Dance of a Lifetime

by Frank Downey

  Warren smiled back, and said, "To a point. I am incredibly lucky, but I've also gone through hell for her, more than once. She's gone through hell for me, too."

  "How serious are you guys?" Mike asked.

  "Play your cards right, and you'll get invited to a wedding one of these days." Even Mike had to smile at that.

  "Hey, guys!" They heard from behind them. It was Alexa. She came over and greeted Warren and Paul. Warren introduced her to Mike. They chatted for a bit, then Alexa made her way out the door.

  Mike watched her go, then turned to Warren. "Who was that?"

  "That was Alexa, one of my very best friends. She lives up on 15, she's a business major from Colorado."

  "Wow. She's beautiful."

  "That she is. Good kid, too." Warren smiled to himself.

  * * *

  A couple of days later, Paul and Cait were standing in front of Mike's room.

  "Now, where do you want me to go?" Mike was asking them.

  "To the ice rink, to watch Sophia and Warren practice."

  "Practice what?"

  "They are ice dancers," Cait told him. "In fact, they were third in the world this year, and they will be going to the Olympics hopefully in February."

  "Wow, I didn't know that. That's cool, but I don't get much into ice skating, so why would I want to go watch?"

  "Well," Paul said, "because Alexa is going to be there. I saw that look you gave her when you met her at breakfast the other day."

  "I also know that she asked Warren about you, too," Cait said.

  "Ah."

  "It's perfect," Paul told him. "It's not a fix up. You're going to watch Sophia and Warren skate, right? She'll just happen to be there. And you'll have a chance to talk."

  "OK. What the heck? Maybe I'll learn something about ice dancing, anyway."

  * * *

  Alexa was already there, and watched with interest as Mike walked in with Cait and Paul. He came over with them and sat down next to her.

  "Hi!" she said.

  "Hi."

  "What are you doing here?"

  "Ah, Paul and Caitlin convinced me I should come and watch this whole ice dancing thing."

  "That's right, we'll get you cultured if it kills us!" Warren shouted from the ice.

  "Could we have some skating, please?" Kathy told Warren and Sophia.

  "You know, this was a lot more fun last year when you didn't have a coach," Paul teased. They actually all liked Kathy, who liked them right back.

  "You just shut up, Papa Bear, or we'll get your ass down here," Kathy told him.

  "Promises, promises."

  They started working on Romeo and Juliet. Mike found himself watching, and enjoying it.

  "I don't know nothing about ice dance, but it seems some of this stuff that they are doing is really difficult," Mike said.

  "It is," Alexa told him. "What's considered difficult in ice dance is skating close together with complex footwork, and they do that a lot. This is actually a program that's not difficult enough yet--they're bulking it up with more steps and turns and stuff."

  "Do you skate?"

  Alexa laughed. "No. I just learned a lot watching them. It's fun for me, I like watching them. It's fascinating to watch these programs develop."

  "I can see that."

  "They're my best friends on campus, them and Paul and Cait there. I knew Warren first, and then got to know Sophia."

  "Really?"

  "Yeah. They were actually broken up for two months at the beginning of last year. That's when I got to know Warren. And when they got back together, I got to know Sophia."

  "Damn. I should have been here last year."

  Alexa laughed. "Got a thing for Sophia?"

  "I did, until I found out she was the girlfriend of a guy I like a lot. Just infatuation, that's all."

  "Well, if you had met her last year when they were broken up, you wouldn't have been so infatuated, because she was a shell of herself, from what I understand. It's a long story, suffice it to say that that breakup never should have happened. And they would have gotten back together in any case. Trust me, I know."

  "Ah."

  They chatted for a while after that, asking each other question about themselves.

  "Hey," Mike said after a while, "are you busy Friday night?"

  "No."

  "You want to go out?"

  "Love to!"

  * * *

  Saturday morning, Alexa joined Warren and Sophia for breakfast.

