UNIVERSITY OF PILATES - MOMENTS LATER
As Honey and Jennifer approached the stage Brenda rushed up to them.
“Where have you been?” Her hands were up and open, fingers spread, eyes wide, lips pulled tight across her teeth.
“Honey just needed an attitude adjustment. She’s ready now.”
“But it’s too late!” The alarm on Brenda’s face was more statement than her words.
The hush of the audience was more apparent now. The three of them stood in the center of everyone’s attention.
“Honey’s entry has scratched. Jen, you’re up next, if you don’t begin in the next 60 seconds,” Brenda looked up at the big clock on the wall, “you’ll be scratched as well!”
Honey took a big breath trying to absorb the news. Jen just stared at Brenda.
Brenda moved in between the two and taking them by their arms escorted Honey to her judge’s seat, and pressed Jennifer out onto the stage.
The audience began clapping, encouraging the show to go on. They didn’t know what was happening, they just were ready to see more movement. The man in the suit hadn’t moved and was still taking it all in.
Jen moved to the end of the mat on stage. The jumbotron zeroed in on her face, a face of hard lines and showed a mind racing in thought. She took a position with feet together toes apart, arms by her side and sought to calm her breathing. Her eyes closed, and her breathing continued to expand.
Then her eyes opened, and a smile came to her face. What happened next surprised everyone but Jennifer.
Jen walked away from her position, over to Honey seated in her chair. Honey looked startled, puzzled.
Jen reached out her hand to Honey. She took it, and Jen led Honey out onto stage. Brenda rushed up.
“What are you doing?” It was a harsh demanding whisper.
Jen gave her a warm calm smile. “I’m giving my space to Honey. There’s nothing in the rules that say I can’t.”
Brenda’s eyes almost crossed. “That’s true. But, are you sure you want to do that?”
Jen looked at Honey and her smile grew deeper, warmer, calmer. “I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.”
“Well, okay. It’s your call.” Brenda moved off stage.
Honey reached to hold one of Jen’s hands. “Really?”
Jen nodded, “Just remember, you have to press the flow to find the fusion.” With that, Jen went back to her seat and sat down.
“Press the flow to find the fusion,” Honey whispered to herself. “Choose hope. Choose hope. Choose hope.”
The crowd broke into a heavy round of applause. They weren’t sure what was going on, but they obviously liked the idea of getting to see Honey’s performance. And the fact that Jen had sacrificed her spot made it all the more special.
Honey didn’t hear the applause. Her mind was already busy pressing her will through her breathing, anticipating what was to come next, sensing what she was feeling now.
She glided from standing into lying like a fairy landing a toe upon a flower’s pedal.
Her 100s took on the sensation of a jet engine coming up to speed. The next exercise, the Roll Up, was the plane taking off. And from there the flow and the momentum to the flow steadily gained altitude.
It wasn’t like she was in a hurry. It was like she was going over a check list for the 10,000th time. Each check vital, each check thorough, each check done completely in the present, only to give away into the flow of the next check. One, two, three, and move on; one, two, three, and move on. Beginning, middle and end. Beginning, middle and end. Discover, seek and express. Discover, seek and express.
People forgot what they were doing. Mesmerized hardly expresses what happened to everyone watching. It was more like they were absorbed into the black hole of Honey’s concentration.
Time flew. She flew. At altitude. Over the arctic. And when she landed the plane that took off horizontal finished Push Ups and became the space shuttle, vertical ready for take off.
As she stepped away the stunned silence of the audience exploded into a thunderous applause. People leaped to their feet shouting, screaming, reaching out through their fingers trying to touch Honey through the air.
It took Honey a few moments to catch up to where she was, so disappeared she had gone into the depths of her own awareness, her own concentration. She seemed caught unaware of being observed, and tossed her blond mane in an embarrassed flick that only deepened the applause.
Honey walked over to Jennifer, held out her hand. Jen took it, rose, and they exchanged a hug. Jen was crying. Honey was crying.
Honey took Jen by the hand and led her out to the mat on the stage. She turned Jen to face the crowd, let go her hand, and gestured the crowd to encourage Jen to do the mat.
The applause shifted to a rhythmic clap. They knew what they wanted and their hands spoke loud and clear. Even the man in the suit way up on top had his hands going.
Jen tried to wave them off. She looked at Brenda for help, but Brenda only surveyed the entire auditorium and shrugged as if to say, “What are you going to do? Say no?”
So Honey went and sat down. Everyone else did as well. You would call it hushed anticipation.
