The Mini-Drama at the Rink--Game of Thrones Style

Back in 2012, I failed my Canasta Tango test, my knee went kablooey, and I not only quit ice dance I quit skating for several months.

Kablooey. I took an arrow to the knee.

When I left, Dance Coach said, "I don't like to see students quit after failing a test, when you're ready I take you through the test again."

After the months off ice and I came back to skate with Miss Bianca, Dance Coach said once again, "I'll take you through the Canasta Tango, I don't like to see people quit on a fail."

I mean, I smiled and nodded, but I was done with ice dance. I don't think I had a feel for the dance, or maybe, my skills weren't there. I expected to just do freestyle and maybe do some comedy programs for ISI.

But, damn....

I missed ice dance.

I missed swing rolls, and progressives, chasse's, and someone bitchin' in a Russian accent in my ear about how sucky my power was.

So, I talked to Miss Bianca and today she started re-teaching me the Canasta Tango. I thought if I mastered the steps, I'd go to Dance Coach and ask him to take me through the re-test.

It was a secret. The people who know are not supposed to tell Dance Coach.

It turns out, I'm just as slow today to learn the steps as I was in 2012. On the other hand I have some damn fine progressives right out of the gate. And it was just like old-times skating around tiny little bodies on public. "Hey, I didn't kill anyone!" is my mantra after every pattern. Although it was hard to hold myself back when there was an adult figure skater in my way  not to mouth, "You gonna get your ass out of my way?" And a freestyle woman and I passed so close that I could feel the wind off of her.

Then Miss Bianca and I are in the center working on progressive, stroke, slide chasse', swing roll, stroke slide chasse'. And as I'm doing the last slide chasse' I see Dance Coach skating towards us.

Dance Coach never skates public on Sunday. I've been here for years and he's never there on Sunday. Not One Time.

He looks at me. He knows the pattern of the Canasta Tango. He know what I'm doing....and I haven't talked to him about it.

I get...a look.

Oops.