Cosima gets up and dressed early enough her second morning of ski lessons that she even has time to grab a quick bite in the dining room before heading to the slopes.
"You're back," Delphine says with surprise as Cosima approaches.
"Of course I am. Did you doubt my word already?"
"I just wasn't sure if you'd have a change of heart after sleeping on it."
"No way, after sleeping on it, my heart is even more sure. This is where I need to be."
"That's wonderful to hear," Delphine smiles.
"I got you something."
"You did?"
"Yup," Cosima reaches into her coat pocket and presents her gift.
"An apple?"
"Yes, an apple for the teacher. It's kinda something we do in America to kiss up to the teacher, get on their good side."
"Ah, so you're trying to get on my good side?"
"I don't think you have a bad side. The apple is more like a thank you for helping me so much yesterday and letting me stay on in your group."
"Merci," Delphine says as she takes a bite. "I'll have to remember this trick when school starts up again."
"You're in school?"
"Why do you sound so surprised?"
"Sorry, I just thought you'd already found your career."
"You mean as a ski instructor? That's just something I do here during their busy winter season when I'm on break. Skiing doesn't exactly lend itself to year-round employment. I'm studying for my PhD at UPMC."
"No way! You go to Pierre and Marie Curie University?"
"You know it?"
"Know it? Are you kidding? That's one of the top scientific universities in the world. I had a feeling you were brilliant."
"I wouldn't say brilliant, just very dedicated to science. I'm majoring in immunology. I study host-parasite relationships."
"That's so freakin' cool. I'm evo-devo."
Delphine scrunches up her face quizzically, "Evo-Devo?"
"Yeah, sorry, evolutionary developmental biology. That's what we call it at the University of Minnesota."
"I've heard of your school, as well, it has a wonderful reputation. So you're a biologist?"
"Yeah, I'm all about biology. My school is good but it's nothing like yours. I would give my left lung to say I went to UPMC. Marie Curie is one of my idols."
"Mine too."
"I cannot believe you're a science geek like me. This is unreal!"
"It truly is. I've never met anyone with a similar passion here. It's really nice to make a science friend on the slopes of Mont Blanc."
"Same," Cosima grins. "Now I can totally geek out on you and not feel like I'm being a total dork."
Delphine laughs, "Non, geek out on me all you want."
"I just might," Cosima winks.
"Cosima, you came back," Kira shouts happily as she approaches the pair.
"Hey, monkey," Cosima gives her a high five.
"How'd you know everyone calls me monkey?"
"Lucky guess," Cosima says as she taps Kira's helmet.
Gemma, Oscar, and Charlotte arrive soon after and Delphine leads them in some stretching exercises before they hit the slopes.
"Watch this." Gemma kicks her leg in the air.
"Impressive," Cosima praises.
"I'm a yellow belt in karate, but soon I'll be a black belt."
"I bet you will. I'm counting on you to defend us up there from any psycho skiers."
"You got it, Cosima," Gemma emphasizes with a karate chop.
"I'm taking fencing, I can use this pole as an épée and strike the psychos." Oscar points his right pole straight ahead and mimics a thrusting motion.
"I want to fence, too," Kira says as she picks up her pole and joins him in mock battle.
"No, we are not fencing, those poles are for skiing," Delphine puts a stop to their exhibition. She notices Cosima giggling, "Excuse me, you started this."
"Me? What did I do?"
"Something about defending us from psycho skiers."
"It's a valid concern."
"No, it's not, but should we encounter any trouble, I, as the instructor, will protect us all. Understood?"
"Fine, fine, but at least you've got powerful backup."
"It would appear I do. But please keep the violence to a minimum on the slopes," Delphine implores.
"We'll try," Cosima replies, "but not making any promises."
Delphine shakes her head in mock annoyance, "Great, now that that's settled, let's head up the slope."
Charlotte tugs on Cosima's jacket. "What's up, Charlotte?"
Charlotte motions for Cosima to lean down and then whispers in her ear, "I'm a pacifist."
Cosima whispers back, "Wanna know a secret? So am I."
"Cosima," Delphine says when they reach the lift, "why don't you go first today."
"No, that's okay, the kids can go first."
