"Yuri..." I kept my voice down, "Yuri, wake up."
My boys were still fast asleep on what used to be the bed Victor and I slept on. But since Victor stayed with Chris last night and I crashed in Yuri and Yurio's bed, they've staked their claims on it. I didn't want to wake Yuri or Celestino. They probably had a long night and could use the sleep. Yurio, on the other hand? He and I had a date with an ice rink.
"Yuri," I poked at his little exposed belly, "You have to get up, baby."
"Mama..." Yurio groaned, "I want to go back to sleep."
"Me, too, kid," I held back a yawn, "But we're going to the rink instead."
"Why can't we just skate Primadonna?" he crawled into my lap, "That way, we can both go back to sleep."
"Because we're doing something new," I put my foot down, "Are you finally going to give in to the idea of coffee?"
"I'll stick with my apple juice," Yurio shot me down, waking up a little more. I'm sure if I told this kid he could go back to sleep, though, he'd be out by the next breath.
"Fine by me," I allowed, putting him on the floor, "Go get ready, Yuri."
"Ok," Yurio went into the bathroom and I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Yikes, Violet...You could stand some getting ready yourself. Like the professional kind. Maybe later. For now, a whole lot of concealer on the dark circles will do and a quick change into the warm ups.
A lot had to get done today. Yurio was going to need a new costume. I was going to need a costume. Our routine had to be choreographed and practiced. And to top it all off, I was getting divorced today! Coffee. Mama was going to need her coffee. And lots of it. By the end of the day, I'll drink double my weight in cold brew. I knew that already.
"Mama," Yurio came out in his warm ups, "I'm ready."
"Alright," I got my cup of extra dark roast and Yurio's of apple juice and got a piece of stationery off the pad in the kitchen. I'm sure if the coach wakes up and I'm not here, he'll only worry. I've put him through enough. I don't need him any worse.
Celestino...
Took Yurio for practice and breakfast. We'll be back in a little while.
All my love,
Vi
Yuri and I left Yuri and Celestino to sleep and headed to the vacant ice rink. Looks like Celestino got it for us for the morning. There was a 'closed for private party' sign on the gate. I'm guessing we're the private. Good man, Celestino. Good man. Nothing quite as centering as an empty rink early in the morning (or late at night, for that matter). Just me and the ice. And Yurio, too. A beautiful sense of serenity...
"Ok, Yuri," I tied his skates for him, "Did you do the bit of homework I gave you last night before I went out with Uncle Chris and Victor?"
"The song?" he assumed, "Yeah. I listened to it a few times."
"Do you understand why I would pick this for us?" I put my own skates on.
"No," Yurio shook his head, "I wanted to ask you about that."
"Think about it," I explained, "What kind of emotion could we possibly convey from that song?"
"It's kind of depressing," he thought, "By the sounds of things, it's about two people who were once performing together, but something nasty happened and it led to them never wanting to see each other again."
"You're thinking about it too negatively," I gave him a little swat on the nose, "Ever think it might be about them splitting on good terms? Like, instead of them hating each other, they've stolen the show. Things between them personally don't have to be bad, but they still went out there and did their best only to bring down the house. Think about it, Yurio. It's us in a nutshell. I can't think of a better way to not only announce my comeback in a more concrete way, but to announce our change in dynamic. One door's closing while another opens. We know that it's our time to go as your coach and my skater, but at least we stole the show, didn't we?"
"Yes, we will," Yurio got all fired up again, "And we're going to do better than Victor and Yuri, right?"
"I don't know what Victor has planned for Yuri's special program," I took my blade guards off, "But we have our own to work on. You ready?"
"Ready!" he squeaked, bolting to the ice...And toppling over.
"Come on, Yuri," I giggled, "I thought we were over this by now. You've won two gold medals! You shouldn't be falling like this anymore."
"I got a little ahead of myself!" Yuri growled, "Is there a rule against being excited?"
"Nope," I helped him back to his feet, "Thanks, baby. I needed that."
"Why do you laugh when I fall?" his eyes started welling up with angry tears. Uh-oh...
