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”... I have never met a girl like her before. I'll take her into the general group, and in half a year she will be in a special team of twenty children. If she accomplishes
that, you will have to pay four and a half rubles a month as long as your salary is not over a hundred rubles a month. Bring me a document giving an account of your salary" -she said.Valentina
Vladimirowna Kasjanova was her name. She had given Oksana her home telephone number with instructions to call in two days. That very evening Pasha told me, "Mama, I was really flying! Let's go there tomorrow. Maybe
she'll give us her answer earlier." Oksana visited her friend to tell all about what she experienced today, then she came home to go to bed as usual. The next morning she woke up early while I was still in bed.
Before saying "Good morning", she asked if we could go back to the rink today. She begged me to tie the red ribbon in her hair. The red one that she only wore on holidays. She sang all morning, and was very
happy all day. As usual, I took Oksana to kindergarten on my way to work. At the office, I told my colleagues about what happened at the rink the day before, but none of them showed any interest. None of them were from
skating families. I picked up Oksana after work intending to go home, but Oksana had a different idea. She pleaded with me, and so we went back to the ice rink. This time we were familiar to the security clerk, so she
passed us without any trouble. Valentina Kasjanova saw us and gave us friendly smiles as we watched the happy kids who were allowed to skate. They skated so beautifully in their pretty skating boots. Valentina Kasjanova
came and asked us about our day, and we all spoke. We grew happier and happier when she told us, "The headmaster is allowing me to take your child." We received the skating boots that Oksana had tried on the
day before, and looked upon them as real magic. At home, Oksana tried them on with different socks and paper inlays. When she went to bed, she insisted on taking them with her. And so she did. The next morning, she even
took them to kindergarten with her. She had the skates bound over her shoulder, and looked so proud and happy when I came to take her home. Oksana teacher told me, "There are some kids who skate, but no one has
ever brought skates to kindergarten. And no one has ever been so excited about a hobby. Oksana must be a skater!" |