  "So, how was the date with Mike?" Sophia asked.

  "Great. He's nice and sweet, and very funny. We went out to eat, then went to a party. I had a very good time. He walked me back to my room, gave me a kiss that made my hair stand on end, and then left. But we made another date for tonight."

  "You didn't drag him into your bed?" Warren teased her.

  "No," she smiled. "I figure I'll take it slow, let him take the lead. It'll be a whole new experience!"

  Chapter 89 - Competing

  Skate Canada was Sophia and Warren's first event in the Grand Prix series. It was the last week in October, in Edmonton. They arrived on a Tuesday, and would compete Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

  "HEY!" They heard from behind them as the walked into the hotel lobby. It was Liz Cushman.

  "Hey, Liz, what's up?" Warren asked.

  "Not much. You guys ready for the season?"

  "No!" Sophia laughed. "We're still using last year's free dance, because the new one isn't ready yet!"

  "Oh," Liz said. "Is there a problem with it?"

  "Not difficult enough," Warren told her. "We're getting there, though. If we can get the difficulty, it's going to be a very special program. Might have to wait for Nationals to unveil it, though."

  "So, how's Rich?" Sophia asked her with a smile.

  "Rich is just fantastic," Liz said. "Unfortunately, he couldn't make it here, but things between us are wonderful."

  "Glad to hear it," Warren said.

  * * *

  Their main competitors at Skate Canada would be the home country favorites, Canadian dancers Renee Damphier and Christian Gaudler. Warren and Sophia were watching them practice Wednesday morning.

  "I really, really like their free dance," Sophia said to Warren. Renee and Christian were dancing to a funky mix of various soul songs.

  "Yeah, they got da funk, don't they?" Warren laughed. "Their OD isn't as good as ours is, though, I don't think."

  "True, but that free is something else. I love dancers that dance. They're not just dancing, they're shaking that thing."

  Just then Renee and Christian came off the ice. "Hey, Warren, Sophia! How you guys doing?"

  "Great," Sophia told them. "That's some free."

  "Glad you like it," Renee said. "What you guys got up your sleeves?"

  "Well, the OD will rock your world," Warren told them with a grin, "but the free is Sinatra again. The new one's not ready."

  "Will it be?" Christian asked.

  "Oh yeah. Nationals, if not sooner."

  * * *

  It was a fun competition. Warren and Sophia finished second in the compulsories, won the original dance, and finished second in the free. A silver medal, behind Renee and Christian, which was fine with them. They knew they were competing with an old free dance, which would hinder them.

  They had decided to choreograph a number of exhibitions, and the one they did for the fall competitions was a number by Patti Scialfa called "As Long As I Can Be With You." It was poppy, with nice loud guitars, and a fine romantic sentiment in the lyrics.

  Liz won the ladies' competition, and Warren and Sophia were impressed with her skating. She seemed much freer on the ice than in the past couple of years.

  The new Canadian pairs team, Jennie Sellers and Denis Poulin, won the pairs competition.

  * * *

  Three weeks later, they were in Moscow for Cup of Russia. This time, their main competition was the world champions, Olga Bradochkina and Nikolai Zhargov.
Warren and Sophia finished second in all three phases of the competition, and won another silver medal. Two second-place finishes was enough to make them one of the five teams that qualified for the Grand Prix final, which was their goal.

  * * *

  In between their two competitions, Warren had a less pleasant duty to take care of. The four guys that had beat him up went on trial. He was called to testify.

  The prosecutor, John Komack, started the questioning about what he was doing that night.

  "Well, Sophia and I had practiced, and then I had gone to study, so I hadn't gotten supper. I had walked to the deli on Curtis Ave to get a sandwich. I was walking back, past Thompson Hall, when it happened."

  "What happened?"

  "These four guys approached me, and asked if I was 'that figure skater' that went to school here."

  "Can you identify the four men?"

  "Yes, the defendants."

  "OK, what happened next?"

