Far away also tiny raindrops splashed against a window. But this window was a wide window with poor unplain quality glas. It has white painted wood frame and a rather dull handle on its upper side to open it. The windows were situated in the top row right below the ceiling of this large rectangular space. The walls were raised 4 meteres with dull cement and plastered with white unplain material which had fallen down at several places. The floor was covered with lacquered wooden planks of diffrent brown tones. And in the center of the hall there was a rather tiny women with long blond her, dancing to classical music. Actually she was not dancing but performing ballett. Her spins were graceful and the occassional jumps felt light and easy like there was no gravity. She was bearing a high cut body of black color and her blond long hair was tamed by several hairbands in pink and orange color. Not far away from her, at the edge of the hall another woman walked up besides her with a stick in her hand. She had short cut white hair, blazing blue eyes and was about 1.75 meters tall. Her face showed an experienced life and by its attributes one would guess her to be in her late fourties or early fifties. She wore a tight yellow blouse and a kneelong black vintage skirt with applications. Walking on black short boots with high heels she suddenly slapped the stick in her hand .
"No ! No, no, no."
The woman in the center stopped moving and looked at her. Light sweat pearls on her face showed that she was not training for only 10 minutes now.
"Liliya, again your toes had not been exactly in line with your leg when you did the turn. Please concentrate. You did very well on the other figures."
Liliya made a pout and asked:"From the beginning again?"
The elderly woman answered strict:"Of course, we are not going to stop today before you made it right two times in a row."
After dancing the complete choreography correctly for two times Lilya went to the woman and sat down on the floor and grabbed a bottle of water:"Svetlana why do I even train this choreography so hard? I am not participating in any competition nor do I dance in the theater or anywhere. Is there really the need to be so pathetic about it? I mean it would be much more fun to do something diffrent sometimes or just dance for fun and not for perfection."
The face of svetlana get more and more unpleased while Liliya was talking. "Girl don´t you ever understand what I am telling you? You are doing it for your education. Yes we need to be so strict. It is perfection what we need. You know what every girl outside has in common? Their mediocrity. Do you want to be like that'? Do you want to be one invisible face in the crowd? I tell you something: American stupid ideology made you young generation week. There is no need for normal people because there are to many of them. You were born with talents, with assets. You have to cultivate them to become someone special. To be outstanding in a way that only you can be. I can tell I had been a much better balett dancer then you are and I am taller like you. You know how famous I had been. But you, you have your own grace. When I look at you I want to smile, I want time to stop and that you will go on dancing forever. Your small body with those curves and those long beauiful hair produce your own miracle when you dance. But if you dont dance and walk out on the streets with your trashy jeans you will be no one, just another blonde in the streets of Prague."
Liliya looked at her thinking, taking a last gulp of the water bottle and then stood up. "Yes Svetlana you are right. I am sorry. I don´t want you to think that I am ungrateful. I appreciate very much what you do for me. I don´t want to be just a face in the crowd. I am Liliya with a superb body, disciplined mind and educated brain. Forget what I said. I want to train more."
Svetlana smiled at her. "It is okay my little bird. Everyone has moments of weekness. To not give in, to not give up is what makes the diffrence."
Liliya grabbed a rope and started rope jumping in front of svetlana. "But thats not everything right? What is your reason to educate me? To train with me 5 days every week? I cannot pay you and you do this since I am 10, for about 9 years now. Really 9 years ? I think you are the person who knows me best", then she laughed heartly and increased the pace of her rope jumps.
Svetlana took also a rope and easily jumped besides her:"You know why. You know Karl. You have seen him several times. He told me he will visit you at least once a year. He brought me from St. Petersburg to prague ten years ago, several month after my husband died. I was broke and in bad condition. He paid my life and gave me a task. You know you are not the only young woman I train. He offered me a position as private teacher for young high potential women. I guess he is an agent from rich families in Prague who want to get the best education for their girls. But you know he is especially interested in you and your progression. He always asks me a lot of questions. Last time he asked me if you are ready, whatever this shall mean, but I told him - almost."
"He asked you if I am ready? Ready for what ? What is he up to?"
