you, sorry for taking so long, I just wanted to find the right place, or setting for my roses." He said, "You're welcome, I think you found a very nice spot." I smiled , and told myself to not to drift off into my dream world, while I was with him for the rest of the evening.
He studied the expressions on my face, along with my red cheeks ,and he asked, "Why are you blushing?" I shook my head and just chuckled from embarrassment. He scratched his light, brown, hair , and said, "Um.. okay, well I am ready to go now, when you are." I replied, "Let me get my coat."
When I came back with my coat, he said, "Here let me help you put your coat on." I smiled , and replied back, "I will let you." He held my coat for me, as I placed my arms into the sleeves, then I buttoned it up, and told him, "Thank you, very much."

To Be Continued

 ‍Part Twenty-Three A Skating Date Continued

‍To Be Continued

 ‍Part Twenty-Three A Skating Date Continued

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To Be Continued

 ‍Part Twenty-Three A Skating Date Continued

To Be Continued

 ‍The Conclusion Of Part Twenty-Three A Skating Date

Then, he suddenly made a small step closer to me and, I decided to be brave , so I closed my eyes to let him know , I really was dying to be kissed. His face was inches from mine, I made a little mental note of his location , before I closed my eyes. I felt my skates enter into my arms, I knew he was not far away. I puckered my lips, and I hoped that I would feel his lips touch mine very soon. I also thought , that time was standing still on purpose. His breath was like a warm breeze, and I knew that he was very, very, close now. Then finally , the moment , I had been waiting for , dreaming about, all of my life, happened , my first kiss was given to me.

My very first kiss , was sweet, and quick, but it was given to me , by the man I had always wanted my first kiss to be from and that man was Alexei. I enjoyed feeling his lips, as they gently caressed mine , just long enough to give me a taste of his lips, the kiss was a small step in the right direction. I had been given a promise, by his first kiss, that made me believe that more kisses were going to come my way . I slowly opened my eyes, and I whispered, "I liked that kiss, and it was my first real kiss ." He whispered back, "I am very honored, to be the man that gave you your fist kiss, I really care about you."

I replied, "I really care about you too." He smiled, and said "Oh, wait , I almost forgot to give you these." He showed me the skate guards, and I exclaimed, "Wow, I love them!" He said, "I had some help , picking them out, but look they are hot pink and dark blue." I gave him a hug , and I replied, back with, "Thank you so much for giving me the best night of my life." He gave me one more quick kiss , and replied, "The pleasure was all mine, I will call you and we can talk about our next skating date." I happily replied, "Great !" Then we waved to each other , and he left, before I went inside , and got into my comfortable sweats. When I finally fell asleep, I had wonderful dreams , of our next skating date, and of the many more fun and romantic dates to come.


 

‍To Be Continued

Part Twenty-Four
Seeing Him Again

The next morning, when I opened my eyes, I smiled. Last night seemed like a dream, and I lazily thought, Did that really happen? Before, I softly whispered, "Oh ...Yes it did." Then, I just continued to lay there, while I thought about the night before, and my first time on the ice , and the time I shared with Alexei , and I found myself really wanting to see him again .
I just felt like I was floating on clouds, especially when I thought about my first kiss, the kiss was perfect, just like Alexei , he was perfect, at least I thought he was perfect. I smiled again, then I heard the telephone ring ,all of the sudden, and I had an instant feeling hit me, that it was Alexei calling me .I quickly sat up ,and ran into the living room,because, it was the nearest room with a phone.

I picked up the phone's receiver, then I had a seat on the couch, before I said, "Hello ?" Alexei 's voice brought another smile to my face, after I heard him reply, "Hello . Suzanne, Good morning." I said, "Hi , Alexei . Good morning . I am glad you called , I was thinking about you and last night , before you did." He asked, "Really?" I said, "Yes. I was, and when I heard the phone ring something told me it was you calling." He just said, "Wow . Well, I was thinking about you too ."  I grinned , and I said, "Awwwwww." He said, "Tatiana is still away at the competition ." I replied, "Yeah , I know. I guess I will call Anna and see if she could give me a ride to work." Alexei quickly told me, "No. I thought that I would give you a ride. Actually, Tatiana asked me if I wouldn't mind picking you up for her ." I was a little surprised, and I asked him, "Really ?" He said, "Yes. She did , and I gladly agreed to pick you up."

I said, " Okay . That would be great if you could give me a ride to work . I guess I better start getting ready." He said, "Okay . I will see you soon , Suzanne ." I smiled and said, "Yes. See you soon, Alexei ." I heard the click on his end, and I hung up as well. I waltzed, back into my bedroom , and walked over to my closet , and while I looked for the right outfit to wear , I kept on thinking happily to myself, I am going to see him again!  Then, my eyes noticed  a bright, light pink sweater, and another floral patterned skirt, that had small pink flowers , I decided to wear that outfit , because , I was in a very cheerful mood, and I felt like wearing brighter colors. The sun was also shining, I heard a bird singing, and I just had a wonderful feeling , that this was going to be a great day.
After I finished getting ready for work, I had a waffle for breakfast, and I read a scripture in my Bible, then I prayed , and thanked God for the beautiful weather outside. Then, I made sure , that I had everything I needed, before there was a knock on my door, and I said, "Coming ." When , I opened the door, Alexei greeted me with a smile .

I gave him a smile back , and he asked, "Are you ready to go?" I nodded my head , and said, "Yes." Then, I wondered if I had a jacket that was warm enough, and I asked Alexei, "Is my jacket going to be warm enough?" He studied the jacket, and then he replied, "I think so, it is very nice out toady ." I smiled , and said, " I know. I saw the sunshine , and I even heard a bird sing, it would be wonderful if the weather continues to be like this."  He said, "Yes. It would ." Then, we walked out to Tatiana' s car. He opened the passenger side's car door for me. I smiled, and said, "Thank you. Alexei ." He gave me a grin , and said, "You're welcome." I sat down and got myself buckled in , then he did the same, and started the car. On the way to the preschool, I asked him if knew how Andrei was doing in the competition. He told me that Andrei would skate today in the long program. I said, "Wow. I hope he wins." Alexei replied, "Me too."
Then, there was a moment of silence, but it did not make me uncomfortable , because, I understood that we just ran out of things to talk about for now , and we were almost there, so I just remained quiet , for the rest of the drive, and after he pulled into the parking lot , I said, "Thank you again , for giving me a ride." He looked at me smiled and replied, "You're welcome , Suzanne." I smiled, then I unbuckled my seat belt , and when I began to get out of the car. Alexei said, "Have a good day, dear." I gave him another smile, and "Good bye, Alexei ... You too."