  "I confirmed I was a figure skater. They went on to ask me if all figure skaters were gay. I told them, no, some, but not all. They got more belligerent in insisting that all skaters were gay. I told them to believe what they liked, and asked if I could get by. They told me no, because I was a figure skater, which means I must be a fag, and Reverend Watson told them what to do about fags. That's when the first punch hit my face."

  "Who threw the first punch?"

  "I honestly don't know. It wasn't long before I was getting hit from all sides. Then they dragged me behind Thompson Hall and really went to town."

  "Were all four of them involved?"

  "Yes. I do know that I saw every one of them either punch or kick me at one point."

  "OK, so they punched and kicked you. Did anything else happen?"

  "Yes." Warren took a deep breath. "I was raped."

  "Do you know who raped you?"

  "It wasn't Gornich or Stevens, they were holding my arms. It was either Kohler or Jorgensen. The medical reports found Kohler's semen in my... in my rectum, so..." He took another deep breath.

  "Are you all right, Mr. Kelleher?" the judge asked him.

  "Yeah," he said with a small smile. "Any way I can get a glass of water?" One was provided for him.

  "Warren," Mr. Komack asked, "I know this is difficult, but we need to ask these. Did you know you were being raped?"

  "I'm not sure. I felt something... back there... a pressure, and then a searing pain. I blacked out just after, so I wasn't conscious for the whole thing. "

  "Do you think that was what made you black out?"

  "I don't know, maybe a doctor who has studied these things would know. I was in pain like you wouldn't believe at that point, and had already lost blood. Probably a combination."

  "Now, the first time you were sure you had been raped was when the doctor in the hospital told you, is that correct?"

  "Yeah. I was just regaining consciousness, talking to my girlfriend and the cop. I probably would have figured it out, though, because my ass hurt. I mean, really hurt."

  "But the doctor is the one that told you. How did you react?"

  "I don't know. How do you react to something like that? It took me months of therapy to work that one out. At that moment, I think I just felt horrified. And, I must admit, considering the reasons they stated for beating me up, I did not miss the irony."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Beating up a straight guy because you think he's gay, and, to make your point clear, performing a gay sexual act on him" Warren managed to smile. "It would have been viciously hilarious if it hadn't happened to me." Even the judge chuckled at that one.

  "Warren, how has what happened to you affected you?"

  "Well, I needed therapy. I shut down for a while, wouldn't talk to my girlfriend, almost quit skating. It's better now, but it was rough for a while."

  "Thank you."

  The attorney for one of the goons, Kohler, stood up to cross examine.

  "Mr. Kelleher, did you see my client rape you?"

  "Like I said, no. It was either him or Jorgensen, because I could see the other two."

  "In fact, you didn't actually see my client do anything to you, did you? It was all a blur, isn't that correct?"

  "No, that is not correct. Your client was the one that broke my wrist. I saw that. He reached out and grabbed my hand and twisted it, all the while grinning at me. I saw that, plain as day."

  The attorney was taken aback by that. "But you didn't see him rape you."

  "No, but somebody raped me, and he was the one that deposited his semen in my ass."

  "Yes, if you believe DNA testing," the attorney said.

  One of the other attorneys asked Warren about Reverend Watson. "What do you think of him, Warren?"

  "Objection!" shouted the prosecutor.

  The judge overruled it, so Warren answered. "I think Watson's a despicable, evil hatemonger."

  "Do you hold him responsible for your attack?"

  "He's responsible for fomenting hate, but he's not the one that beat me up. We're responsible for our actions. Your client, and those other three, took an action--they beat me up, and raped me. Watson wasn't there."

  "You don't think my client was under Watson's influence?"

  "I wouldn't be able to answer that, counselor, I have a mind of my own." Chuckles were heard even from the jury box.

  "What is that supposed to mean, Mr. Kelleher?"

  "Just what it sounds like. I have a mind of my own. Most human beings do. Does your client?"