"They don't mind you going first. Do you?" They all shake their heads no. "See? They insist."
"You guys were supposed to have my back," Cosima frowns at the kids before taking her spot at the front of the line. She straightens her skis, grabs onto the bar, and is pulled up the slope. She breathes a sigh of relief at the accomplishment. It isn't until she reaches the top of the slope that she panics. As she leaves the lift, it's as if everything she learned yesterday about stopping is a blur and she falls forward into the snow.
Delphine covers her mouth in shock, and also to stifle a laugh at the sight, as she rides the lift behind the kids. When Delphine reaches Cosima, the kids have formed a circle around her.
"Okay, let's give Cosima some space," Delphine parts the children as she approaches. "Are you okay?"
"Do you think you'll ever tire of asking me that?"
Delphine shakes her head, "Never."
"This is your fault, you know."
"My fault? How did I make you lose your balance, I wasn't anywhere near you?"
"You made me go first."
"I made you go first," she mimics. "Excusez-moi. I just thought you'd like to show off your improvement since yesterday. Apparently I was wrong."
"Apparently. Now I'm laying on the ground again like a loser."
"Stop it, you're not a loser. You know what losers do? They give up. That's not you. You fall, you get back up. You did it plenty of times yesterday."
"Don't remind me."
"Come on," Delphine stretches her pole out and Cosima grabs it, allowing herself to be pulled up. "Why'd you throw yourself on the ground like that?"
"I didn't, I fell," Cosima insists.
"No, I can tell the difference between falling and throwing. I'm a professional, remember? You panicked and instead of trying to stop with your skis, you dropped your body in a defensive move. It's a control thing. You'd rather be the cause of your own fall than leave it to chance, but that's not how you learn to ski."
"Are you an immunologist or a psychologist?"
"Out here, I'm your ski psychologist. If you get sick, I'll be your immunologist."
"At least I'll be well taken care of either way."
"If you're lucky," she winks. "Okay," Delphine claps her gloved hands together as she and Cosima rejoin the kids, "let's get today's lesson started. You're going to learn how to do a wedge turn. I want everybody to get into the wedge position. Now as we go down this first little hill, extend your knees and put the majority of your weight on the downhill ski, which will be the ski closest to the bottom of the hill at the end of your turn. So if we make a righthand turn down the hill, your weight should transfer to your left leg. Watch me and then I want each of you to come down to me one at a time. Gemma, you'll start, then Kira, Charlotte, Oscar, and Cosima." Delphine skis down the short hill, demonstrating the wedge turn, then waves Gemma down.
Gemma mimics Delphine's example perfectly. "Great job, Gemma," Delphine praises. Kira comes gliding down the hill. "That was good, Kira, but next time put a little more weight on your downhill ski so you make a fuller turn." Next, Charlotte makes her way down. "Good, Charlotte, but try increase your speed down the hill just a bit so your turn is a little smoother." Oscar takes his turn and zooms down the hill, turning quickly in front of the girls and spraying them with snow. "Yeah, um, maybe not so wild next time, but good technique. Okay, Cosima, come on down," she shouts.
Cosima nods and gets into position. "Okay, Niehaus, you can do this, righthand turn, pressure on the left leg." Cosima sets off down the hill, as she approaches the bottom, she shifts most of her weight to her left leg and turns towards the group before coming to a complete stop."
"Cosima," Delphine exclaims with glee, "that was perfect. I could tell you really concentrated on what you were doing."
"Thanks, coach," Cosima smiles.
"As we descend the remainder of the slope, I want you all to practice turning right, then left. Remember, watch your speed and transfer your weight to the downhill ski as you turn."
Delphine sends them down the hill in pairs, with Kira and Charlotte first, followed by Gemma and Oscar. "After you, Mademoiselle Evo-Devo."
"We're not doing this together?"
"I need to observe your form. I'll be right behind you."
"Okay, enjoy the view," Cosima smirks as she gets in position and pushes off down the hill.
Delphine watches her go and waits 10 seconds before following.
Cosima nails the first turn, but cuts into the second one too quickly, leaning too much on the uphill leg and falling on her ass.
Delphine skis over and before she has a chance to say anything, Cosima cuts her off, "How was my form?"