Then , He said, "Wait a minute....." , and I stopped right there in my tracks , before I asked him, "What?" I gazed into his eyes, and their deep pools of blue made me grow weak in the knees. He replied with a grin. "I think you forgot something." I just looked at him funny, but I made sure that, I didn't . Then, I asked him, "I did?" He said ,"Yes. Come back in here, for a few minutes." I sat back down, and waited to find out what was going on . When he whispered , "Come here.....a little closer, I am not going to bite you." I just laughed softly, before I scooted myself closer to him .
Then he leaned over, and I understood what I had forgotten, and I tilted my head a little , while I pushed myself off of the seat even more, and I patiently waited, until I felt his lips meet mine. Then, he took his time, and the kiss between us lasted a little longer, than last night's, but it was still a sweet, gentle kiss, that sent me soaring back up into the clouds. When , he pulled away, he spent some time just studying my face, and I quickly glanced down, to hide my pink cheeks. Then I said, "I better go...." He said, "Okay, I do not want you to be late." I looked at the clock, and said, "I am not going to be late, you got me here in plenty of time. " He smiled , and I smiled at him in return. 

To Be Continued

 ‍Part Twenty-Four Seeing Him Again Continued

‍Then, before I climbed out of the car, he said, "I would like to take you out to lunch." I gave him a bright smile, and I replied, "I would love to, the morning group leaves around 11:30 , I will be waiting for you ." He smiled , and said ,"Great ." I got out and him blew a kiss, while he backed the car up. After he left, I went , through the doors, then I calmly entered the room, and I greeted Anna, by saying, "Good morning .Anna." Anna said, "Good morning. Suzanne." Then, we started to work on spraying and wiping the tables, and Ann said, "Today is the first day of March."

To Be Continued

 ‍Part Twenty-Four Seeing Him Again Continued

To Be Continued

 ‍Part Twenty-Four Seeing Him Again Continued

Then, he let us glide over the ice,for a little while, because he wanted me to get a feel for the ice, and the motion of my feet. Once, I was moderately comfortable, he stepped off with the left foot, and before the lesson was over, I had learned how to push myself forward with my right foot, and I just allowed myself to glide with out moving my feet. After we skated back over to the boards, he said, "I think you will be ready to ice skate with your class in two weeks." I smiled, because, I was very happy, that I did not let my fears keep me from ice skating. I also knew that, I still had a way to go, but I was determined to keep striving for my goal, no matter what tried to stand in my way.

I would just keep on moving forward. While we were removing our skates, I asked him, "Do you have any plans for dinner?" He tied his laces on his sneakers, then he looked at me and replied as he smiled, "I am free." I grinned back at him, and I was very glad he said that. I finished tying my shoe laces, before I exclaimed, "Wonderful!" Then I cleared my throat and said, "I would like to have you over for some chicken noodle soup , and grilled cheese sandwiches , if you would like to come." He winked at me and said in return, "Well, that is an offer , I can't refuse."
I just smiled and said, "Great ." Then, we stood up and walked out to the car , and he held the car door open for me, while I sat down, then he closed the door, before he went back over to his side and got in, and drove us back to my apartment, where I hung up our coats, before, I told Alexei that he could just watch some TV, if he wanted to. He said, "Thanks.", had a seat on my couch, and I handed him the remote.

Then, I headed off to the kitchen, and I went to the refrigerator, and I pulled out two slices of cheese, after I selected our bread, I was buttered both of the sides of the bread, then Alexei came in. Just , after I had placed the cheese on top of the bottom half , before I turned around, and asked, "Nothing good on TV? " He replied, " I really could not find anything to watch, so I just thought I would help you ."I smiled , and laid the top slice of bread over the cheese. I said, "That would be very nice."  He asked, "What can I do for you?" I replied, "You could set the table, that would really help me." Then, I flipped the grilled side of the sandwich over, and I turned the heat on the burner down, while I started to make our chicken noodle soup, by filling the sauce pan with water. Alexei wanted to know where my place mats were, I pointed out a cabinet that was on the other side of me to him. He thanked me, and I told him to ask me if he had anything else he needed to know.

I got a plate out of the cabinet , which was slightly above my head, but I could still reach it. I used the plate to put our grilled cheese sandwiches on it. I also turned that burner off, and once I noticed that the water in the sauce pan was boiling, I added the noodles and chicken from the soups package. Alexei needed to know which cabinet I kept my bowls in , and where my silver ware drawer was, so I directed him to the proper cabinets.  He also gave me two plates, and I moved our grilled cheese sandwiches over on to them, from the other plate. Then I stirred the soup, until the noodles were tender. I asked Alexei if he wanted some grapes, and he told me , that he would, so I gave each of us a hand full. He took our glasses out to the table, but I was not too sure of which table he had chosen for us to sit down and eat at. The glasses only reminded me, that I did not even ask him what he would like to drink.

He came back in and I said, "Alexei, I forgot to ask you, what you would like to drink." He replied with, "Don't worry, I'll see what you have." I asked, "Are you sure?" He surveyed the selections of the soda pop on the shelf, as he peered inside . He showed me liter of Cherry Coke, and said, "This will be good." I replied with a smile, "I will add a little Diet Coke to it, and make a combo drink." He said, "I will pour the pop for us." I picked up our plates, and I followed him to the set table.  That is when I discovered the area he chose for us, to dine, and I smiled, becuase he had chosen the dining room table, with my light pink roses sitting on it. I gave him another smile, and laid our plates down, before I rushed back to get the soup , that I carried back to the table with pot holders. Alexei watched me, as I went back and forth so many times , that he probably wondered when I was going to sit down for good.

Because, he asked, "Are you here to stay?" I chuckled and replied, "Yeah, I think so." He smiled and I sat down, then he pushed my chair in. I said, "Thank you very much, Alexei." He replied, "You are welcome", then I took some time to say a silent prayer for my food, before I took a bite of my sandwich, asked Alexei if his grilled cheese needed heated. He had a bite and he replied, "It's fine, tastes good." I said, "Mine has cooled off, I will just go pop these into the microwave." He told me that he thought his was hot enough. I ignored what he said, and I told him, that my dad always acted the same way, when my mom insisted on heating the food, and she never gave up, until my dad finally gave in. He chuckled and I grabbed his plate.

I quickly heated our grilled cheese sandwiches again, in the microwave, and when I came back, said, "Now, these should be hot." He had another bite, and replied to me by saying, "Yes, this is better." I smiled and enjoyed my own grilled cheese sandwich. Then I asked him, "Would you like some crackers for your soup?" He said, "Sure, I will go get them." I told him , "You don't have to, I will get them." He replied back with, "No, you sit and relax, you have been running around too much."