  "My client was under the influence of a persuasive and powerful man."

  "Well, then your client's an idiot, but stupidity is no excuse." The defense attorneys howled at that, and the judge ordered Warren's remarks stricken from the record.

  Finally, after a full day on the stand, Warren's ordeal was over.

  Chapter 90 - Interludes

  Warren found himself talking about his assault again, in an unlikely place.

  Sophia and Warren, this semester, were actually taking a course together. It was a requirement for their degree, a Women's Studies course called "Women in Contemporary Society." The professor bordered on being one of those misandrist gender feminists, but Warren and Sophia actually had fun with that. Having a committed couple taking her course together threw Dr. Abrams for a bit of a loop. One day, when she was prattling on about how heterosexual sex "established male dominance," Sophia threw out a quip along the lines of "I wish my particular male was more dominant," leading to laughter from most of the rest of the class, and sputters of indignation from Dr. Abrams and a couple of ultra-feminist classmates.

  Warren and Sophia tried to keep it light, letting everyone in the class know the humor they found in some of Dr. Abrams' more ridiculous pronouncements. Until, one day right after Warren had testified in the trial, the topic of discussion in the class turned to rape.

  "This is something you men in this class will never understand--what it's like to be raped, what it's like to walk in fear of being raped," Dr. Abrams was saying.

  "You're wrong," Warren interrupted.

  "Excuse me?"

  "There's a criminal trial going on right here in Madison, it's been in all the papers," Warren said sarcastically. "The defendants are on trial for assault, attempted murder, and rape--and the victim is male. He was anally raped. Right here on campus, he's a student."

  "I don't usually agree with him," Meg, one of the ultra-feminists in the class, said, "but I think he's right. I remember hearing something about that."

  "Hmmm. I haven't heard a thing," Dr. Abrams said, "and I think I would have. Did the victim come to the rape center for counseling? He should have. I would like to meet this victim. I'm not sure I believe he was truly raped."

  Warren got a little angry. "And that's the reason he didn't go to the rape center, because it's full of people like you who don't believe this could ever happen to a guy. He had private counseling with a therapist he trusts. And if you want to meet him, he's talking to you right now. Le
t me assure you, I was raped. It wasn't pleasant, and I don't particularly like talking about it, but if I can get you off your damn gender horse by talking about it, then I suppose it's worth it."

  Dr. Abrams looked at him in stunned disbelief. "You're a rape victim?"

  "Yes, I am. Last January, behind Thompson Hall. Four guys beat the living daylights out of me, and then one of them raped me. I just testified in the trial last week."

  "Do you know why this happened, I mean, what was the motive?"

  "Oh, it was a gay-bashing. I'm not gay, but they assumed I was, because I'm a figure skater."

  Dr. Abrams realized something. "Oh, you and Sophia are those ice dancers!"

  "Right."

  "Did what happened to you make you more empathetic to women who have this happen to them?"

  "I already was," Warren told her, "for a very personal reason."

  "I was a survivor of both rape and boyfriend abuse when Warren met me. In fact, it was still going on, regularly. He's the one that pulled me out of that and convinced me to get help," Sophia told the class. "He didn't need to be raped himself to empathize, believe me. He even helped me in high school when I did peer counseling for other victims."

  Dr. Abrams looked like someone who had had their entire worldview stood on its head. "You did rape and abuse counseling?" she asked Warren.

  "No, Sophia did, but they asked me to talk to some of the girls about what friends and loved ones of abuse victims go through. Evidently, one of my speeches convinced one girl to confide in a friend, which lead to the friend convincing her to finally go to the police, which probably saved her life," Warren said, thinking of Meggan. "I'm going to wear that little feather in my cap proudly, thank you very much. I got to know this girl afterwards, because she started dating the guy she confided in, and that guy was part of Sophia's social circle, so I got to know her well. She's doing wonderfully, she's still with the guy, they go to college in Boston, and she's not a victim anymore."