"Impressive. I think you're ready for the Olympics."
"I thought so," Cosima giggles as she manages to get herself up from the snow without assistance. "Can I try that again?"
"Certainly," Delphine nods.
They finish down the hill and then line back up for the lift with the kids. This time Cosima manages to disembark without a hitch. The kids take their turns down the hill, with Gemma throwing in a couple extra turns for effect.
"I want to be that kid when I grow up," Cosima admires from the top of the slope before taking off. This time, she wobbles a bit on the first turn, but is able to recover and takes a bit more time leaning into the second turn. She manages to reach the bottom without falling.
Delphine skis up beside her, "You had me worried there for a moment."
"I had myself worried."
"Nice recovery."
"Thanks!"
"You all did very well," Delphine commends. "Do you think you're ready to try Verte 2?" Cosima raises her hand. "Yes, Cosima?"
"That's not that one, is it?" Cosima points higher up in the mountains.
"No," Delphine laughs, "you're not quite ready for that yet. We'll just be moving over to the Verte course right over there. It's a little longer and curvier than what we've been skiing on, but only a tiny bit steeper."
"Okay, a little longer and curvier sounds doable. I'm willing to try if they are," Cosima looks to the kids to decide.
"Of course we are," Gemma responds as if there were any doubt. The others nod in agreement.
"Then it's settled. Follow me," Delphine leads the way to the longer drag lift.
—
"That wasn't too bad, was it?" Delphine asks Cosima after the kids have left for the day.
"No, I guess not. At least I managed not to face plant off that lift. And I managed to get up on my own two out of the three times I fell."
"You're progressing well." Delphine looks at Cosima seriously, "I hope you don't think I was too hard on you earlier today when I confronted you about throwing yourself on the ground."
"No, I want you to be hard on me, I mean, I need you to be hard on me. I've been accused of being stubborn by, well, by pretty much everyone, so you not taking any of my bullshit is probably for the best if I'm actually going to learn how to ski. I've kind of always prided myself on being good at everything I apply myself to, like school. I never sweated about taking a test or handing in a paper. But I've never been an athlete, I never really attempted any sports outside of gym class, where I really was always chosen last. I think I felt like if I wasn't good at something, I should avoid it, rather than risk continuing to fail at it. I think that's kind of why I was so resistant to actually giving this whole skiing thing a try. I knew it wouldn't be easy for me, and I'd rather blame my hatred of the cold and snow, and my general clumsiness, on keeping me from coming out here and giving it a shot."
"Why did you decide to learn to ski then?"
"Scott."
"Oh. Is Scott your boyfriend?"
"No," Cosima chuckles, "Scott is definitely not my boyfriend. He's my lab partner back at school. He was actually the first friend I made on campus. He grew up in Michigan, and spent a lot of time up in the mountains, so skiing is his thing and coming out here to the French Alps was a big dream of his. He got a few of his gamer friends to sign up for a travel package, but when Hell Wizard's appendix burst a week before the trip, he had to back out. That left them with a spot they needed to fill."
"Hell Wizard?"
"Don't ask."
"So you volunteered to go in this wizard's place?"
"Yeah, I mean, it's all Scott had been talking about for weeks and they wouldn't have been able to afford to go unless someone else stepped up. It was last minute and I knew with the break coming, and everyone already having made plans, it would be hard for them to find a fourth, so here I am."
"You're a good friend."
"If by good friend you mean constant downer, then, yeah, I'm great."
"I don't think you could ever be a downer, you have a certain joie de vivre about you. I see it in the way you're able to poke fun at yourself, in the way you giggle, the way your face lit up when you realized I was into science, the way you interact with the kids, the way your hands move around like they have a mind of their own when you're trying to explain something, and especially in that mischievous little glint in your eye."
"You noticed all of that in just two days with me?"
"It's hard not to notice."
"Wait till you get to know me better, your opinion may change."
"I doubt that."
"You weren't there when I couldn't muster the slightest bit of excitement for this trip. I gave Scott such a hard time when he brought up learning to ski, but he signed me up anyway, and here I am."
"I'm sure those reactions were because of your apprehension, but you made the decision to show up to class yesterday. You're here, in Chamonix, and you're committed to learning to ski."
