Chapter 1: Chapter 1
I was practicing my new floor routine for Gymnastics when my coach called me. I stopped in the middle of my routine and went to her.
"You called coach." I said walking towards her.
"I wanted to talk about moving to Russia." She said looking at me.
"What about that?" I said crossing my hands.
"Listen, I know you're not comfortable with it, but it's for your own good." She said with a concerned look.
"What is good in that? I don't see any. Moreover it's not my decision to move there." I said angerly.
"You get to meet new people and you can join the figure skating you always wanted." She with a soft smile.
"I wanted to, but not by leaving all this. Mom got a job there and she wanted to move. She didn't even try to ask if I wanted to go or not. " I said with a dull tone.
"She did it for your own good." She said while patting my head softly.
"I guess, I'll find that good soon." I said in a bit of a dull tone.
"You will. You did all your packing?"
"I have to." I said while remembering it.
"You should go home then." She said with a smile on her face.
"But what about practice?" I said with a doubtful face.
"It's fine for today, go home, and pack your stuff."
I nodded my head in agreement and went towards the changing room. I changed from gymnastic clothes, to my regular ones and went home.
As soon as I entered the house, I saw my mom busy with all the packing. She never really cared about my feelings. I went straight to my room without talking to my mom and laid on bed thinking about moving to Russia.
I came out of my thoughts when I heard a knock on the door, I opened the door and it was my mom, she came inside and scanned the whole room, she probably knows I haven't packed my stuff till now.
"Cordina you haven't packed?" my mom said with a surprised look.
"I will."
"When? You have a flight in 4 hours and you haven't done anything. How can you finish doing all this?" mom said with a bit of an angry tone.
"I will if you stop shouting at me." I said with a frown face.
"What's with you, you've been acting like this since the time I said about moving to Russia." mom said, making a questioning look.
"You said we are moving to Russia, but did you ever ask if I want to move?" I said in a frustration.
"I thought you would like to go there?" My mom said with a shocked face.
"I don't want to go. I tried to tell you but you never listened. All you cared about was moving out of here."
I let out my frustration that I'm holding back.
"Your dad is from there and he would like you to be there. I thought you'd feel like you're with him when you go there. " she said, wheeling over to me.
My mom sighed. She wheeled herself into my room.
"Sweetie. I'm sorry, please understand, I know you miss your dad and so do I, but you'll feel even good just trust me with this." she said caressing my cheek with her hand.
"Okkay, what if I don't like it there, what if people see me as a jerk, I at least have friends here to talk." I said kneeling before her.
"We will do one thing, I have signed a contract for working there for a year. We'll stay in Russia till that time, even after that if you feel like coming back here, we will do that. Okay?" She said while giving a warm smile.
"Okkay." I said while holding her hand which was caressing my cheek earlier.
"Thank you, thank you sweetheart, I promise you won't regret staying there. Pack your stuff, we've a flight to catch." She said giving me a big smile she gives every time to cheer me up.
"Give me an hour." I said smiling back.
"Okkay, I've other stuff to pack, so I'll leave you with your stuff." She said and wheeled herself out.
I guess I don't have much of a choice. It's not like I don't wholly have anyone there, at least I've Anastasia. I can join her coaching class.
After discussing all this I went back to packing my stuff. It took me an hour and half to pack my stuff. I never thought I had that much stuff. Finally I packed everything and went to take a shower, our flight is in 2 hours.
I came out of the shower and wore my jeans and T-shirt and my dad's jacket. That jacket reminds me of dad and I feel safe and I feel like I'm with him whenever I wear it.
I went out of my room to check on mum. I found her in her room packing the photo frames. I knocked on the door and mum turned around.
"Cordina! Everything set to go?" she said with a smile.
"Yeah, I packed everything. Felt like eternity while packing them," I said going inside the room.
"Yeah me too." she said with a small smile looking at a picture in her hands.
"Everything alright mum?" I said with a doubtful look while sitting on the bed next to her.
"Yeah, everything's fine...... Do you remember this picture?" mum said, showing me the picture she was holding.
"Yeah, dad used to show this to me, whenever I wasn't confident." I said taking the picture.
"It was the first picture of the three of us, Leo insisted on taking this photo that day, he wanted to savour each and every moment with you. Even after you grew up, he used to look at this photo whenever his mood was off. " She said looking at dad.
"Really?" I said in a quiet tone.
"Yeah, he used to say, the picture of three of us, me holding you both and him watching me makes him realise how blessed he was to have us both in his life, the two loves of his life. His mood used to lighten up every time he sees this picture, you don't know but this picture meant a lot to him." She said, giving a small smile.
I didn't say anything, I thought dad was teasing me with this picture all the time, but that one picture was able to capture his whole world in it.
"I realised that you wore your dad's jacket, you fit in it perfectly. See here, he wore that in this picture too." She said showing me dad's jacket in the earlier picture.
"Yeah, I feel secure and feel around him everytime I wear it." I said, holding seeing the jacket I wear.
"He loved you very very much, sweetie." she said pointing at the jacket.
"I love him and miss him so much, no day goes by without me thinking about him." I said hugging her with tears in my eyes.
"Me too sweetheart." she said hugging me back.
-----In Russia----
Walking off the plane, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I ended up bumping into someone.
I turned towards that person rubbing my forehead.
"Hey, what the hell, can't you see?". A boy with a stern face said.
"Sorry, my mistake". I apologised, it was my mistake I wasn't walking carefully.
"You should be. Next time you walk, learn properly before walking." He said with an arrogant look.
"Hey, watch your words. I apologized for my mistakes, what's with that attitude?" I said in a bit of an angry tone.
