Transition

by Henry Charles Mishkoff

  “Well, folks, it looks like I was mistaken when I told you that Jill Kendal was on her way back home to Texas, because as you can see – and believe me, folks, I’m just as flabbergasted as you are – there she is! You’re looking at Jill Kendal, picking her way through the crowd. And if I’m not mistaken, she’s heading right for the spot where Sunshine O’Malley is standing knee-deep in the warm waters of Lake Taekana…”

  6.1.2: Tanami

  “Sunshine?”

  She says it softly because she’s too embarrassed to speak any louder. But perhaps she says it too softly because Sunshine, leaning forward, splashing water gently over her legs, does not respond.

  So she tries again, louder: “Sunshine?”

  And this time, Sunshine does hear. She stops, mid-splash. She straightens up, staring out over the lake, her back to Jillian. She stands there, stiffly, trembling ever so slightly. She does not respond.

  Jillian takes a deep breath. “Sunshine,” she says, “I just want you to know how incredibly sorry I am for the things that I did back there. You know what I mean. I didn’t know what I was doing. Or saying. I know that’s no excuse, but…”

  Sunshine doesn’t turn around. “Save your breath,” she says.

  Jillian is startled at how cold Sunshine sounds. How unfeeling. “Listen,” she says. “I know you’re mad at me. I don’t blame you. But I just…”

  “You’re not worth being mad at,” Sunshine says, disparagingly. “Right now, all my energy is concentrated on winning the race. And I’m not going to let you distract me. I know that you think you’re the center of the universe, but you’re not even significant enough for me to waste any time thinking about. Go away.”

  “Sunshine!” Jillian anticipated that the conversation would be difficult, but the depth of Sunshine’s antipathy catches her off-guard. Can this be the same Sunshine O’Malley I know? Jillian wonders. That meek, mousy little girl… “Sunshine, I… I don’t know what to say.”

  “Then don’t say anything.”

  I guess there isn’t really anything I can say, Jillian thinks. And the race is going to start in just a few minutes. Maybe I can talk to her after the race. Maybe she’ll have calmed down by then. If nothing else, maybe the race will leave her too exhausted to allow her to keep being so bitter. If I can just get her to talk to me for a few minutes…

  “Well, good luck in the race, Sunshine.”

  “I don’t need any luck,” Sunshine says scornfully. “I’m going to win the race because I have the talent to do it. And now, for the first time in my whole, entire life, I have the motivation, too. If I win the race, I get that scholarship to SMU. It’s the best chance I’ve got to make a new start, to make something out of myself. I’ve wasted so much time…” She trails off, wistfully, shaking her head. “I just can’t afford to let this one slip through my fingers,” she adds, softly.

  Win the race? Honey, you’re good, but you don’t have a chance to win. Not as long as I’m in the race. Unless you’re saying that you want me to…

  “Sunshine,” Jillian says, gently. “Listen. I feel bad about what I did. Really bad. But there’s no way I can let you win this race. I mean, I’ve never thrown a race in my life, and I’m not about to…”

  And then Sunshine does whirl around to face Jillian, and there’s a cold fury in her eyes that stops Jillian mid-sentence. “That’s just like you,” Sunshine hisses, flinging words at Jillian like daggers. “Let me win. You honestly believe that I can’t win unless you let me win. What colossal conceit.”

  “Sunshine…”

  “I’m going to be so far ahead of you by the time you come out of the lake that I could probably walk the rest of the way and still beat you. And I’m a better biker than you are, and you know it, although you’re probably too vain to admit it, even to yourself. And even though you are a better runner than me,” Sunshine admits, grudgingly, “I’ll be so far ahead of you by then that it won’t even matter.”

  There’s a steely confidence in Sunshine’s eyes that rattles Jillian. It’s been a long time since she’s seen that look in anyone’s eyes when they raced against her, and she certainly hadn’t expected to find it in Sunshine’s. She actually believes that she can beat me, Jillian realizes. She actually believes it.

  “Damn straight I can beat you,” Sunshine says, reading Jillian’s thoughts with unerring accuracy. She sneers when Jillian’s expression tells her that she’s hit her mark. “Now why don’t you go trot off to the back of the pack where you belong. You might get hurt up here.”