"Honestly I have no clue, but you know best that he cared for you since you were a child. I know he observed the children home you have been raised in carefully. When you did your first dance application he was there too. When I visited you in the home every month to prepare your training I did not only investigated your bodily progress but I also checked your psychologial situation. He told me several times very very intensly that he "needs" you to be a sane young woman one day. When I recognized the problems you got with this Ilana when you were 13 I decided to take you out of the home and adopt you. Of course i loved to adopt you Liliya. You were so heartly and nice youg woman. It was always a pleasure to have you around me, but I also did it to make sure you get not hurt in this institution. I don´t know why, but I was sure Karl would have dropped us both if I would have failed to protect you. And wait....Yes I see you are upset, I will explain to you, but let me finish talking. I do not know if you remember, but when we first met it was me and Karl, but there was another man who came to visit you. He did not speak with you and he was always in the back. Honestly I do not know who he was but Karl respected him a lot. I guess he was his boss. He was the one who had chosen you. Me and Karl we had identified several promising girls but he chosed you. When we met after your application to decide which girl to promote he said:"There is no need to discuss this topic, we will go with Liliya. Start immidiately." We were quite puzzled because he did not even talk with one of you but he was firm in his decision. After we tried to convince him the second time to look over the summeries of every girl he said:"An hour of my time is worth 250.000 USD. If you are not willing to pay this we stop discussing now and you go prepare Liliya." Karl immidiately stopped and we started working with you."
Lilya forgot her dislike about what she said first and started to remember their first meeting. Yes there was another man. She barely took notice of him because he didn´t talk to her and always sat way apart from them. Apparently he did not want her to focus on him. He was tall. He had brown eyes and dark brown short cut hair. He looked well trained and very aware of everything. While she remembered more deeple those hours she became aware that she, as a little girl. was quite impressed by this man, but almost forgot about him. Of course it was about 10 years ago but still one of the most meaningful days in her life. From this day on her life got better. She got treated better and when she was 12 she even got her own room. She got clean cloth and went to a better school. And she started training every day. Everyday she trained on the floor, jumped ropes, jogged around the childrens home and went swimming in the lake. While she was floating around before that day her life has gotten some kind of purpose from then on. There was someone who has chosen her, who trusted and believed in her and she stived hard that this attitude would never change. And it did not. Svetlana continued to visit her. Karl visited her scarcly, maybe 2 or 3 times a year. When she got older she got a crush on him. Of course he was more then ten years older but she never cared about that. Also she never told him, but she thought about him often. She was missing his visits. When he came over to see her he always took her out and treat her like a woman. He bought her new dresses and opened the door of the car and at the restaurant for her. She felt very good around him, protected, cared for and seen. He was always aware of her mood but he did not fell for her moodyness.
One time she got mad at him when they were at the restaurant at her 18th birthday. While they were waiting for the desert he received a call and apologized that he needed to take it and left the restaurant to talk outside. When he came back she started to make a scene and told him if he has the next date en route he should just tell her and that she will be well without him. Before she could go on with her triade of complains. He told her very seriously to be silent and to listen. He walked besides her and bend forth so his head was close besides hers. Then he told her serious with a low voice:"Look around."
He gently moved her head and she saw that yet lots of people were watching, some of them openly others trying to hide it. "You are making a fool out of yourself. Listen closely. A true woman never complains. You are not going to change or educate anyone. Noone on this world changes his behavior because of a nagging girl. You decide if you feel well in the presence of this person. If you do not you just stand up and apologize. Then you leave. Else you accept the excentrics of people like you desire to be accepted with all your traits. A man bears all the responsibility. He has to and you have to demand that he does. Therefore he makes decisions and sets the path. Do not try to correct him. If he it is comfortable and secure stay. If not leave calmly. Don´t make a scene and do not explain why. People do not learn or understand by listening to others. They have to make up their mind, to understand why you left and decide by themselves to invest to make you feel better the next time, if there is a next time."
Then he smiled rogueshly and turned her head gently to look at him. "Did you understand me?"
Liliya has yet gotten calm, damned herself for her childish behavior and gotten caried away by the luring smell of his parfum and his low voice. She nodded and looked at him:"Yes it is about dignity."
"Exactly."
The blonde woman smiled relieved and the waiter came to bring the dessert. Karl raised from his position and went back at his seat. She saw that he was observing her, most certainly to find out if she really got what he said and if she is thinking alike and willing to adopt this attitude.
