Cheater: A Summer Games Short Read (Going for Gold) (5 page)

B
am
.

Bam.

Bam.

My heart bounced off my ribcage and became lodged in my throat. The team marched in line to the first apparatus. Wade led us, and although I would have normally marched second, I let my teammates slip in front, and I pulled up the rear of the line.

Qualifying rounds came first. With the skill set of our gymnasts, we’d have to work hard to not get to the first round.

Rings were first, which made me exuberant. I excelled on the apparatus and even considered rings to be my specialty. If there was one event where I thought I could take the gold, it would have been the rings.

I watched my teammates muscle it out. The key to the rings was no movement. The more movement, the lower the score. My routine focused on strength, which—assuming I executed well—would raise my difficulty scores.

When my turn came, I peeled the bandana off my wrist and handed it to Nick. He boosted me up, and my Games officially began. Focus was the key, so I went to the place in my head where only the rings and I existed. It was a dance of sorts, and I led my partner flawlessly. She didn’t shake in my hands. She held on tight and followed my lead.

Strength, swing elements, and the dismount were all graded to fractions of points; thankfully, my planche, inverted cross, and Yamawaki couldn’t have been better. When I dismounted with a triple back and stuck the landing, I knew I had done my team proud.

Nick and Wade were waiting for me off the mats. Nick threw his arms around me and handed me the bandana. I waved it at the camera focused in our direction, hoping my mom could see. Wade, who was up next, gave me a quick pat on the back and moved onto the mats.

Although I'd never hope for something bad to happen to him, I inwardly smiled when the rings shook on his Maltese. It wasn’t something he normally had a problem with, so something with Wade wasn’t right. Maybe he’d been exhausting his energy trying to empty out the condom bowl.

Next in our rotation was the vault. The last competitor before me was a Chinese athlete who performed the highest difficulty vault and stuck it. Talk about upping the pressure. But Mom’s voice echoed in my thoughts:
Alec, you can’t control the masses, but you can control yourself. In everything you do, do it to the best of your abilities.

Her words calmed me somewhat as I got ready for my own vault. At the chalk bowl, I thought about Snow. How was her day going? Had she exercised control of herself? I chalked, spit, and chalked again. A thought hit me like a lightning bolt: Bryn wasn’t a bad person; she just lacked control. My mom was right. Bryn was good for someone else, but not me.

“You’re up.” Nick grabbed my shoulders and pinned me with his bloodshot eyes. “You’ve got this. Whatever you did in practice, you do here.”

I searched the gym for Collette, but she wasn’t anywhere in sight. I imagined she was at the practice gym. The women’s qualifiers were tonight.

At the line I mentally marked my spot. Whoever thought running full speed at a stationary object must have been a crackhead. I pushed off, and seventeen strides later, I was in the air. Tucked into a triple salto, I ignored the desire to unfold my body early and instead whispered Collette’s name before I opened at the right time. When I attached my feet to the mat like glue, I thought triumphantly,
Magic. It’s fucking magic.

I was charged and motivated when we hit the floor exercise. It wasn’t my strongest event, but unless I totally tanked, there was no risk of my routine pushing us out of round one of the qualifiers. Tomorrow we’d repeat everything we did today, and the scores would be tallied.

God, how I wished my mom were out in the stands watching this. I pulled the bandana to my nose and inhaled the scent of her perfume. With my eyes closed, I let it infuse me with courage and hope. Mom was watching, and I’d do her proud. The next seventy seconds would define who I was as an athlete. I’d either succeed or fail.

What I didn’t expect was to fall somewhere in between.

My tumbling passes went well, and even my dismount didn’t disappoint, but it felt like something was missing. I was so stressed about it that the fun of my floor routine was gone. I’d have to find a way to put energy into my routine if I planned to medal in the all-around.

As it stood, my scores were high enough to give me a shot at making the top two from our team. Team USA, meanwhile, wrapped up the day in the top eight.

Back in the village, I was approached by several reporters. “Alec, tell us about the bandana. It was never far from your sight today. Is there a story behind it?”

I looked down at my wrist and stroked the soft cloth. “It’s a gift from my mom,” was all I said before pushing my way through the reporters and taking refuge in the near-empty lobby of my dorm.

I didn’t want to be someone’s puff piece here in Rio. I didn’t want anyone’s sympathy. I just wanted to compete.

In my room I pulled out my phone and dialed home. Mom’s voice was thick and labored. “Alec.” Even though she struggled to talk, I could still detect the happiness in her tone. I was a lucky bastard to have her. “Tell me about Rio.”

After an hour of explaining how things had gone down with Bryn, I found myself thinking wryly,
Too bad we don’t
have stock in our cellphone provider
. I left out the sordid details, but I was pretty sure Mom got the gist when I said Bryn was well on her way to gold in a horizontal event.

“I’m sorry, Alec.” The oxygen tank wheezed in the background, making my mom’s already faint voice harder to hear. “Are you okay?”

Was I? “Yep. In all honesty, Mom, I’m as much to blame as she is. I didn’t demand more. I took what she gave. I don’t want that. I want to share my passion with someone in and out of the bed.”

