BACK ON THE ICE (Chapter 111)

"I did it! I finally got through the thing, every day this week!!" Sophia was exultant.

"Yup. And with time to spare," Warren said.

"I still can't believe you got back this quick," June, their coach, commented.

It was the beginning of October. Sophia had given birth only a month and a half earlier, and had pushed herself to get back on the ice right away. It was painful and difficult, but it had worked. They were almost right back in form, with over a month to go before Cup of Russia. They had been working hard at their

Riverdance free program, as it required a lot of stamina. Sophia getting through it for five days in a row was an accomplishment.

"The OD is fine, we just need to nail down those compulsories," Sophia said.

"Did you hear?" June asked. "This is the last year for compulsories."

"Really?" Warren was surprised.

"Yeah. They just voted on it. Starting next year, there will be two original dances with different rhythms, each worth 25 percent," June told them.

"Wow. Talk about playing into our strengths!" Sophia giggled.

"Yup," June agreed. "Now, about this year—are you sure you’re OK, Sophie?"

"Yeah, I’m fine. The only problem is that I’m feeling…..well……top-heavy."

"Moreso than usual, you mean," Warren quipped.

"You goof! Yeah, moreso than usual. Plus I keep leaking, that’s damn annoying!"

"Maybe you should try to stop breastfeeding," June said.

"Nah. I can deal with it. It’s healthier for Betsy. It’s just that, with the damn things overinflated, I have to wear a really tight sports bra so I don’t give Warren a black eye," Sophia said with a grin.

"Yeah, but what a way to get a black eye!"

Sophia and Warren were at home one Saturday when they got an unexpected couple of visitors.

"Meggan? Josh? Hi!" Sophia greeted them.

"Hi, guys! We wanted to come say hi, see how you were doing," Meggan said.

"Great," Warren told them. "Home for the weekend?"

"Yeah," Josh confirmed. "Meggan suggested we come up and visit. And get my Mom to do my laundry!"

"Better than me doing it," Meggan grumbled. "We go to different schools, for goodness’ sake, and he keeps bringing his laundry over to my place!"

"That’s only because it’s cheaper. I still do it. BU seems to think that laundry is yet another way to make money off of their students," Josh grumbled.

"I keep telling him to transfer to Northeastern," Meggan joked.

"Just for the laundry, mind you. BU has better food."

"Is it a pain going to separate schools?" Warren asked them.

"Nope, not really," Josh said. "There’s a bus route that goes from BU to Northeastern that takes all of, like, 15 minutes. We’re very close, it’s not a problem at all."

"It’s actually kind of neat," Meggan agreed. "We split the time, where we go, so it’s almost like going to two schools, socially. I’ve made friends at both places, and so has Josh. But, enough of that. Where’s the baby?"

"Upstairs," Warren smiled. "Gramma’s got her. We actually just got up about 20 minutes ago."

"We had a really rough night last night, she kept us up all night, so Gramma took her for the morning so we could sleep a bit," Sophia added.

"Oh. Did we come at a bad time?" Meggan asked.

"No, of course not!" Sophia told her. "We’re awake now. If we weren’t, we wouldn’t have answered the door!"

"In fact," Warren said, standing up, "I’ll go see if Gramma wants a break, so you can see the kid." He left to do so.

"So, you’re back on the ice?" Meggan asked Sophia.

"Yup. Mom quit her job, you know. She didn’t have to work anymore, anyhow. Dan—my stepfather—makes really good money. So, she quit her job, she was sick of it anyway, but she also volunteered to watch Betsy when we’re practicing and competing and all that."

"That’s great!"

"Yeah, it is. She’s really enjoying being a Gramma. The only problem is that we occasionally have to drop the kid off with Warren’s parents so they don’t get bent out of shape about not having equal baby rights," Sophia giggled.

"Is it that bad?" Meggan asked.

"No, I’m just kidding. They’re terrific. They just want time with their granddaughter, that’s understandable. We take her over there a lot. So, enough about us—how are you guys doing?"

"Wonderful," Meggan said.

"Yup. Couldn’t be better," Josh confirmed.

"School’s good?"

"Yup."

"No….ah….problems, Meg?"

"Nope," she confirmed. "No backlash, no nightmares, no nothing. I’m not a victim any more."

"Good for you. And it’s nice to see you two still together," Sophia told them.

"Yes, it is, isn’t it?" Josh smiled.

"How is it that, in our little circle, so many high school romances managed to stay together?" Meggan asked. "Us, you and Warren, Jessie and Crash. It defies the laws of probability."

"Screw the laws of probability!" Sophia cried. "Actually, you know why? I think it’s because most of us had really, really bad relationships before we got into our present ones. All of us except Warren, actually."

"Warren just got lucky on the first try," Josh joked.

"Do I hear my name being taken in vain?" Warren asked, as he and Ellen walked back into the room.

"Of course, Snugglebear," Sophia joked. "Hi Mom. You remember Meggan and Josh, right?"

"Sure do. Hi, kids. I got something here that Meggan wanted to see." She handed Betsy into Meggan’s outstretched arms.

"OH!" Meggan gasped. "She’s darling!" Betsy was wide awake, and looked up at Meggan with her big brown eyes, wiggling a little. "How old is she now?"

"Two months," Sophie confirmed. "A couple days ago."

"Boy, she’s a good baby, isn’t she?" Josh said. "No crying or nothing."

"She’s a real good baby," Ellen confirmed.

"Yeah," Sophia agreed. "If she cries, there’s a reason. She’s a very happy baby most of the time."

"So, when do you make this kid’s parents all legal-like?" Meggan joked.

"August 9^th of next year," Sophia told her. "Oh, that reminds me. I haven’t asked you yet. Would you like to be a bridesmaid?"

"Me? I’d love it!"

"Great. I have a ton of them. Jessie’s my maid of honor—then I have you, my sister Tara, my stepsister Kate, my friend Karen Laskovich, my friend from college Caitlin, and Liz Cushman."

"Liz Cushman the skater?"

"Yup. That’s who Betsy is named after, you know," Warren told her. "She’s one of our best friends."

"She was actually here for Betsy’s birth, that was cool," Sophie said, then explained the circumstances.

"Wow. Do you have any famous ushers, Warren?"

"Jack Garrison and Evan Pogdar. Crash is my best man. The others are my brother Ryan, my friend Papa Bear from college, my cousin Pete, and Rick Kenney from my neighborhood crew."

"And plans for the big nuptials are well underfoot!" Sophia crowed.

"Oh, and Meg, you’d better get used to big skating stars being around. They’re all invited," Warren smiled.

(End of chapter)