"You bumped into me and you got angry. Before learning how to walk, go and check your eyesight." He said still with that arrogant and attitude face.
"Before telling me how to walk and all that, go and consult a psychiatrist. Seems like you've mental issues." I said crossing my arms to my chest.
"You better watch your words, or else you're gonna regret saying them". He said while clenching his fist.
Before I could say anything my mom called me.
"Cordina, come on, let's go". She said.
"Why are you wearing a Russian jacket?" He said, clenching his fist.
"This was my dad's jacket."
"Pssst. I don't believe you." He said.
"And I don't find a reason to make you believe." I said in an arrogant voice.
"You are so arrogant," He said sighing.
"I feel the same about you. Anyway it's the worst meeting you, bye." I said and went towards my mom.
I saw a bald old man standing beside my mom.
"Cordina, this is Mr. Yakov." She said with a smile.
I was surprised to see him, they probably noticed my facial expressions by now.
"You mean, the Mr. Yakov, the figure skating coach, dad's coach," I said in a curious tone.
"Yes dear, I was your dad's coach." He said with a small smile on his face.
I was smiling and looking at him like an idiot, I never thought I could actually see him.
"Let's go, I'll take you to your new house. You both must be tired from the journey." He said while helping with our luggage.
We all hopped into his car and he took us to our new house. It was quite amazing.
We kept our luggage in our rooms, I don't know why I had the feeling to choose this one particular bedroom so I kept my luggage in that room and got fresh-up to have something to eat. I was more tired of having an argument with that jerk than the journey. Yeah, it was my fault but there's no need for him to be an arrogant idiot though.
I went downstairs and saw mum and Mr. Yakov was waiting for me at the dining table. I sat on one of the chairs and we all started to eat our food.
"Hope you like the food here." Mr. Yakov said with a big smile on his face.
"It's delicious Mr. Yakov," I said with a smile, the food is really good.
"Is everything for your job set Lilie?" he asked, turning towards mum.
"Yes, Mr. Yakov." Mum said and smiled.
"What about you Cordina?" He said, turning his face towards me.
"Me?" I said pointing my finger towards myself.
"Her school's all set, and it's up to her and her coach about her practice." Mum said referring to my gymnastics.
"Coach?" He asked with a doubtful face.
"Yes, Mr. Yakov, I'm taking gymnastics coaching from Ms. Anastasia, she moved here too, so I'll probably be starting my practice soon." I said, giving him full details.
"Gymnastics, good." He said with a smile.
"Mr. Yakov?" I called him to ask him about figure skating.
"Yes, dear." He said.
"Can I ask you something?" I said with a nervous tone.
"Sure what it is?" He said with an assuring smile.
"I wanted to learn figure skating from you for so long, can I join your academy?" I said with a stuttering voice.
I was quite nervous to ask him, what if he says no or something else.
"Figure skating?, sure you can, do you know how to skate?" He asked. Well it is the basic question anyone asks, so I didn't mind it.
"Yes, Mr. Yakov, dad taught me those, not much but the basics." I said remembering what dad taught me.
"Good, can you tell me what basic moves Abe taught you?" He asked. Sure he wants to know what all I learned from his best student.
"Not much, just the basics like, march forward across the ice, forward foot glide, dip, forward swizzles, backward wiggles, snowplow stop, two foot hop….. Um….. that's all." I said trying to remember what the other moves dad taught me. Well, I guess those are all the moves.
"Well, Well, Well, Abe did teach all the basic moves. Come to the academy tomorrow at sharp 3pm in the afternoon, let's see how well you can perform." He said with a proud feeling on his student.
"Okkay, thank you so much Mr. Yakov, I'll be there on time." I said with a big smile.
He smiled back in return. We all had our food and Mr. Yakov went to his home. I went inside mum's room to check on her. She's unpacking the stuff. I knocked on the door.
"Come in dear." She said while taking out the family pictures from the box.
I went and sat on the bed next to her.
"Mum I wanted to tell you earlier about figure skating. I'm sorry I didn't say it earlier." I said with a sorrow look.
"It's fine. I'm glad to know you're showing interest in that. Leo would be very happy." She said with an assuring smile.
"Aren't you angry or mad at me?" I asked with a doubtful look.
"Why would I? You're doing what you like the most, I'm happy you chose Mr. Yakov as coach, he sure is a wonderful coach." She said looking at me with a warm smile.
"He sure is." I said.
"But do you remember what your dad taught you? Mr. Yakov is certainly a wonderful coach but he's extremely strict on his students. Your dad used to say he was a nightmare to all his students," Mom said laughing.
"I do remember them, but as you said I doubt that." I said lowering my head. What if I make a mistake he'll never accept me as his student. I'm dead scared about that.
"You remember what Mr. Yakov called your dad?" She said while placing her hand on mine.
"He called him 'Abe'. I wondered the same, no one calls dad 'Abe'. He always introduces himself as Leo and insists on not calling him Abe." I said, remembering Mr. Yakov's words.
" Mr. Yakov is the only one who's allowed to call him that. Leo did say his coach was a nightmare to everyone but he also says the one who understands him, Mr. Yakov, is very lucky to have him as coach." Mom said.
"So dad only allows Mr. Yakov to call him 'Abe'?" I said with a curious face.
"Yes, your dad hates calling Mr. Yakov him 'Abe' and Mr. Yakov is an exception to that. Your dad is one of the best students for Mr. Yakov not because Leo wants to be the best at it, it's because he believes himself and never sought attention." Mum said, reminding me what dad used to say.
"Thanks for that mom. I better go and unpack my stuff, I've to go and meet Mr. Yakov tomorrow." I said with a smile.
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