"Same reason why you laugh when Yuri falls," I put it into perspective.
"When Yuri falls, it's hilarious," Yurio explained himself, "But when I do it, it hurts."
"You see what I'm trying to say here?" I hoped.
"That I shouldn't laugh when Yuri falls because I know how much it sucks?" he figured, "And he feels the same when I laugh as when you laugh?"
"Bingo," I spun him around, "You want to run a warm up first?"
"A quick one."
I threw on some music and we got started. For our warm up, just because Mama could be a tad cheeky, I turned on Primadonna. I knew Yurio would be able to nail it and it brought me back to a warm, happy time when he was just starting his journey into professional figure skating. However, I had an alternative motive for us skating 'Stole the Show'...
Yurio was right. The song was about two performers that used to perform together, but they were ending things officially. Stealing the show was a more bittersweet jab at the other. Feelings of being used and betrayed emanated throughout the lyrics and the music. The lights were going down, but not on Yurio and me. I needed to vent and what better way than through a language we both understood?
My feeling of tranquility was quickly replaced by a bitter melancholy consuming every bit of my soul. Come on, Violet. Cheer up. This was your idea. You were ok with this. You'll get back into the skating game and that can be your soulmate. The cheers of the crowd will keep you warm at night. Their love will be your guiding light. Do this for the fans and you'll be alright.
"Mama?" Yurio stopped me as 'Stole the Show' went out for the sixth or seventh time, "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine," I lied through my teeth, "Come on. Let's do it again from the top."
"I think we got it, though," he figured, "And my legs are tired. And I'm kind of hungry."
"Fine," I grabbed my phone, "Let's go score some breakfast, yeah?"
"Yes, please." I loved that I didn't have to ask Yurio twice about food anymore. When we'd actually sit down to eat, he'd still be a little skeptical, but once he started eating, he'd tear through it like it was nothing until nothing was all that's left. We left the rink and started walking through the park.
I still had a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that I was coming home. In a few short weeks, I'd have a penthouse in New York. Definitely an upgrade from the studio apartment I had the last time I lived here. When we talked over the little details of our divorce, Victor promised me a penthouse and I wasn't going to say no. He always said I deserved the finer things. Especially given what I came from. I wasn't going to have to go through the degrading process of begging the boss for my job back. I'd be fine.
"Violet?" a familiar voice made us stop in our tracks. Only it wasn't just one standing there when I turned around. A man and a woman stared at me in stunned disbelief.
"Hi..." I didn't have much to say to them until they said what needed to be said to me. My grip on Yurio's hand tightened a little as he hid behind me.
"We heard you were back in town," she said, "Congratulations on your silver medal."
"Thanks," I could hardly look either one in the eye, "We went through hell, but we got there. And I couldn't be prouder."
"Does this mean you're staying...?"
"For now," I nodded, "Until next season anyway and I have to go around the world again."
He looked over my shoulder at the shaking little angel behind me, "Who's this?"
"His name is Yurio," I tried to get my poor baby to settle down. Maybe it's like Celestino said. Yurio's picking up my apprehension. In my defense, I haven't seen much of my parents since Victor and I got married. And we didn't exactly leave each other on the best of terms, "He's your grandson."
"Really?" Dad got down to him, only to freak Yurio out even more, "Hi, Yurio..."
Yurio gave him a very skeptical look, "Kto oni (who are they)?"
"Moi raditeli (My parents)," I settled him, "Vse v poryadke, Yuratchka. (It's alright, Yuratchka.)"
"Violet," Mom wondered, "Is that Russian?"
"Yeah."
"Since when do you speak Russian?" Dad asked.
"Since my husband is Russian," I reminded them, "And my son is Russian. Yurio usually doesn't speak Russian unless he's either trying to get away with something or he's nervous. Or he's talking in his sleep."
"It's alright, Yurio," Mom tried to talk some sense into him, but it only made Yurio bare his teeth even more, "We're family. You don't have to be scared around us."
Yurio still had his skepticism, "Ya ne znayu, nravitsya li mne eto, Mama. (I still don't know if I like them, Mama.)"