“Too much information.” I could almost see my mom covering her ears and shaking her head.

“I met a girl here. Her name is Collette Lamont, and she’s a Canadian gymnast.”

“Be careful, Alec. Don’t get distracted and lose your focus.”

“Nope, she’s just a nice girl who helped me stick my landing.”

Mom laughed. “I’m hoping we’re talking gymnastics.”

“We are, and she gave me some tips. Did you see my landing today on the vault?”

“Yes, I did, and it was awesome.” We talked until Mom seemed too tired to continue. “Alec, I’m with you.” Her voice faded, and I wondered whether she was simply tired or whether things had taken a turn for the worse.

I wrapped the bandana around my wrist. “I know you are, Mom. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

We hung up, and I immediately dialed my father. Mom didn’t sound good, and that scared the hell out of me.

“Dad, what’s going on with Mom?”

The pause on the other end told me everything. “She has cancer, son. She has good days and bad days. Today isn’t such a good day.”

Dad and I didn’t discuss the details of Mom’s disease. We both lived in a fantasy world where one day she’d wake up healthy and renewed. We believed somehow she’d cheat her way out of dying. Dad’s willingness to mention the disease made me nervous.

I curled my arms around my legs and rocked back and forth. “Why am I here when she’s dying at home?”

“Alec, you’re there because she wanted you there. Don’t take her dream away.”

Crying wasn’t something I did. The last time I’d cried was when my dog Sampson died. I hadn’t even cried when things fell apart with Bryn. But that moment, I bawled into the phone like a baby.

“Dad, I want to come home.” I wiped the tears with Mom’s bandana.

“No.” His answer was short and definitive. “You will stay there and finish this. If not for you, then finish it for her.”

“But, Dad—”

“Alec, your mom would be devastated if you gave up your dream of a medal. Go grab Bryn and hold on tight.”

“We’re not together.” With Dad I was bit more descriptive when I told him about the breakup.

“She wasn’t good for you.”

“You sound like Mom.”

“Yes, well, your mom’s a smart woman. She informed me thirty years ago that she was good for me, and I’ve trusted her instincts ever since.”

That was what I wanted for my life. I wanted a partner in everything. “Dad, this has to be hard for you. I never really considered how much you were losing as well.”

“Son, I think about it this way.” There was a squeak in the background, and I knew my dad had leaned back and plopped his shoes on his desk. “Losing your mom will be like losing my heart, but I would have never had one without her. I’ve been blessed to have her for the past thirty years. If I had to do it all over again I would, even knowing that I would lose her again. Some people are worth it.”

Silence floated in the space between us. All I could think about was how determined I was to make my mom proud. I would honor her in word and in deed.

“Alec, my appointment is here. Are you okay?”

“I will be.” It was all I could promise at this point.

“Alec, go find a girl who wants to soothe your ache.”

We said our goodbyes, and I thought about the big bowl of condoms in the lobby. When I closed my eyes, I saw Collette’s face.

F
ascination filled
me as I watched Collette perform her beam routine. She was flawless. People didn’t understand how hard it was to tumble on a four-inch-wide piece of wood that stood four feet off the ground.

Bryn had taken some pretty serious falls during practice. Gymnasts were always walking the edge between insanity and safety just to be named the best.

When Collette prepped for her dismount. I held my breath until she was on the ground, then I jumped to my feet and cheered in a big way. Somehow amidst the commotion, she heard me. She mouthed the word “dinner,” and I nodded with enthusiasm.

Team USA was walking below me on their way to the beam. Bryn smiled and ran to the stands where I was sitting.

“I’m so glad you came. I need you here, Alec. We’ll work this out.”

I hesitated before I spoke, choosing my words carefully. I wasn’t here for her, but I wouldn’t jinx her routine either.

“Bryn, I came to watch my friends. I’ll stay and watch your beam routine if it’s important to you, but that’s it.”

“What friends?” She craned her neck to look around the arena.

Wanting her to move along, I pointed toward the beam, where Gabby stood tapping her toes. “Your team is waiting for you. Good luck out there.”

* * *

I
n the cafeteria
, I watched the door for Collette. When she’d said “dinner,” I’d assumed it would be here. Sure enough, she arrived with her team and broke away as soon as she saw me. “Hey, Grumpy.” She threw her jacket over the chair. “I’m starving.” She pulled my hand and led me to the line where a veritable smorgasbord awaited us. “I saw your vault.” She scooped up a spoonful of bok choy and dumped it on her plate. “You rocked it.”

“You were there?”

“Yes, I snuck in between practices.”

We stayed in the Asian section of the buffet and heaped on piles of chicken with vegetables and crispy duck.

Tucked in the corner where I liked to sit, Collette and I talked until we became friends. And that didn’t take long. She was an only child like me. Her mother was a schoolteacher and her father was a dentist, which would explain Collette’s perfect smile. Her parents weren’t attending the Games because her father had recently taken a fall and broken his hip, making travel nearly impossible.

“I’ll cheer you on.”

“I like having you as my cheerleader. So who’s cheering for you?”