  There’s some kind of vague threat in Sunshine’s tone that chills Jillian. Sunshine’s right, of course, Jillian realizes. I don’t need to be up front when the swim starts. But something about the way she said it…

  She glances around. The confrontation has attracted the attention of some of the other women, although most of them, focusing their energies on the task at hand, are ignoring the squabble. Or, at least, pretending to. A few of the women look on with curiosity. Britte Kiergaard, standing with her hands on her hips, stares back at Jillian with a pleased smirk, making no effort to hide her amusement. “What are you looking at?” Jillian snaps. Britte arches an eyebrow, but she does not look away.

  “Sunshine,” Jillian says, “I know you don’t want to hear this, but…”

  “You’re right, Jill,” Sunshine says. “Whatever it is that you’re going to say, I don’t want to hear it.” She turns away sharply, once more facing out into the lake. “Now go away and leave me alone.”

  “Sunshine,” Jillian starts… but there’s nothing left to say. She shakes her head sadly.

  “Two minutes,” the starter booms over the loudspeakers. “Everyone out of the water please. The race begins in two minutes.” The starter repeats the announcement in another language.

  If I wait here for a few seconds, Jillian thinks, Sunshine’s going to have to look at me when she turns around to get out of the water. Maybe I can tell her… tell her what? What can I say to her in two minutes? And she’s right, I do need to get to the back of the pack.

  And so, with a shrug and a sigh, Jillian turns and walks sadly away from the shining waters of Lake Taekana. Picking her way through the press of triathletes, she assumes her customary position at the back of the pack.

  6.1.3: Tanami

  “…and that wraps up the men’s ping-pong final, a dramatic come-from-behind victory by Yao Lee, who surprised the heavily-favored Nar Do Op with a new backhand stroke, something that has not been seen before in Olympic competition, what Mr. Lee calls his ‘reverse cyclone death lob.’ We understand that Mr. Op’s trainer, Kam Sut Lee – no relation to Yao Lee, by the way – is formally protesting the ‘reverse cyclone death lob’ to the International Olympic Committee, claiming that the shot violates the spirit, if not the letter, of international ping-pong rules as spelled out in the 1963 Haiphong Convention. We’ll keep you up to date on this exciting story as it develops. But right now, for an up-to-the-minute report on the latest in the women’s long-distance triathlon, let’s check in with Dave Spivey and Cindi Peet. You there, Dave?”

  “I’m here, Chuck. Hello again everybody, and welcome back to Lake Taekana. You’re looking at Sunshine O’Malley, still leading the field, just as she was when we left you last time. She’s maintained a blistering pace throughout the swim leg of this, the first-ever Olympic women’s long-distance triathlon. But even though she’s on what may well be a record-setting pace, she hasn’t been able to shake her competition. If we widen the shot just a little – there, you can see Afshan Sarabi of Pakistan just a few yards behind Sunshine. That’s her in the red suit. And just a few yards behind Afshan, you can see the Akibe twins, Kwale and Makaba, from Amboria, swimming side-by-side. Cindi Peet, how would you explain the surprisingly strong showing here today?”

  “Well, first of all, Dave, I want to emphasize that the performances we’re seeing out there today really are remarkable. Sunshine O’Malley passed the halfway buoy at a little over twenty-one mi
nutes, which is…”

  “The halfway buoy being one point two miles?”

  “That’s right, Dave, one point two miles, which puts her on about a forty-two-minute pace for the swim leg, which is absolutely astonishing. And what’s even more amazing is that there are three other women right behind her, matching Sunshine nearly stroke for stroke. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “And I understand that none of the three has any triathlon experience, is that right? How do you account for how well they’re doing?”

  “You’re right Dave. With the exception of Sunshine O’Malley, none of the leaders has ever been in a triathlon before, as far as I’ve been able to determine. But I think I understand what’s going on. You see, neither Pakistan nor Amboria had any women who were long-distance triathletes that they could enter into the race, so they’ve entered long-distance swimmers instead. You may remember that Afshan Sarabi held a few long-distance swimming records a few years back, and the Akibe twins have been strong contenders in international swimming competitions for several years. This is pretty common, Dave, I’ve been in lots of races where a few women with strong swimming backgrounds take an early lead. But they usually get reeled in on the bike leg. We’ll just have to wait and see if Afshan or the Akibe twins are as good on their bicycles as they are in the water.”