I finally said, "Okay... I think I left them on top of the counter." He went and got the box , and then we helped ourselves to a few crackers. While we crumbled our crackers into our bowls of soup, he said, "I can't really see you over the roses." So, I told him that he could move them over, and he carefully scooted the vase off to the side. After he moved the roses, he said, "Ah, that is much better." I gave him a smile, and we talked for a little while about the chicken noodle soup.

Then, our topic of conversation ended up being about the other types of soup we liked. A couple of mine were, Cream of Potato , Chicken and Rice and at other times, Nacho Cheese Soup, but I told him that I haven't had that type of soup for a long time . He told me that he really liked, Cream of Mushroom , and that he also liked the soup we were eating. After we exhausted the contents of that topic, we just got quiet and finished our soup. Then when our food was gone, he sat there and looked at me.

To Be Continued ‍

 ‍The Conclusion Of Part Twenty-Four Seeing Him Again

‍I focused my gaze on my plate, and I played with my napkin. I finally asked, "What are you looking at?" He softly replied, "You." I placed my hand on my forehead, and I continued to stare down at my plate. Then I asked another question, that was, "Why are you doing that?" He said, "Please look at me, I have something to tell you." I met his gaze, and chuckled. He asked me if he was making me nervous, or uncomfortable. I put my hand down and said, "I am not feeling nervous, but I am feeling a little uncomfortable, because of the way you keep staring at me ."

He said, "I think you are beautiful, and I like looking at you." I told him , "I am just not used to it, I have never experienced it much before." He took my hand , as he replied, "Well, I will not be seeing you for a long time, so I am memorizing the features of your face, and your lovely brown eyes." I said, "Awww, Alexei that was very sweet of you to say." He softly replied, "I want to close my eyes and see you , when I am feeling lonely, or when I miss you too much." I smiled and exclaimed, "You say such sweet things, if you keep it up I am going to get a toothache!" He smiled and ended up blushing a little.

Then he said, "I have changed my mind, and I am going to travel with the cast , to Providence, so I leave tomorrow night." I replied, "Okay, I see, I will miss you." He said, "I am going to miss you too, but the tour ends next month." I nodded my head, as he continued to speak . "Then, I have a tour in Canada, Canadian Stars on Ice, and I go home to Russia for a while, so I won't see you for a long time." I quietly nodded my head again , and I tried to hide my feelings of sadness. I put a smile on my face and replied, "I hope you have a successful last leg of the tour." He said, "Hey ...Don't be sad, I am still here, and I will help you with the dishes."

I smiled, and replied, "I would like that very much." We carried our dishes into the kitchen, and I said, "We just have to rinse them off, and put them in the dishwasher." He smiled and volunteered to do the rinsing. I put them in , and then we spent some more time talking , on the couch, before he told me he had to go. As we walked to my door, he told me that when he got back from the Stars on Ice tour, and before he had to leave for Canada, he wanted me to come over to his apartment , for a nice meal . I gladly accepted his invitation , and then we shared another gentle kiss, and I felt a little happier, just knowing that I only had to wait a month , before I would be seeing him again.

To Be Continued 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE IT !

God Bless!

 ‍Part Twenty-Five

All About Ice Skating

 Two weeks later, I woke up one morning , and I still could not believe how fast the time went by. After Alexei had left to join the cast, and finish his obligation with the tour, I tried to keep my mind on getting ready for the day I would go ice skating with the preschool,children by practicing on the ice with Anna, and that helped me to stay busy, so that I did not miss Alexei too much, but it also made the days just fly by with out me even noticing .
However, either way I looked at it , their big day was here , and all of the children at the preschool had been anxiously waiting for this time, because they were all very excited to have this opportunity to learn about ice skating. Everyday at work since they had found out about the field trip to the ice rink , all of their activities were centered around ice skates. They all fought over who would play the new ice skating game on the computer , and where the children could dress up the skater, and try to have them skate on the ice.

Anna and I read books to them all about ice skating , and they painted pictures , or designed other forms of art work , that had ice skates , or children wearing ice skates, and our snack time was never complete, until we had our rice krispy treats that were shaped like ice skates. I just smiled at all of them, while I admired their enthusiasm, and I couldn't wait to see their happy little faces , while they wore a pair of ices skates, for their first time on the ice.
I smiled , after I remembered the children's excitement last Friday , when Sandra told them that Monday was it. They all clapped, and shouted, "Yay!" Then, I changed into a sweater and a pair of loose jeans, and quickly got ready , then I had a bowl of oat meal for breafast, before I grabbed my jacket , and I headed out my door. I was eager to see Tatiana again , and I hurried out to her car.

I smiled , after I opened the car door , and said happily, "Hello . Tatiana ! Welcome back ." She said, "Thank you, dear." I said, "You're welcome." She started the car, and allowed it to warm up a little, while she told me , "Andrei won the long program ." I grinned and said, "Wow . That is wonderful , Tatiana." She smiled too, and then we were on our way, before she replied with, "I know. I am so proud of him ."  I told her in my reply, "Congratulate Andrei for me" She chuckled and said, "Well. I could, but you should tell him that yourself." Then she asked me, "You are going to ice skate with the preschool today, aren't you?" I laughed, and said, "Yes. I am, so I can just tell him myself, if he is not too busy." Then, I told her that I missed her, while she was gone , and that I was glad she was back , and she told me that she missed me too, and she was happy to be back, then after we had a few minutes filled with silence , she asked, "So, how did things go with Lyosha?" I felt my cheeks turn pink, and she smiled, and said, "I was just trying to find something else to talk about, if this is an uncomfortable topic for you , then I will switch to the weather."

I shook my head, and I said, "No. Everything went very well, we have become a little more serious in our relationship and , we shared some special times, and he even got me out on the ice." Tatiana beamed , after she heard what I said, " I knew he would." I said with a smile , "Yes. I had fun , and I have also spent some time practicing on the ice with Anna ." Tatiana grinned, and replied with , "I am very proud of you Suzanne."  Then, she asked me, "Do you want to learn more than ice skating?" I gave her a puzzled look, and asked, "Do you mean more as in figure skating?" She nodded her head, and said, "Yes." I thought about her question , while I also tried to figure out, if I really wanted to take that kind of chance. Then, I replied, "Well. I always loved watching the figure skating on the television,when I was a little girl, and I watched these handsome men and beautiful women , on the shiny ice, and they wore lovely costumes, and they did not look like they were skating to me, but dancing ."