“Well, my parents couldn’t make it, either.” I wasn’t sure whether I should tell her my story, but the warmth of Collette’s personality made me want to. “My mom is dying of cancer. She’s here in my heart.” I tapped my chest.

“I’m so sorry, Alec.” She covered my hand with hers, and the touch of her skin against mine felt good. I’d been with Bryn for almost a year, but we’d never really touched like that. We connected in the bedroom, not anywhere else. “This just means we have to work harder to make you Happy.” She wasn’t referring to my emotions; she was referring to the gold medal I wanted to bring home.

“I agree, and you know what would make me really happy right now?”

“A hot fudge sundae with extra nuts?” She popped a piece of crispy duck into her mouth and savored it. Fried food wasn’t a staple in most gymnasts’ lives, so it was good to indulge on occasion.

“No sweets for me. Actually, scratch that. You’re sweet, and I’ll take you.”

“What do you propose to do with me?” She licked her lips.

What do they taste like?
Crispy duck? Sweet nectar?
I shook my head and re-centered my thoughts. “A walk on the beach.”

“Now we’re talking.”

If I’d had any doubts about her interest in me, they were put to rest by how fast she finished her meal. Once outside the cafeteria, we headed for the beach. It was a short walk from the village, though the crowded streets slowed our progress.

Rio was known for its over-the-top festivals, and this week was no letdown. Women dressed in pasties and lacy panties danced on the sidewalks. Like a street circus, there were performers of every type. When we stopped to watch one particular dancer, we got jostled by the crowd, and I grabbed Collette’s hand. She never pulled it back, and for the rest of the way we walked with our fingers interlaced. I liked it.

The sun was setting by the time we reached the beach. We stood at the edge of the water and admired the sky. “Watch for the green flash,” I told her.

“What is this green flash?”

“It’s a phenomenon that happens when the sun sinks below the horizon of the ocean. Just as the last of the sun disappears, a green flash appears. I’ve been told you can make a wish and it will come true.”

The orange of the sun faded into the ocean as the last light of day descended. As promised, a flash of green was there and gone.

“I saw it.” She squeezed my hand and leaned into my shoulder.

“Make a wish.” She closed her eyes and squinted. When she opened them, she glanced up at me, with a look of softness and affection.

“What did you wish for?”

“I wished for your life to be filled with warmth and happiness.”

Surprise forced me to pull back and really look at the woman before me. “Why didn’t you wish for a medal or a win for yourself?” We were at the Games, and I knew every athlete’s only wish was to win. Or so I thought.

“Now that would be selfish. Is that what you wished for?” She turned toward the water and leaned her back against me. My chin sat perfectly on her head.

“No, I didn’t make a wish.”

“Well, you must. It’s a requirement of the green flash.”

“So now you’re an expert?”

“No, I’m just curious what you’d wish for.”

I turned her around and looked into her espresso-colored eyes. Her lips glistened under the moonlight, begging for attention. I gauged her reaction as I lowered my mouth toward hers. “A kiss,” I whispered.

“And I thought you’d wish something huge,” she said, her voice softening, “like a cure for cancer.”

“No, I was being selfish.” My lips reached hers. Slow and sensual, I tasted her and teased her with my tongue. My arms slipped around her waist while hers slipped around my neck. It was a perfect moment. Perfect until a woman’s screech sliced through the night.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Bryn’s voice rose with her anger.

I stepped in front of Collette, hoping to shield her from the craziness that was going down around us.

“Go away, Bryn.” I spat the words at her with a hatred I hadn’t felt before.

Collette pulled my hand into hers and twisted me around to face her. For a woman barely five feet tall, she didn’t cower easily.

“Who is this girl?” She glanced over her shoulder at Bryn. The little smile quirking in the corner of her lips told me she knew who Bryn was. You couldn’t be an elite gymnast and not know the competition.

“You know exactly who I am, bitch. I’m Bryn Carlysle, and you were kissing my boyfriend.”

“Alec, is she telling the truth?” There was no hurt in Collette’s voice. It was as if she were playing her part in a short skit.

“She’s not my girlfriend anymore.” I cupped Collette’s chin and pressed my lips to hers. “Do you remember our nicknames?” She nodded. “Well, she’s the bearer of poison apples.”

Collette smiled and looked toward Gabby. “And her?”

“She carries the basket for Bryn.”

“Teamwork. I love teamwork.” She pulled at the collar of my shirt and tugged me down for another kiss.

Collette’s kiss faded at about the same time as Bryn’s screams. When I looked down the beach, Gabby was dragging Bryn away.

“I’m sorry about that.” I ran my fingers through her hair. It was thick and soft as silk. The way it framed her face was beautiful.

“Do you want to talk about it?” We held hands and moved down the beach together toward the village.

“No, I’m not going to talk bad about her to others. Let’s just say she’s too much of a team player...”

“Her loss, my gain.” Collette’s voice held the same smile as my mom’s. Joy radiated from her words.

Collette brightened my day. She was the bling on a boring leotard. I pulled my phone from my pocket and snapped a picture of us together.

I typed in Mom’s number and pressed send. “Who did you send that to?”

“My mom. She’ll like it. She likes me to dwell on the things that make me happy. You, Collette Lamont, make me happy.”