"Don´t look at me like that! I understood what you told me. I know you are right. Girls got undignified. You know those girls in my class think it is cool to curse like a boy and to demand without any reason. But when you watch a movie with them, say about medivial royality they admire the calmity and dignity of those queens and ladies. It is so strange."
Karl has just rosen an eyebrow and could hardly suppress a laughter.
She pointed the spoon at him. "Feel free to laugh but I told you I understood what you were telling." Then with a bright smile she said:"Don´t let your icecream melt or I eat it for you."
Karl couldn´t hold his laughter anymore and just laughed with low and amused voice.
"What is it?", Liliya looked at him with an slightly irritated smile. "Is it so surprising that I am not the typical stupid young woman?"
He shook his head and put up the spoon "No, of course not. You know it is just I know you for nine years now and you never let me down. When I first met you and talked with you I saw a future for you, the woman you might become if you get the chance. It is just marvelous that during all these years you never let me down. Not a single time. You are gorgeous, I just love who you have become."
She stopped chewing and looked at him, then slowly went on.
"I got you.", she then said with a triumphing smile.
"What do you mean?", Karl replied irritated.
"Haha don´t try to fool me around, not again. I know exactly what you were up to."
"And what would that be?"
"You said this L-word to make me again acting emotionally, like jumping up or dropping my spoon,splashing the ice cream all on my dress and staring at you.", the spoon managed to enter her mouth undisturbed during her speech. "But I saw that one coming my dear. Haha"
She smiled happily and looked at him with burning excited eyes.
Karl looked at her disappointed:"Damn." Then he silently went on eating his ice-cream for 10 seconds. "But you never know, right?", he said winking slightly with one eye with a slight intriguing smile on his lips. Liliya looked at him and the smile left her face and the spoon stopped moving. What if....No don´t be stupid. Love can be everything, loving like a child, loving like a friend....or loving like a woman? His words dragged her out of her thinking:"What happened to that gorgeous smile? Do not think so much. The world is not about you to decide. Yours is to follow great people. Do not try to control, you will only destroy your life and make yourself unhappy."
Liliya´s mind returned to the presence. This evening at the "Three corners" restaurant was one of the most impactful evenings in her life. And she remembered every word of it. Karl had just hundred percent approved her own position. She douted for some time that she might be week or lazy. This doubt was wiped out of her mind at this evening and she became stronger and much more confident from this day on.
"Liliya?"
"Oh I am sorry Svetlana, I just got dragged away in my memories, please forgive me."
Svetlana smiled at her. "Looks like those were good memories little bird."
"For sure they are, I just thought about when I went to the restaurant with Karl on my eighteenth birthday."
"You think often about Karl do you?"
"Oh my yes.", she answered turning her head away with a shy smile. "He is the only man in my life. I mean of course there are others I know surfacial but I wouldn´t even tell I know them. But Karl....when I look back at my last years I have to admit that I owe him almost everything. You, my flat, the car, my education in english, french, german and chinese. Do you know he gave me a credit card when I hit eighteen?"
"No I did not know that. Looks like he really trusted you."
"Yeah and he just said once ´no more then 4000 US Dollars a month´ - I dont even withdraw 2000. He already pays for everything. We never talk about money. When I chat with Alla from my english class she really has to work hard for a living. She works in a cafe in the morning for breakfast service and later she is at a supermarket. But she does not have a car and always goes by metro or bus. I sometimes feel bad that I do not work and have all this good life. Of course I deeply love him. He is my life."
Svetlana watched curiously and when Liliya ended she smiled at her and layed the hand on her cheek. "You are such a unique girl. There will be a day when he will call for you and then you need to follow and ask no questions. Also never forget to stay pure. Do not sell of your virginity for fun or because your are drunken and wild. He asked me several times if you are still a virgin. He did not ask into detail but he was always very pleased by the positive answer. Better cut of your breasts before you let drag yourself into the slutty dating and club games of the youngsters. They mean the doom for the live of every woman who cannot stay far away from it. Always judge your friends by that too. Do not make friends with horny chicks. Over time you will adopt their opinion. Thats how humans work. And thats how good women fall."