To Be Continued ‍

 ‍Part Twenty-Five All About Ice Skating Continued

‍"I felt like I was watching a prince and a princess sharing a waltz at the ball, and after the event was over on the television, I would go to the kitchen and pretend to ice skate , like they did, and I tried to twirl and jump , and I had dreams of skating like that , so I guess I would be lying to you, and denying the real truth, if I told you , that I didn't want to learn more." She looked at me , for a little while, as we sat at a red light, and she said, "Then go for it ."  I asked her in disbelief , "You think I could become a figure skater ? I am not too old?" She just laughed , and said, "You already are learning how to skate on the ice, and I don't think you are too old to follow your dream ." I smiled , and just let everything that she said sink in , until we arrived at the preschool. She smiled and gave me a wink, after she said, "I will see you in a little while, dear." I smiled back at her, and replied, "Yes. See you soon."

Then, I walked into the preschool building , and greeted Anna . She told me that Sandra was going to be running a little late, and that she wanted us to get started on the children's lunches , and we had to make sure each child's name was on their brown paper sack. I said, "Okay, lead me to the kitchen ." Anna laughed and led me to the kitchen, where we got busy on making ham and cheese sandwiches on hamburger buns, and then I made sure each sack had some carrot sticks, and had either apple slices, or a banana, along with a juice box.  Then, Anna wrote every child's name, while I went around, and checked the paper sacks, and put a check mark next to each child's name, while I went around , and checked the names on the paper sacks, and put a check mark next to the children's name on my list. Then, Anna put a sticker of a dolphin, or a whale on each sack, so that there would not be any confusion among the children, when it was time for our lunch.
When Sandra walked into the kitchen, we were placing all of the brown paper bags into the red and blue coolers. We heard her say, "Good morning, Wow you both did a great job." Anna turned around and smiled, then she said, "Good morning, Sandra , Thank you." Then, I added, "Thanks. Sandra, everything in here is all set to go." She gave us a smile, and said, "When the children arrive, I am going to need the two of you to collect their permission slips if you do not already have them, and the money for the rented ice skates." Anna told her, " Okay. We can handle that." Then Sandra added one more thing , before we left. "Suzanne, I also need you to check off each child's name, to show they have turned in their permission slip and that they have paid, then Anna can help you count the money."

I said, "You can count on us ", then Anna left the kitchen with me , after we picked up our clip boards again, we went into the main area of the room, and sat down. When our children started to arrive, Anna and I greeted them with parents , while we collected each child's permission slip that we did not already have. Then, Anna told the children to go sit on the carpet, and read a book quietly , until Mrs. Parker was ready to play a guessing game with them, while I had a seat and began to check off each child's name, as Anna named off the names from the permission slips.
Mrs. Parker came out of the kitchen, and explained to the children, that she had to get their lunches ready for their field trip to the ice rink, then she played a guessing game with them , while Anna counted the money, and I wrapped up checking off the children's names that turned in their permission slip. When Anna smiled at me and said, "It's all here, now we can go." I said, "Great, I have everyone's name checked off too. This is going to be fun."

Anna smiled and said in return, "I know. I can't wait, I am just as excited as all of the children." I laughed , and gave her a smile, before we joined in on the guessing game. Then, after the game was over, we told Sandra that everyone had turned in their permission slip, and their money. She smiled , and said, "Okay my little dolphins and whales, I want you to put your books away, and quietly go get your back packs and put on your jackets , because we are ready to go now."  Anna and some of the parents that volunteered to go with us, carried out the coolers to our van , and I helped the children, with putting on their jackets , and we made sure that we did not leave anything , or any of our friends behind, before we all headed out to our van. Then Anna helped with placing the coolers in the very back of the van, while I helped the children climb up the big step, and find a seat , before I assisted them with their seat belts.

To Be Continued

 ‍Part Twenty-Five All About Ice Skating Continued

‍Then, Anna did a roll call, and we were very happy, when we discovered that all of our children and adults were present and accounted for, and the van took us to our destination . When we finally arrived, the children were very anxious to get inside, and I had to have some help with their seat belts , before the volunteers got them out of the van safely, and they were told to wait for their friends and teachers, by Mrs. Parker.  The children stood outside, while we got the coolers out from the back of the van , and then we all walked hand in hand across the street , to the ice rink . Once we were inside, some one greeted us and asked us to be quiet, while we watched some of the skaters train for an upcoming competition. All of the children followed the guide to some double doors, and then we were led to some bleachers, where we sat down and watched the skaters train.

I smiled, while I observed the children's eyes , as they watched the champions train , and I also thought about what Tatiana had asked me earlier in the car, and her response, when a pair of skaters came out to practice. I honestly felt like I wanted to try what they were doing, but I also wanted the right kind of partner, and I did not think I could skate by myself, but that I would be better off in a paired situation.  Anna had to tap me on the shoulder , to get my attention, when the group was ready to leave. I apologized to her, and told her that I was thinking about something . Then, I stood up, and we followed our group to another rink, where we were finally going to ice skate. I was proud of the children, because they alll waited patiently at the rental counter to get their skates. Then Anna told them to cradle their ice skates in their arms, and to be very careful , as she gave them a demonstration, of how they should hold their skates. Then, I paid for my pair of ice skates, before I led the children over to some benches, and the volunteers helped the children put their skates on, while I helped them tie the laces.

Once, I had my skates on, and my laces were tied , I joined everyone at the boards, where I noticed the children were gazing at the ice, before Bethany said, "The ice does not look like ice." Anna smiled at her and replied, "I know Bethany, isn't that neat?" Then Alexander asked me, "Miss. Suzanne, is the ice cold?" I said, "That is a very good question , Alexander, let me go ask Tatiana,and see if we are allowed to touch the ice."  He said, "Okay," then I saw Tatiana come in , and I gave her a small wave, before she spotted me, and came over to us. The children said , "Hi. Tatiana." She gave them a smile , and said, "Hello." Then Gretchen asked her, "Are you going to help us skate?" Tatiana bent down to Gretchen's level , and she gave her a tender smile, before she replied, "Yes. I am." Peter exclaimed out of excitement, "Cool !" Then, Alexander said to me, "Miss. Suzanne, please ask Tatiana if we can touch the ice."