"Yeah, well, you had a lot to do with that. You've given me the confidence to believe that I can actually do this."
"I'm glad to hear that, it means I'm doing my job. But it takes two to tango, right? If you didn't have that part of you that wanted to learn, no matter how persuasive I was, you wouldn't be here."
"Actually, a tango I could probably handle."
"I thought you said you were clumsy."
"I manage to stay upright on the dance floor."
"She sure does," a voice cuts in.
Cosima looks behind her in shock, "Scott, what are you doing here?"
"Hello to you too, Cosima. I just wanted to see how you were faring out here." He turns his attention towards Delphine, "Hi, you must be the ski instructor."
"Yes, Delphine. Nice to meet you, Scott," she holds out her hand and he shakes it. "Thank you for signing Cosima up for my class. Even though she's slightly older than the rest of my students, she's a welcome addition to the group."
"Just a teeny, tiny bit older," Cosima holds up her thumb and pointer fingers for emphasis.
"How's her technique?" Scott inquires.
"Ah, well, her technique could still use some improvement, but she's falling less."
"She's falling less? Really? I find that hard to believe. From the way she was talking yesterday, I think she's only begun to fall."
Cosima glares at him, "Such a kidder, this one."
"She is a great dancer, though," he adds. "You should have seen her the other night at C'est La Vie, she was killing it."
"I'm sorry I missed that," Delphine bemoans. "Perhaps you'll make a return visit during your stay and I'll be there to witness the magic."
"It's really not that magical," Cosima insists.
"No, it is. Cosima was doing this thing with her hips and—"
"We should really get going, Scott," Cosima interrupts. "Aren't we supposed to meet the guys for lunch? I'll see you tomorrow morning, Delphine." Cosima practically drags Scott away.
"Dude, what is your problem?" Cosima asks when they're out of earshot of Delphine. "Why were you embarrassing me like that?"
"Embarrassing you? I just wanted to see how you were doing. Annnnnd maybe get a look at your crush. Holy moly, Cosima, I totally understand why you stayed in the kiddie group. She's… I don't even have words for what she is."
"I know, believe me, I know. And to top it off, she's studying immunology at UPMC."
"Very funny," he laughs.
"Dude, I'm completely serious." Cosima looks him dead in the eye.
"Whoa, you aren't kidding. Are you going to make a move?"
"Make a move?"
"Yeah, like, ask her out? She seems to really like you."
"No, don't be crazy, she's my ski instructor, she gets paid to like all of us. Plus, I'm sure dating a student is prohibited or something."
"Maybe if they're 10."
"Shut up," she slugs him in the arm. "Anyway, she's not interested in me like that, she said we're science friends."
"Science friends can mean many things."
"Yuck. Scott, you and I are science friends, don't make that dirty."
"Sorry, sorry, all I'm saying is you won't know unless you go for it."
"Yeah, that's not happening." Cosima hands him her skis, "Come on, help me get my equipment back so we can go eat, I'm starving."
—
The next morning, the kids have already assembled for the lesson by the time Cosima arrives.
"How cool is it that we're skiing the blue devil today?" Gemma asks. "I heard there's a jump in the middle and you go flying through the air like whoosh."
"So cool!" Kira enthuses.
"And it crosses a glacier," Oscar adds. "If you don't get enough air, you'll land in the ice cold water and probably drown or freeze to death if you don't get out fast enough."
"What? How are we possibly ready for that?" Cosima protests. "We're still in the wedge position and now we're expected to jump over a glacier? No freaking way!"
"Gotcha!" Gemma shouts, and the kids start laughing.
"You monsters were messing with me?"
"It was Delphine's idea," Kira tattles.
Cosima looks up at a giggling Delphine. "Really, Delphine? I thought you were on my side."
"I am on your side, I just couldn't resist. You should have seen the look on your face."
"Is it too late to join the adult group? I think I need a new buddy."
"You wouldn't dare abandon me after all the times I've picked you up off the ground."
"Now you're joking about my clumsiness? That's it, I'm done with this whole skiing thing," Cosima turns and storms away.
"Seriously?" Delphine shouts before running after her.
Cosima swings around as Delphine reaches out for her, a huge smile plastered on her lips, "Gotcha!"