"What's he saying?"
"He's very choosy about who he lets into his life," I told them, "And honestly, I can't blame him."
"Violet," Dad suggested, "Can we talk? Just for a little while?"
What the hell…? He was serious. They both were. Something about this didn't smell right. I could understand Yurio's hesitation about them. But they were still my parents. I guess I had to love them. They gave my baby his mama, so I couldn't complain about that. God only knows how Yurio would've turned out if he didn't have me.
"Yeah," I allowed, "Yurio and I were just about to get some breakfast. He has his special program coming up today and we have a lot to do yet, so we can't stick around too long."
"Alright."
The four of us ended up at this cozy café I used to go to all the time while I was still living here and ended up in a corner booth upstairs. This place was teeming with its usual mix of hipsters and moody teenagers and the occasional business professional. Good to see that nothing's changed. What I remembered most about this place was their scones. The size of my head. Yurio and I split a cherry one with slivered almonds on it.
"So," I asked, "What did you want to talk to me about?"
"You know, sweetheart," Dad tried to take my hand, but I wasn't really having it, "I know we weren't exactly supportive of your skating career."
"Bit of an understatement," I sipped on my latte, "I think you called it a phase and a bunch of hooey and I was only doing it to get a boy's attention."
"Violet, please," Mom begged, "Yurio, cover your…Does he speak English?"
"Yes," I assured, "He speaks English."
"Cover your ears for me, sweetie," she demanded.
"Nyet," Yurio shook his head.
"Yuri," I insisted, "Do it."
"Fine," he grumbled, covering his ears.
"We want to apologize for being assholes," Dad sucked it up, "And we're really proud of you. You've come a long way from dancing at the burlesque clubs. And congratulations on your comeback."
"Thanks, Dad…" my voice broke. This was hitting me harder than I thought. For years, I thought about what I would say to them if I had the chance. It ranged from telling them to suck my ass to not even giving them the time of day. But in that brief moment, they were human. More than human even. They were actually my parents for a change giving me the support I needed, "Really. That means a lot."
"There wouldn't happen to be tickets still available for Yurio's program today, would there be?" Mom asked.
"I'm sure I could get some," I figured, taking Yurio's hands off his ears, "Why?"
"It's probably different," Dad thought, "Between seeing it on TV and seeing him in person."
They've been watching…? My parents might not have been very supportive verbally, but from a distance. It would've been nice if they would've been there a little more, but I had others for that. Baby steps, "It is. Entirely different monster."
"Hey!" Yurio squeaked, "I'm not the monster."
"That's right, baby," I wrapped an arm around him, "You're my monster, though."
"I thought I heard you up here, bambina," a thick, Italian accent hung in the air, "Violet!"
"What are you doing here?" I hugged my coach, thanking every deity in the book he showed up. This was really getting to be uncomfortable, "I thought I left you with Yuri."
"Chris and Victor have Yuri," Celestino settled me, "Don't worry. Although, I did see more of Christophe Giacometti than I thought I ever would this morning."
"You haven't lived until you've seen Chris completely naked," I joked, "Care to join us?"
"We should be going anyway," Dad got up, helping Mom shortly after, "You have our numbers, Violet. You could stand to use them once in a while."
"Ok," I sent them off and Celestino took their place. That was probably the most surreal thing to happen in New York since we got here. And I've seen Victor in one of my old burlesque costumes. My parents actually apologized…and they're proud of me…
"So, Violet," Celestino asked, "Who were they? Fans of yours?"
I swallowed the lump swelling in the back of my throat, "They are now…"
A/N: So, Violet's patched things up with her parents. Sort of. Probably with the holding power of duct tape, but progress is progress. Next week we're going to have Yurio's special program and Yuri's, too, if I have the time. If you're wanting a little look into Yurio's, I suggest going to YouTube and searching for Parson James' 'Stole the Show'. Really and truly, it's fantastic. I love that song so much and when I listened to it a few weeks ago, all I could think about was Violet and Victor. Listen to it and you'll understand what I'm talking about. See you next chapter! xx