I laughed and said, "Okay, Alexander . I will." He looked at me and Tatiana , while I asked her, "Tatiana , would you mind if the children touched the ice?" She smiled at Alexander, and then she gave me a grin, before she said, "No. Not at all. They should touch the ice." Alexander did not wait for anyone to tell him to touch the ice, and he rushed over to edge of the ice, and tapped its surface with his finger.  When he came back over to me, I asked him, "Was the ice cold , Alexander?" He said, "Yes. Brrrrrrrrrr." We all laughed , then the children went over , and touched the ice , and some were even brave enough to place one foot on the ice, but when their one foot slid a little, they quickly took their foot off . Tatiana could tell, that they were getting restless, and that they were ready to try ice skating, and she told everyone to grab their friend's hand.

Then we all made a long line, and slowly stepped onto the ice. We were told to stand like statues, until all of our friends had joined us, then she had us break up into pairs, and begin with our right foot. Then , once we all started to move along the ice, she told the children to bend their knees, a little more , while they let their feet glide along on the ice, and after a few falls , and a few laughs after those falls, we all actually skated.  The children even formed a train, with Tatiana as the leader, and while we all were skating in a zig zag pattern, that was close to the boards, I saw Mark sitting alone on the bench. I left the train, and skated over to him. When he looked up, I asked him softly, "What is wrong Mark?" He said, "I fell." I walked over to him , and sat down next to him, then I said, "I am sorry to hear you fell. Are you okay?" He said, "Yeah. I am just embarrassed, the kids were laughing at me."

I frowned and I said, "I don't think they were laughing at you, because they are your friends, and friends don't laugh at their friends, I bet they were laughing , because they fell too, several children fell, and they just laughed. You know what?" He wiped his eyes, and asked, "What?" I put my arm around him to comfort him, while I replied to him with, "I fell too, when I was trying to learn how to roller skate, and I learned how to roller skate again before I skated on the ice,because I did not want to fall on the ice, while I skated with all of you."
He asked me, "Really?" I said, "Yeah, and I was embarrassed after I fell, but do you know what I did?" He asked me, "What did you do, Miss Suzanne?" I smiled at him, and I said, "I laughed, and my friends laughed, and it turned out to be something funny for all of us to remember. I also had to learn that falls were going to happen, and that the best thing to do is to laugh, and then learn from the fall, and try again ."

He looked up at me and whispered, "Okay." I asked him, "Are you going to try again ?" He stood up and replied with a smile , "Yes." I gave him a big smile back, and I said, " I can skate with you and you can hold onto my hand if you want to." He shyly took a hold of my hand, and then we slowly went back out onto the ice. Where, we skated around the rink, hand in hand , until he was ready to join the train again with the other children.  When it was time for lunch, the adults helped the chidren take off their skates, and assisted the ones that needed their shoes tied . Then, we all walked down another hallway, where I just happened to see Andrei getting a snack from the machine , and when he turned around to greet the children, I quickly said, "Congratulations, Andrei." He smiled, and said, "Thank you. Suzanne ."

To Be Continued

 ‍The Conclusion Of Part Twenty-Five All About Ice Skating

I smiled and replied, "You're welcome," and then I hurried to catch up with the group, and after we walked into the eating area, the children sat down, and Anna helped me and the other adults pass out their brown paper sacks. Then, when I finally had a seat next to Alexandria, Christy, and Mark, Anna handed me my bag. I thanked her, before she found a place at the table across from our's.
After the children were finished with their lunch, they wanted to get back out on the ice with Tatiana, so we cleaned up our mess, and went back to the rink, where our ice skates were waiting for us. Then they had a seat, and Anna helped me tie the laces again, and then we spent the rest of our time out on the ice , because for these children their big day was all about ice skating.

To Be Continued ‍

 Part Twenty-Six
Taking The Next Step

A few days later, after the children had their first time on the ice, I was thinking more about what Tatiana had asked me, and I also thought about what the next step for me to take would be, then I knew that I wanted to know , so that I could do it. Even though a small part of me still thought that it seemed like a crazy idea, the other part of me wanted to take the chance, and see what would happen.

The minute Tatiana came to pick me up for work, I asked her a very important question . "Tatiana, what do I need to do , next ?" She smiled and asked, "What do you need to do next for what?" I said, "Sorry. I am so excited, I have been thinking about what we talked about a few days ago, when you asked me if I wanted to become a figure skater."
She grinned and said, "Ah. I understand now ." I said, "I just need to know what I can do next." She said, "Well, dear for now continue practicing your skating on the ice, and you could also learn ballet." I smiled and said, "I have always felt a need to learn ballet, but I never could find the right place to learn it." Tatiana smiled, and said, "Learning ballet would be very good for you."

Then Tatiana dropped me off , and I went in to talk to Anna . I wanted to ask her , if she knew where a place was. She was very happy after I asked her. Because, she had a great , big, smile on her face. I smiled back at her, and immediately began the day , with carrying out our daily tasks, like unstacking the children's chairs, spraying the tables and cleaning them. Sandra walked in , while we were finishing the tables. She said, "Good morning, Miss. Anna and Miss. Suzanne."
We both grinned at her and replied, "Good morning, Sandra," before we pulled out the carpet squares, and when the little ones came along, we went outside to greet them, as their cars pulled up. I greeted Bethany , as I helped her get out of her mother's car. Her mom told me that she really enjoyed helping us at the rink. I smiled and said, "That is wonderful , you really were a big help."
Mrs. Bridges replied, "Yes, and I wanted to be there to watch Bethany , she was so eager for that opportunity, and I am so glad the preschool provided it for her." I nodded my head, and I told her that I was very proud to be a part of the preschool , and that it was an ideal place for me to work. Then, Bethany and I waved to her mom, and escorted her into our room.

Then we joined everyone on the carpet, as Mrs. Parker said, "I am very happy , that all of you did so well on your first field trip to the rink, great job." She clapped her hands, and the children started to clap their hands too. They had smiles on their faces, that were filled with pride, we were very proud of them too. Then Mrs. Parker said, "I have some exciting news, Tatiana has invited us to come back in a month ." The children shouted, "Yay!" Then, we clapped our hands again, before the children went to their tables, and drew pictures of themselves wearing ice skates, and skating on a big blue circle.
Some of the children tried out some more of the new soft ware out on the computer, that also had an ice skating theme, and the morning went very fast. The afternoon group were told that they did very well,and had a treat, when Mackenzie even showed everyone her brand, new, pair of ice skates, during our time together on the carpet. All of the children were very impressed and even more excited to ice skate again, after they found out, that they were going back .

Later on, Hillary wanted me to play with her on the computer, and Nancy hoped that I would help her draw her picture. I was very busy participating with everyone's activities , and then we stayed a little while longer after the children went home. Then, Anna and I told her to have a nice afternoon, before we rushed out to her car, because she had to get to her ballet class. She pulled up in front of a very modern looking building, and I noticed the sign that was black, with bright pink letters spelling out, The Dance Zone.