"Oh, you little… Okay, I deserved that," Delphine admits. "You really had me going there."
"Come on, you don't think I can take a joke? It was a good one, I'll admit. I nearly pissed my pants when they mentioned a jump and freezing to death."
"I wouldn't put you through that. Not yet at least."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. If I ever get hypothermia from these ski lessons, I'm expecting you to warm me up." Delphine gives her a surprised look. "Um, I mean, call for help, cover me in blankets. Just don't let me die out here, okay?"
"I won't let you die," Delphine promises.
"Great, so, um, what's really on the agenda for today?"
"We're sticking to Verte 2 today." They rejoin the group, "As Cosima so astutely pointed out, you're still in the wedge position and I want to get you started doing parallel turns. Once you're comfortable with the pressure on your downhill ski as you turn, you can start bringing your uphill ski parallel on the turn. It often happens naturally with practice. We'll try a few exercises down here and then head up the slope."
—
Delphine watches as Kira and Charlotte take their turn down the run. "Don't force it, Kira. Keep your body straight, hands in front, and naturally slide into the turn. Charlotte, don't look at your feet, always keep your eyes looking downhill. Okay, Gemma and Oscar, you're up." The siblings set off down the hill. "Gemma, watch your speed. Oscar, put a little more pressure on your downhill ski in the turn. Good, good, now let the uphill ski fall in line. Very nice." Delphine looks over at Cosima, who has her eyes shut. "Cosima, are you sleeping?"
"No, I'm imagining myself going downhill and turning like a pro."
"Visualization, that's a very useful tool. Let me know when you're ready to go."
Cosima opens her eyes, a look of determination on her face, "I'm ready."
Cosima and Delphine start their run. Cosima picks up speed down the slope, takes a deep breath, and starts her turn. Her uphill ski stays a bit wedged on the turn. "Don't overthink it, just let yourself go and the ski will straighten." Cosima nods as she continues downhill. On her second turn, she loosens up and the uphill ski falls in parallel. Coming out of the turn, she feels her speed pick up and quickly wedges her skis as she continues down the run.
"That was really good, Cosima," Delphine praises. "You're getting better control over your movements."
"Thanks," Cosima smiles as they come to a stop at the bottom.
"You all did great," Delphine commends the group. "Let's head back up and keep at it."
After several more runs, with Cosima taking just a couple small falls, they make their last trip down the slope for today's lesson. Besides a tiny wobble at the end, Cosima manages to stay upright.
"That seems like a fitting way to end the day," Delphine observes. "Nicely done." She then hands out gold stars, placing them on the sides of their helmets. "This is for a wonderful first week. You're all doing extremely well, better than any of my previous beginner's groups."
"Even me?" Cosima wonders.
"Even you, Cosima," Delphine grins as she places a star on Cosima's helmet. "Remember, ski school is closed for the holiday, so no lesson tomorrow. I'll see you all on Monday. Joyeux Noël!"
"What's that mean?" Gemma asks with a furrowed brow.
"Merry Christmas," Delphine responds with a laugh.
"Merry Christmas," the kids respond before running off to meet their parents.
"Mommy, did you see me?" Charlotte asks as she runs towards her mother.
"I did, Charlotte, you were wonderful!"
Cosima notices Delphine watching the mother and daughter embrace with tears in her eyes.
"Hey, you okay?" Cosima places a hand on her shoulder.
"Yes, sorry," Delphine wipes at the tears. "It's just really lovely to see Charlotte skiing so well. When her mother dropped her off for the first lesson on Monday, she confided in me that skiing had been a dream of Charlotte's for a long time. She suffered from Perthes Disease, it's a degenerative bone disease that required she wear a brace on her right leg. She finally got it off 6 months ago, right before her 8th birthday, and now, not only is she running, but she's skiing. To be able to be a part of something so monumental in that child's life, it's extraordinary. I hope to be able to replicate that feeling again through my work in immunology. If I can improve lives by helping to cure or manage their illnesses, that will make everything that I've worked for worthwhile." Delphine notices Cosima staring at her curiously. "Forgive me, I must sound foolish."
"No, not at all, I think it's incredible. I sit in a lab all day staring into a microscope, but you, you're on the front lines of disease, directly impacting public health."