Jen modestly pulled off the cover up she had on, tossed it off stage. She wore black tights and a forest green jog bra. Already barefoot, she moved to the head of the mat instead of the foot, and there collected herself.
Somehow Honey had changed her, brought her peace. She didn’t feel the wanting anymore. She only felt peace, like a pebble sinking into deep blue water, warm and wonderful, embracing. The pebble in her mind’s eye sank deeper and deeper, and Jen dove down with it. Her arms rose just like she was on a diving board. Her heels lifted so she was one taut line from balls of feet to fingertips. Everyone held their breath half expecting her to float up into point on her toes, but instead, her arms came down while she was still up on her toes, and she rolled down towards the floor.
Her palms went flat, her head tucked under, her shoulders touched and from there she rolled onto her back and into her 100s.
A peal of delighted applause filled the room.
There weren’t 100 beats, only 10. Only one breath, and Jennifer moved on. Only one Roll Up, one Roll Over, and so it went, a one of each exercise mat, done within the pressing billows of breath.
It was like seeing Honey’s mat in double time. What Tosh had so much earlier done in the competition in 5 to 8 reps, Honey had refined to 3. Now, here was Jennifer, showing a mastery of flow and execution like Mozart did for Salieri.
The crowd loved it.
When Jen transitioned from Control Balance to standing by going back up the way she had come down to the floor a collective “ouuu” came from the crowd.
Her body doing Push Ups was a smooth arc of tempered steel that circled out her arms, through the floor and up into her legs. Uniform usage, to get uniform development, to survive in a uniform gravity field. The gravity jungle.
Like Honey, Jen too, walked out and away from her performance catching up to the surface after having dove so deeply into the depths of her concentration.
A smile beamed from her face, she waved, first with one hand, and then with both, before she returned to her seat.
Brenda came out on stage, but she had to wait a while for the applause to settle down before she could say anything. As she waited she looked over her shoulder and was surprised to see Honey’s scores appear in her column beside everyone else’s who had performed that day.
The bottom row showed the combined score, and Honey’s edged out the leader by two points. The leader had been Tosh, the bar had been set high from the very beginning, and no one else had topped it till Honey. Tosh clapped whole heartedly. Tears were running down her face.
Honey couldn’t believe it and didn’t know if it would count. But to her, it didn’t matter. She had overcome her fear. Chosen hope. And that was her personal victory.
Just as the clapping was losing it momentum more scores appeared in Jennifer’s column, and her total topped Honey’s by 1 point.
Honey burst out laughing. Jen’s mouth was open without her realizing it. And Tosh tried to wipe away a constant stream of joyous tears.
Brenda clapped. Three young girls came out bearing the awards to be handed out. They lined up a little behind and to the side of Brenda.
The crowd noise only subsided because they wanted to hear what she had to say and acknowledge the awards to be given.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the Pilates Trials are now completed.” Applause followed.
“To present the awards I would like to introduce our one and only sponsor, the dot.com king of the internet, Mr. Mike Cubin!”
Now it was Jen who was surprised. It was the man in the suit who had spoken to her at James’ funeral. He moved smoothly, shyly, modestly. When he took the microphone from Brenda he thanked her for putting on such a spectacular Trials, and all those who helped.
“Furthermore, I’d like to remember James Leigh. He was, and still is a pivotal member of our community.”
Passing the microphone back to Brenda, Mike stood by as Brenda announced the awards.
Tosh came up, Mike placed the ribbon around her neck, gave her a bouquet of flowers, and shook her hand. Tosh rose up into better posture when she felt the weight of her medal pressing against her sternum.
Honey rode a cloud up to receive her medal. Mike placed it around her neck. Went cheek to cheek for a perfunctory kiss. Handed her a bouquet and shook her hand.
Honey turned, and held up the bouquet. Everyone felt they had somehow won with her and applauded.
The applause rallied before Jen’s name was even spoken. She came to the stadium like a monk head down, on her way to the temple. Her eyes stayed on the floor as she bent at the waist to let the man in the suit put the ribbon around her neck. As she straightened up there where those same deep blue penetrating eyes looking into hers. They weren’t shining, and they weren’t as sad as the last time she had looked into them. Something deeper now. Something more personal just between them.
He gave her a bouquet, shook her hand, went cheek to cheek with the kiss, and while still holding her hand said, “Congratulations. He would have been very proud.”
The bond between them tightened, their grip only confirming the fact. As he let go, he put his hand to her arm and leaned in to say, “I’d like to discuss something with you later.” He drew back, smiled, and joined the applause of her effort.
Jennifer turned, waved the bouquet above her head and brushed away a tear with her other hand. She felt joy and at peace.