To Be Continued ‍

 ‍Part Twenty-Six Taking The Next Step Continued

Anna explained to me, that people came there to learn all the styles of dance, and that she took ballet, to improve her skating, so she felt it would help me with my balance , as well. I asked her, "Could I just watch today?" She nodded her head and said, "Yeah. Sure you can." She also told me , that she did the same thing , when she visited with a friend once. I just smiled, and followed her inside,while she went up this long, flight of stairs. I told her as we climbed , "This place already has one strike against it." She asked, "What is that?" I replied , "No elevator." Anna laughed, and said, "Come on it is good excercise." I said, "No, it is more like torture."
She laughed some more before, she said, "You are so funny." I told her, "I know I am ." Then,we finally made it all the way upstairs, and the room was at the end of the hallway, of course. I could not wait to sit down for a while. After we walked through the door way , I looked for a corner, where I could sit down and watch from a safe distance. However, Anna was spotted by a girl, and she wanted to introduce me to her , before I could find a place to rest.

So,I just put a smile on my face, as the girl approached us, and I noticed that she had long , brown, hair pulled into a braid going down her back, and her eyes were an unique shade of blue. She smiled and said, "Hey, Anna there you are, I did not know if you were going to make it." Anna smiled and replied, "Hey Natalie, I am not late, am I?" Natalie told her that she was teasing her. Anna said, "This is Suzanne, a friend of mine from work, and Suzanne this is my friend , Natalie."
I held out my hand, as I told her it was nice to meet her. Anna made sure that I had met everyone in her class, including her instructor, Nadia. I thought Nadia was very nice, and I liked her right away. She invited me to join them, but I politely let her know that I wanted to watch her students. She accepted my wishes, and while some of the dancers were warming up, a new pupil arrived. She quietly walked up to Nadia, and then Nadia introduced her to the others. Her name was Leah , I gave her a warm smile , when she looked in my direction. She found a place and finished warming up with the others. Nadia explained , that they would review what they had learned so far, for Leah's sake, and I was happy that they were, because I needed to know the steps too.

I liked having the fresh start , that everyone else had. I would also have a better idea , about what ballet really was like. I knew very little about ballet, so I was going to take the fullest advantage of this opportunity. Nadia began the class, by sharing with her students about the five positions of the feet. She called them, Pieds cinq positions , and the First position , or Premiere position , had the heels of the feet touch one another.  One of the young ladies demonstrated the first position for us. Her left foot pointed out to the left, and her right foot had the toes going to the right, while her heels met one another. Nadia also explained to us how these positions had been established by Pierre Beauchamp, the maitre de ballet of Acedemie Royale de Musique et de Danse , from 1671 to 1687. I soaked up every word she said, like a big sponge, and then another student demonstrated the second position, or Seconde position.

Her feet were in the same line, as the first, but there was some distance with the heels being a part by one foot in length. She had them try the first two positions , then a young man came up to the front, and he showed them the Third position , or Troiseieme position. In this position, one foot is in front of the other foot, and the heels touch the middle of the opposite foot.
Then she had him finish the demonstrations , he was very good, for a beginner. The Fourth position , or Quatrieme position , he had his feet in the same placement as he used in the third. However, his feet were parallel , and they were separated by the length of one foot. Nadia explained that the feet could also be in the first position. The young man closed the first round of the review, with the last position, the fifth one it was also called, the Cinquieme position.
Nadia told us that the Cechetti method is used, and the feet are crossed, where the first joint of the big toe shows beyond either heel. We were told that in the French and Russian Schools, the feet are always completely crossed, so that the heel of the front touches the toe of the back foot and vise versa. Nadia thanked Chad for his help, and the students practiced the rest of the positions.

To Be Continued ‍

 ‍The Conclusion Of Part Twenty-Six Taking The Next Step

‍I observed them and how they had their feet, I had become a little more interested, but I was not going to tell Anna that.  Anna was asked to show everyone how to do an arabesque, I wondered what that was. Nadia stood beside Anna, and she shared her knowledge with us. "An arabesque is one of the most basic poses, it's name comes from a form of Moorish ornament , it is a position of the body."  The students nodded their heads and Nadia continued to explain, knowing that she had their full attention. "In the profile, one leg is used for support, and the other leg can be straight, or extended behind the supporting leg, at a right angle. Anna waited patiently, as Nadia went on with her informative speech. "The arms are to be held in positions , that are in perfect harmony with the leg, simply because that forms the longest line possible, that begins at the fingertips, and stretches to the toes, your shoulders must also be square with the line of direction."

Once Nadia was finished talking, Anna went to work on pulling off a beautiful form of the arabesque. I softly clapped for her, and Nadia gave me a smile. Then she said, "Wonderful, Anna, let's give her a hand." Everyone joined in, and I clapped my hands harder. Nadia said, "I think, I will allow all of the information , you learned to sink in, but I want all of you to continue your practicing, before you are free to go."  While Anna and the others worked on the five positions, and their arabesques , Nadia came over to me . She asked me if I enjoyed my visit. I said, "Yes, I would like to come back, and I was wondering if I could have something to take home, so that I could practice." Nadia smiled , and then she told me that she would be right back. Anna came over to me, she said, "I am almost finished , then we can go." I smiled and told her, "Nadia went to get me something , that I can take home and practice with." She said, "Okay, I will go talk to Natalie and Trisha." I replied, "Great, I won't be long." She gave me a smile, before she bounded off to join her fellow classmates.

Then, Nadia returned with a small packet. "Here you are." She said, as she handed me the information, that I could take home and I said, "Thank you, Nadia." She gave me a wink, and told me it was a kit, that had pictures of each position, and a video , to help me learn each step. I slipped it into my purse, just as Anna told me we could go. Nadia whispered into my ear, "Are you coming back?" I smiled and said, "Yes. I enjoyed watching the class today." She said, "Wonderful, and you can observe the class for as long as you like, until you feel you are ready to participate."
I said, "Okay then for the time being, I will continue to observe this class, and practice at home, then I will decide when the time is right for me to join in with the class." Nadia told me that she thought it was great that I was taking the next step. Then, I told everyone to have a nice evening, and Anna drove me to my apartment, where I had a bite to eat, before I watched some of the video. While I practiced some of the steps, I felt that what Nadia had said,was right. Because, I really was taking the next step.

To Be Continued 

 This is the URL to the website, where I found my information on ballet dancing.
   
called For Ballet Lovers Only. http://www.for-ballet-lovers-only.com/ I used several websites while I was writing the parts that will be posted in the future.

