Film of Love

Vingt-Quatre

The day has been settled as they announced the announcer the total scores—the judges combines from the short program to free skating. This moment will be cherished and treasure by us—even if people will not recognize and appreciate it. It will stay the same with meaning and legacy. This Dem and wanted to since we are kids.

What a fruitful year even though there is some fruits that should be mixed up in our life but what we can do? It’s basically the nature of our life, we are just living, following and enjoying it.

The confetti where drop to the rink as the crowd roars as the 3 players walks down the red carpet into the podium. After that, all flags from the country the representatives where lives were also put down, from bronze medalist to silver and finally to gold.

Our precious, Dem is singing our national anthem. I cried while watching her standing, and holding the priciest thing in her neck. The song has ended and all of the winners bow their heads to us. The crowd roars again as this time they keep on throwing stuffs like flower, and teddy bears. The little kids from the earlier performance were there to get all of it out of the rink.

“Should we approach her?” my aunt asked me as I know what will be going on.

“Later!” I said. “Well, we can see she is talking to a man!”

“Yeah! I didn’t notice it,”

“that’s fine!” I said. “We should be ready to go to the back door, I’ll use my connections!” I laughed at it—thinking it’s funny to say the word “Connections” when I don’t even have one. I’ll just use my vip passes we get.

---

Earlier that day, Dem was nervous as she fix her blades and skates. Her coach went a bit to meet her sponsor. The man he never meets not until this day, she thought.

“Whoa! Dem relax!” she mumbled to herself in the waiting room. People outside the rink was filling out little by little and her pressure and tension rises little by little also.

“Aish! What are you doing, Dem? Just relax and focus!” she said to herself again. She speaking words as if she is trying hard to cheer up a friend while she is just self-assuring that she need to relax more. She does this whenever she will go to some big competitions—she are calming down a bit slower than the past, the reason is because this will be her first and last biggest competition or that’s what she thought.

“Coach! I can’t calm down,” she openly said to her coach.

“It’s normal for you and for everyone to feel like that.” She responded. “All you need to do is to do a breath in and out! Breath deep and let it out while you close your eyes—like you’re just meditating with this old lady.

“Alright! I’ll be giving it a chance!”

“Sure, try it!” she said. “And I also know the pressure within you because you will be opening this years ice skating stage.”

“Yes, I do!” she admitted. “I can’t help to overthink!”

“Don’t bother think those things! You should be focusing on how will you surpass those tensions. The opening scene is really difficult. Being a selected to open the sports is means that you have a potential and talent within you that gives all the judges, the audience and also you competitors an impression, a standard that they will never reach.”

“Thank you, coach!” she politely thanked her coach even though her words seem to be somewhat frightening for a newcomer, Dem Linton.

“By the way, your sponsor is here and he’ll be much pleased to meet you”

“Really? It’s so nice of him to say that when I’m just a nobody!”

“Hey! Don’t say things like that! You’re far than just a nobody!” she said. “You’re Dem Linton and you’ll be the next queen of ice.”

“I am flattered by your words, coach but I don’t think it is necessary to-” she was cut by her coach and said, “Don’t say anything and start stretching. A few minutes the event will start!”

“Yes, I will!” she said. “And thank you also!”

“Your always welcome!” she smiled at her sweetly. “I’ll be going now! See you in the rink!”

“Bye, coach!” she waved at her and left. Dem realized that she never mentioned that she will retire or did she? She is confused but she will get it straight from them.

“Ms. Linton, you can now proceed to the side lines,” a staff informed her. She nodded and went outside with her padded jacket on. She is fully dressed and ready to skate by now. She went in to stretch and warm up her body and adjust to the temperature she never felt in the room.

At first, she barely sees her friend and noticed them when the performance will begin. She smiled a little, gaining a strength to her friends and the people who underestimate her.

The performance went well but she is still not satisfied even though she did wrong but she never wants to think if they noticed it or not but they are expert judges Dem can’t say anything about it. Also the camera is so focus that even a little mistake like that can be seen.

Short program was so short and ended Dem to have 89.7 which is high enough. The following skaters score’s where falling behind with some point in between making her getting the first spot in the program. She changed her clothes as she will begin again to skate but this time it will last 2 times than the previous round.

