Summary:

Ilya has been thinking about his mother again. Not that he ever really stops but lately...Yes, lately he is thinking about Irina Rozanova but also about Irina Sokolova. About Irina before Alexei or Ilya. Before Grigori Rozanov. Irina Sokolova - the champion figure skater. The world championship title she won. The routine she developed and agonised over and perfected but never took to the Olympics.

And he has been doing something stupid. Something he absolutely should not be doing. But he is one year away from reaching an age his mother never got to see and he needs...something. He’s pretty sure it’s this particular something.

But Dr. Galina has been implying that perhaps it is only stupid in the way that falling in love with your arch-rival is stupid. So maybe he should just give up already and get on with it.