 Part Twenty-Seven

My Time To Join The Class

Several weeks went by, while I continued to observe the
class, that I attended with Anna. While Nadia instructed her students, I
started to pay more attention to what the ballet students were doing, because, I was
interested in learning more about ballet myself. Then, after class I
went home and practiced each step , that I had only observed in the class.


Until, one day in particular , after I went ice skating with Anna, and
Tatiana had encouraged me to get involved in the ballet, by reminding
me, that it would  improve my ability to skate, and the following evening, when I walked
into the class, with Anna before it began,  Nadia smiled at me. I
gave her a grin  back. Then, I said, "I am ready to join the class and dance ." Her smile
grew brighter, and she said, "That is wonderful. I will be delighted to
have you." I said, "I hope so, I have never learned ballet before." She
simply said in reply, "Then it is your time to learn." I nodded my head, and she asked me if I needed a review. I shook my head
and said, "No. I have been practicing, all of the dance steps , that I
had observed so far." She was happy to hear that, andthen I asked her if I
was wearing the appropriate attire. She told me in reply, " As long as
the material allows your body to move, and your legs and arms to stretch,
then it is fine."


I said, "Great, but next week I will come dressed like the other
students." She smiled, and asked , "You would not mind doing a little
review for me, would you?" I bit my lip, and told her that I did not remember
all of the names of the steps. She told me not to be concerned with
that, because she would call them out. I said, "Okay." She smiled , and said, "Okay,
Suzanne let's begin." She led me over to the giant mirror , and I
stood in the spot, where she told me to stay. I waited for her, and she
said, " Show me an attitude and you may use the bar, if you need to for
now."

To Be Continued

 ‍Part Twenty-Seven My Time To Join The Class Continued

I lifted one leg, and had my knee bent, at an angle of 90 degrees, it
was also turned out very well, so that my knee was higher than my foot.
While one hand , held onto the bar, as my other hand was raised over my head, with my arm
in a curved position. Nadia smiled , and said, "Very good." I smiled
too, but held my position , until she told me the next one. Then after a few
minutes went by, before she said, "A pirouette a la seconde grande"
I was a little confused, and she said, "Very good . You even paid
attention to what the men in your class were doing." I asked, "So, that
was a  trick?" She laughed and said, "Yes, and you can relax, I don't expect
you to remain in the former position ."


I happily allowed my arm to drop down by my side, then I lowered my leg , back down, until my foot touched the floor. She said, Plie
" I went down , by bending my knees , and I went up and down , as many times she
told me, by saying, "Up, down, up, and down." She clapped , and I
smiled again, with out looking in her direction. She said, " Show me your pointe shoes." I went on my toes, but I did not have
pointe shoes because, I had tennis shoes on instead.


She left the room, and I wondered if I was in trouble, then she came
back and said, "Here, you need these." She handed me a pair of ballet
slippers, or pointe shoes . She told me that I had earned them. I thanked her, and
quickly changed my shoes. She asked me if I had any background in dance.

I responded with a question of my own, "Does competitive show choir
count?" She said, "That depends, did you dance?" I smiled and replied,
"Yes, we danced, sang, and competed." She smiled and said, "I think you
will do fine, you are a quick learner." I said, "Thank  you." Then she said, "I want you to show me a fondue, then go into a polonaise, and complete the sequence with a promenade tour
de ."

To Be Continued ‍

 ‍Part Twenty- Seven My Time To Join The Class Continued

‍In the first step, I sunk down , with bending the knee of my supporting
leg, then I marched forward on my toes, and then my foot was flat on the
ground, while my supporting knee was bent, with my other leg raised in front. I
finished the steps sequence with a slow turn in place, while I stood on
one foot, while I made movements with my heel. Nadia said, "That was marvelous." I
smiled, and she told me to relax, until the other students arrived. I
was so happy, and excited, because I was feeling like another lost part of me, was
found once again.


I did love to dance, and it may have been a different form of dancing,
but that did not matter at all to me. I just allowed myself to unwind,
and the other students arrived. Nadia told them, that I was going to be joining them,
and they gave me a warm welcome. Nadia had us stretch, and after we were
finished with our stretches, she went right into our next ballet lesson. When she
came and stood in front of us, all of our attention was on her. She
said, "Okay, class we are going to learn some more steps today, and our first one is
called a releve." She explained the background of this step, then she
demonstrated one for us.

After her demonstration, she had us try one , and we all practiced the releve
, by raising our bodies on the points, or our demipointes . We started
to become familiar with both of the methods, that the French School, and
Russian School , used. Nadia smiled, and clapped. We knew that meant
she was pleased, and that we were going to move on to the next step, which was the ront de jambe .
She told us , this particular step could be done as an exercise at
the bar, or in the centre . She had us go to the two bars, as she told
us , one leg had to make a series of circular movements, on the ground,
and both legs had to be kept perfectly straight.

All of our movements had to be from the hip, and we had to arch , then
relax on the instep. Our toe, that was apart of the working foot, could
not rise off the ground, nor could it go past both of the front fourth position, or the fourth position back.
The purpose of this exercise, was for us to loosen our hips, and to keep our toes well back, along with our heels
remaining forward, and I had to admit this move was a little tricky for
me. When, Nadia told us, this move would be easier for us, when we paired off. I looked
around, and from the way I was seeing things, it looked like I was going
to be the odd one out.

Because, before I joined the class, the numbers were even. That meant ,
everyone would have a partner , except for me. However, I had to get my
focus back on the class, I did not have time to think about the day, the class would
require a partner, in order for me to continue, because we were shown a royale
, and it was also known as the changement battu . We had to beat our calves together, before we changed the position of our feet. Then, we moved on
to changement de pieds, and I practiced my springy steps, in the fifth position, as I changed my feet in the air, with the opposite foot in
the front. Nadia informed us, that these were done in petit and grand.

The saut de basque , became my favorite dance step in the
ballet. Because,it reminded me of a figure skater's jump. I also loved
to do turns, the step started traveling, with one of my feet . I decided to try it with
my right foot, that went up to my knee. Then I stepped out with my right
foot, and then my leg was thrusted out , before I pushed off with my right foot, and I
flew through the air , for a few seconds, before I landed to the side
with left leg extended out. After we all finished practicing for a little while
longer, Nadia told us that she thought we had a very productive class,
she wanted us to move on to some stretches , that would help us to cool down, and relax.

