If there is one thing special about this memoir written by two-time Olympic figure skating champ Ekaterina Gordeeva in honor of her late skating partner-husband Sergei Gringov, it would have to be its magical power which brought back life to my slowly-dying interest in reading.
I can’t even remember the last time I read a real book. Aside from my schoolbooks on foodservice and statistics, the only things I read were lyrics on my CD jackets, movie schedules and reviews, my personal e-mails, cookbooks, and can labels! One time I did try to read something “literary”; only it was the online version of J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. After reading the first few paragraphs, I decided to stop. The eyestrain it gave me was rather unhealthy. Giving up too soon, I made myself believe that I will never be a bookworm with an impressive collection of books. As far as I am concerned, the only “collection” I have simply includes works that have been required for reading by my English teachers.
One hot summer day, I picked up a book that has been long lying around in the house. It was a pale-colored hardbound book, about an inch and a half thick, and as the title suggested, a love story – everything that was not my cup of tea. Like a buyer scrutinizing a piece of appliance before deciding to buy it, I opened the book, began reading the prologue, and once in a while glanced at the photo on the left page. It showed the Russian author herself cuddling her two-year old daughter. They looked adorable, I thought. I continued to read, and slowly I felt a bond was forming between the author and me. There was an instant connection.
First published in 1996, “My Sergei: A Love Story” may not be a literary classic, nor a writing of a skilled and distinguished writer, but it is unquestionably an admirable work of someone full of passion, courage, innocence, naturalness and love. In 1998, Sergei and Ekaterina’s almost fairy-tale life was shattered with the sudden death of 28-year old Sergei caused by a heart attack during one of their practices. For Ekaterina, life without Sergei was unthinkable, if not impossible. She would rather live her life backwards, with yesterday as tomorrow, and the other day as the day after tomorrow. For her, only the moments spent with him were worth living.
Yet time is a great healer. After some time, Ekaterina found her lost hope, in the person of her daughter, Daria, who’s “got Sergei’s eyes and smile”, and in that only thing she loved doing — skating. Determined as ever as the genuine athlete that she is, Ekaterina bravely faced reality and continued living, even skating alone.
With inspiring strength and candidness, she wrote about her memories with Sergei for fear that she might forget them. One cannot but smile with fondness as she recounted their good, not-so-good, and amusing experiences as skating partners, friends, special friends, lovers, husband-and-wife, and parents. Add to that the couple’s globetrotting and skating tours and the readers enter into a cultural, social and political dimension as well. The pre-democrat Russia, the arduous and painstaking training of the athletes and their time away from family and friends, the drama and intrigues in the Olympics – all these were wonderfully described as seen by the very eyes of the author.
“My Sergei: A Love Story” did not merely resurrect my interest in reading; it renewed my interest in life. As I have seen in her story, it’s not about winning the prestigious gold medal; it’s about doing one’s very best. Not all of us are athletes, yet many people view life as a competition, like a race. They look ahead to see who’s leading, and look back to see who’s lagging behind. As for me, I prefer to be in my own race. Comparing oneself with others in terms of achievements is never the way to true success. What matters is how one has worked. It’s more than discipline or professionalism; it’s called a work of love. Love is so powerful it knows no limits. Seemingly insurmountable obstacles may beset me but the human spirit can surely rise up from the ashes of despair. Life in itself is baffling, especially when the people you love most are taken away, or when the path you’ve taken seems to be approaching a dead-end. Some may mope over their unhappy fates and live a pseudo-life but like Ekaterina Gordeeva and countless others who had similar experiences, I too have decided to live a life.
Today, Ekaterina may have found a new love in another brilliant skater but her love story with Sergei will forever be a source of encouragement to all the readers worldwide. On my part, I may have read other books after “My Sergei: A Love Story” but the lessons I have gained from the simplicity her writing will occasionally help me raise my weary spirit as I go through my own race.