Dem was breathing so hard and in the verged to cry out of happiness as she executed the whole masterpiece she created beautifully with no errors, gaining a score of 187.12 and gained a 276.82 competition scores which holds the highest scores of all time in women’s division. She burst out crying out of joy as she realized that no one surpasses her scores, she felt relieve because she thought that she is still on it as all the players still performing, she knew that what score she have right now will change her life for good or for worst—but the odds where on her and made her won a gold medal, in her first international Olympic game.

“Dem!! I am so proud of you!” her coach screamed while walked towards her to hug her tightly.

“Well, what I can say? I have the best coach!” she said as the tears still falling from her eyes.

“Thank you for saying that! I also want to say that I have some great students!” she replied.

“Congrats, Dem! You finally get one of you dreams!” the silver medalist said.

“Congrats, Dem! It’s fun learning, watching and competing with you!” the bronze one said. “I’ll hope to see you next season!”

“I do hope too! Thank you! Have a great day!”

“Yes, we will! You too, bye!” they both said and left.

“Well! Well! Well!” a throaty, rough voice of a man said.

My coach eye’s lift up as she so someone very familiar to her.

“Mr. Frederick! Welcome!” her coach said enthusiastically to the old man in formal clothes. He looks like coming from a wealthy family.

“Mr. Frederick, this is Dem Linton!” she introduced him to me and vice versa.

“I am glad that you attended the event! I don’t know if you ever like the sports,” Ms. Sheila said, her coach name.

“Well, I am here to see if my money is going to some who deserves it and I can see that—you Dem, really deserves it,” he explained.

“You’re a great artist and athlete and I am very pleased to meet a lady who works hard!” he added, complimenting Dem. “I am also want to thank you Sheila for inviting me.”

“It’s my pleasure!”

“So, as I assess your performances even though I’m not an expert but I can say that I have an eyes for talents and I saw you right now—I convinced myself to continue my support in the Ice skating community and would likely support you in you,”

“That’s so kind and thoughtful, sir!” she said. “but my plan is to stop here and continue my other dreams, to change path for the meantime.”

She really honest and open what she really wants to do. She can make up on her own and will do it if there will be no circumstance that provoke her to break her plans and words.

She felt the atmosphere change and she saw that the man was disappointed by her decisions. The man requested, “Sheila, will you leave a bit first, I want to talk to Dem alone, if it’s possible,”

Sheila looked at them, and Dem nodded and she said yes and left. The atmosphere changes drastically than before and she don’t know why or she is scared of the man.

The man coughed and said, “Don’t be scared. I just want to talk to you!”

“I am honestly disappointed, because it seems like a false move to me,” the man said bluntly. “The opportunity is in front of you will you really need to let go of that?”

“I honestly, didn’t know myself that I’ll be getting a lot of attention and supporters right now, because of the fact that I am not seen or be given a chance to shine,”

“So you don’t have confidence?” he asked and she nodded.

“All this time, I am thinking that it’s for me, my family, and for Aryn,” she explained. “and now I realized that I’ll be also representing the nation but I did my best, also on how others judge me and treat me, that where my little confidence gets,”

The man soft his eyes to the lady, but deep inside he is smirking like a psycho path.

“Are you sure that you will stopped this?” he asked for the final one. This will be his basis to decide the next move.

“Yes.”

“Well, I will still support the sports for the sake of you!” he said.

“Really, sir?”

“Yes! I will ask you this is it’s fine for you,” Dem waits as she is curious about his question will be.

“When and where do you want to apply a job?”

“Uhm…about that,”

“Yes? What about that?”

“I can’t decide,”

“Well, I can give you the Allard incorporation as a suggestion,” he said. “What is your course, by the way?” He even asked her even though he knows it.

“I took Business administration major in human resource management,”

“Well, if ever you are ready to apply just give this to them and you’ll be able to go into the interview,”

Dem took a small white envelope and put it into her jacket’s pocket.

“Well, it’s getting late. Thank you for having me!”

“Thank you also, sir!”

“See you! And please consider it! I’ll be going now and find your coach!” he said. “Congratulations again for winning!”

“Thank you, sir!” she yelled a bit to the man exited the room.