To Be Continued

The Conclusion Of ‍Part Twenty-Seven My Time To Join The Class

‍Before I left, she gave me more videos , for me to continue practicing
with, and I told her, that I could not wait to learn more jumps, and
that I really enjoyed doing the saut de basque. She smiled and said, "I am
happy to hear that you have a favorite position." I smiled back at her
her, and Anna told me she was ready to go when I was. I told Nadia to have a
nice night, and I told Anna , that I was ready to go, then we walked out
to her car. She said, "Look at the stars, this is such a beautiful night." I smiled and
replied with, "Yeah . I love this weather , I hope that it means spring
is here , because if it does is then Petie can come here. "


She gave me a smile, and then she asked, "Is Petie , your brother?" I
laughed, and said, "No. Petie is my parakeet." She laughed and
exclaimed, "Oh ! Cool." Then she asked me, "Are you ready to go home
yet?" I shrugged my shoulders and said, "No. I don't think so." She said, "Great let me treat you to a hot fudge sundae at Mc. Donalds." I grinned and replied back , "Sounds
great." She unlocked her car, and then we quickly made our way over to Mc. Donalds."


We went inside and she ordered us our sundaes, while I found us a cozy
booth, that was away from the main traffic area. We both prayed , before
we dug in , and then she said, "So, tell me about Petie." I swallowed my bite of cold,
vanilla soft serve , then I said, "Well he is a cute, little budgie ,
which means 'pretty bird' , and they are from Australia ."


She said, "Wow. That is neat. How long have you had him?" I smiled, and I
said, "I have had him since I was in the eighth grade, but I have had
other birds since I was a young girl." She smiled, and said, "You have
had Petie a long time , and I bet he misses you , just as much as you
miss him." I nodded my head, and said, "That is a safe bet ."

When she noticed, that I was a little sad, she quickly changed the
subject, and said, "You are doing so well in the ballet class, I hope
you are having fun learning about ballet." I said, "Thank you, I am , but I am also a
little worried about something too." She wiped her mouth with her
napkin, then she asked me, "What are you worried about?" I played around
with the melted ice cream in the cup, and then I said, "Well. I noticed
that class is not even in number anymore, and I discovered that I won't
have a partner , when that time comes."

She said, "Oh. Well, I don't think you should worry about that , because
that won't happen for a while from now , so I think Nadia willl find
you a partner , if there is no one available." I smiled and said, " All
right, I won't, I was just worried, that if I don't have a partner, then
Nadia would have me quit." Anna reached over, and gave me a soft pat on
my shoulder and said, "No, she would not kick you out of the class, just
because you don't have a partner."

I was so much happier , after Anna said that. Then, she winked at me,
before she told me, "Hey . You could ask Cliff " I laughed so hard,
after I heard what she said, then I finally replied with, "What ? No. I think
you should ask him to be your partner." She shook her head, and said,
"No.  He likes you." I tossed my wadded up napkin at her , and said, "No. I
think he would like you ."


She said, "You are right, you need some one special , I know Alexei
could be your partner." I just looked at her, as if I were a deer caught
in incoming headlights of a car, before my mouth dropped open. Then, I
said, "Oh now. That is a good one , you really had me going there for a
minute." She looked into my eyes , and got closer, then she whispered, "I was
serious." I asked her, "You were serious?"

Then, I started to laugh again . She said, "Don't laugh, you two would
be very good together , I might put a bug in Nadia's ear." I
exclaimed, "Anna! Don't you even think about it! Don't you dare! I will
kill you !" She said, "Okay. If I can't give Nadia the
suggestion, then I will tell Andrei to tell Alexei ." I covered my face
in my hands, and laid my head on the table, before I groaned.

She said, "Oh. I have an even better idea, the next time Alexei is at
the rink, you will ask him yourself." My head shot up from the table,
and I said excitedly, "I don't like that idea!" Anna said, "Come on, Suzanne
be honest with me, you like him, right? So don't even tell me
that he has not crossed your mind , while you danced. He had ballet, he
would be an experienced partner for you, and I know for a fact, he has
helped Nadia's students before."

I studied her face, and then I asked, "Really? He has?" She said, "Yes. I
was in the class he came and helped with last year, but don't tell
he likes to keep it a secret." I nodded my head, and said, "I won't tell
a soul." She said, "So, if he came on his own , would you ask
him then?" I took a few minutes and thought about it, then I said,
"Maybe." She just gave me this grin, and I knew that she was up to
something.


She drove me home and , later on , while I watched the video, my mind
started work on trying to figure out what she was up to, and why she
wanted Alexei to be my partner. The more that, I thought about it, then more I realized that
I had absolutely no idea , what was going on, but my curiosity, was
driving me crazy, and I tried to think harder. Then, I spent more time concentrating on it
, with even more intensity, which caused me not to hear the phone ring,
and I also did not notice what was going on around me, until my cell phone got my
attention. I grabbed it off the table, and quickly said, "Hello ?"

Then, I was happy to hear Alexei?s voice, but I also remembered that I
could not let him know what Anna and I had talked about, or what she
told me , that was his little secret. I just had to act like everything was normal , and
that I was fine, and I just said, "Hey! How are you? Did you try calling
me on the other phone? Sorry about that." He chuckled , and replied with rapid
fire answers. "Hey there ! I am good, tired, busy, what's new eh? Yes I
did. That is okay, don't worry about it. I called you on this one ." I
laughed , and I said, "Good, I am glad you did not give up calling."
He said, "Me too, I miss you."

I said, "Awww, I miss you too." Then, he wanted to know what was new
in my life. I told him about ice skating with my preschool class. He
asked me how I have been doing out on the ice. I laughed and said, "I have not
fallen down, but , I am a lot braver with my coach holding my hand, and
guiding me on the ice." He said, "Then, I need to come back soon." I said,
"Yes, very soon." before we laughed , and I told him that I was
doing well. While I tried to figure out what to say next, I debated with
myself , on whether I should mention the ballet class , or if I should
not mention the ballet class, to him . Then, as if right on cue, he asked me if there
was anything else new going on. I turned the video off, and I said,
"Well.... I am learning ballet, I am taking a class with Anna."

He said, "That is good, it will help you in the long run." I told him,
"Yes. I really enjoy the class , and learning to dance, along with the
cultures of ballet." He thought that was very good, and he told me , "I
will have to come see you in class some time." His response, surprised
me , and I thought to myself, Maybe I can ask him . Yet, I was
not completely sure that I would be brave enough to ask ,so I just told
him, "That would be cool." Then, we talked for another hour or so, before we
said our good nights, and a little while later on, after I went to
sleep, feeling very happy, because I had been brave enough to join the class.


To Be Continued