"Ah, but what you do goes in hand with what I do. Your studies will go a long way towards helping us. For example, gene therapy. Your long-term observations and research will be invaluable in aiding us in the course of treatment for multitudes of patients."
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
"I usually am," Delphine responds proudly. "What do you have planned for Christmas?"
"Oh, nothing much. I guess there's a dinner at the hotel we'll go to tonight, but I'll probably just veg out tomorrow while the guys ski."
"Your family wasn't upset you wouldn't be with them for the holidays?"
"Nah, they understood. Actually, my mom was pretty jealous I was going to France. Besides, we're not exactly a very religious family and we usually just spend Christmas at a shelter in San Fran feeding the homeless. I'm sorry to miss that part, but I wasn't really looking forward to going back home this break."
"Why not?"
"Oh, well, it's probably gonna sound ridiculous, but I sorta broke up with this girl before leaving for fall semester, and, well, I'm not exactly looking forward to bumping into her around town."
"Bad breakup?"
"Kinda. It's just the distance with me in Minnesota and Emi back in San Francisco. It was a struggle last year and I guess my heart really wasn't as invested in the relationship as hers was, so I ended things, told her long distance never works and that it's better if we're both free of that burden."
"Ouch! How'd she take it?"
"Not well. And me being a bit of a wuss, I'd rather just avoid seeing her altogether rather than having an awkward situation made any worse."
"I can understand that."
"How about you? Do you have big plans for the holiday?"
"Oh, yes. Every year on Christmas Eve my Grand-Mère prepares a grand feast and has the whole family over."
"Do you have a large family?"
Delphine nods, "My Papa is one of 4 children and each of his siblings have children and a few of them have children. There's usually about two dozen of us there."
"Wow! Must be nice to have such a big family."
"It really is. Is your family small?"
"My mom is about as short as I am, my dad's no giant either."
"Cosima," Delphine giggles, "that's not what I meant."
"I know, I know. Yeah, it's just the three of us, so I never had a huge get-together with family like yours."
"You should come as my guest tonight."
Cosima looks at Delphine with shock. "Come with you? To your family's Christmas dinner?"
"Oui."
"No, I can't intrude on your family gathering like that."
"It's not an intrusion, I'm inviting you."
"But you've known me all of what, three days? You really want a virtual stranger there?"
"Why not? Are you going to rob my family, steal all their presents?"
"No, of course not."
"Then, yes, I want you there."
"I don't know, Delphine."
"You can't very well leave me without a buddy on Christmas, can you?"
"Oh, come on, you can't use my own words against me."
"Says who?"
Cosima rolls her eyes at the smirking instructor before taking a moment to consider. "It has been a while since I had a really good home-cooked meal."
"Does that mean you'll come?" Delphine asks eagerly.
"Yeah," Cosima nods, "I'll come."
"Great!" Delphine exclaims. "It's about a 45 minute drive from here. Meet me in the hotel lobby at 7:30. And bring an overnight bag."
"Wait. Overnight bag?"
"Yes. We won't be eating dinner until after midnight mass and, between the late hour and the wine, there's no way my Grand-Mère will let us drive back tonight. Besides, she insists that the family wake up together Christmas morning."
"But I'm not family, Delphine. Maybe I shouldn't go."
"You may not be family, but you're an invited guest. And you already agreed to come. What is it you say in America, no backsies?"
"Oh, no fair invoking the no backsies rule on me, I didn't have all the facts."
"Doesn't matter," Delphine insists, "you agreed, so now you're coming."
—
"Scott, you're not gonna believe this," Cosima shouts as she enters the suite.
"What happened?" he asks with worry.
"Delphine just invited me to spend Christmas with her family."
"Like as a date?"
"No, like as a friend inviting a friend to enjoy the holidays with her. I think."
"You think?"
"Well, now that you said date, I'm not totally sure. I mean, I don't think it's a date. A date wouldn't involve 20 other people, would it?"
"I don't know, it could."
"No," Cosima shakes her head, "that's impossible. She's just being nice."
"Whatever you say, Cosima."
"Anyway, I have," she glances at the clock, "6 hours to get ready. I hope you don't have anywhere to be."