  “Are there any other surprises out there, Cindi? Or is the race going pretty much the way you expected?”

  “Pretty much the way I expected, Dave. Another set of twins, the Kiergaard twins from Switzerland, they’re just a few yards off the pace. They’re very dangerous, Dave. If they’re anywhere near the leaders when they come out of the water, I think you can expect them to be fighting for the lead before too long. Carolyn Kwan’s also doing well. Arlene Cameron – she’s from Australia – is a little bit further off the pace, but she’s very strong on the bike, Dave, so I don’t think we can count her out of it yet, not this early in the race. And some of the others in the first dozen-or-so are familiar names – Sarah Barker from New Zealand, Dorrie Hansen from Germany… And two of the Russian women, Marta… Kon-u-shenk-a… – did I say that right? – …and Olga Patrushkin, they’re doing quite well. They’re the two women who were with Jill Kendal and Sunshine O’Malley when they were kidnapped a couple of days ago. I haven’t been able to find out much of anything about their backgrounds – I don’t know if they’re swimmers, or what. The other Russian woman, Arena Mosbek, she’s pretty far back – but she’s a world-class cyclist, Dave, so you can expect her to play some catch-up on the bike leg. The Russians haven’t competed much in long-distance triathlons before – at least, not on the international scene – so we don’t know that much about them.”

  “Is this pretty normal for a triathlon, Cindi? Excuse my ignorance, but I’m wondering if you always have such a mixture of skills at a triathlon – some of them good swimmers, some good bikers…”

  “You always see some of that, Dave, but there’s more of it here than I’m used to seeing. I mean, most triathletes are stronger in one skill than in another. But among the pros, at least, you usually see more… well, more of a balance than what we’re seeing here today. I think what’s happened is that some countries simply had no experienced long-distance triathletes whatsoever. But each country was allowed to enter three women in the event. So some of them entered swimmers, some cyclists, and some of them runners, just so they could enter somebody. I have a hunch that a lot of these women won’t be finishing the race today.”

  “And in fact, Cindi, several of the women seem to be struggling already…”

  “Yes, Dave, I noticed that Jill Kendal isn’t even in last place anymore, which is unusual in itself. She always brings up the rear in the swim. And she was in last place just a few minutes ago. But now – and there, that’s her on the screen, in the gold suit – she’s passed, let’s see, four of the women – no, make that five, she’s passed five other women. And her pace, as far as I’ve been able to tell, is about normal, for her. There must be some incredibly weak swimmers in the field. It must be a whole new experience for Jill, passing people in the water like that. It’s probably a real boost for her self-confidence. Not that she needs any help in that regard…”

  6.1.4: Tanami

  “…and so the synchronized swimming competition ends with no surprises, as Augusta Langley and Charlene McKeach repeat as gold medalists in the sport that they have dominated for more than six years. But we’re going to break away from the medal ceremony because there’s something important happening in a different kind of aquatic event, the swim leg of the women’s long-distance triathlon. And for that, let’s switch you over to Dave Spivey and Cindi Peet, standing by on the shores of Lake Taekana. Dave and Cindi, are you there? Dave? Hello?”

  “Yes, Rob, sorry for the confusion, we’re having a little equipment trouble here, but I think we’ve got it all straightened out. Hello again, everybody, Dave Spivey here with Cindi Peet – and as you see, the first swimmer is about to come out of the water. And yes, it is Sunshine O’Malley. If you’re just joining us, Sunshine O’Malley has led the field since the starting gun. It was a close race for a while, but Sunshine has really opened up a big lead in the last half-mile. I’d say she’s ahead by maybe two minutes at this point. It’s been a very impressive swim for her, wouldn’t you say, Cindi?”

  “Dave, I’ve never seen anything like it. Her time for the swim is going to be a little under forty-two minutes. That’s better than the men do, most of the time. And it’s so far ahead of what most women have been able to do that she might as well be… it’s like she’s from another planet or something.”

  “Is her time a record, do you know?”

  “I would imagine so. There aren’t really any official records for the triathlon like there are for other sports. Still, I can’t imagine that any woman triathlete has ever done any better than that. It’s stunning. That’s the only word for it. I’m in shock.”

  “As you can see, the other swimmers are stretched out in a long line behind her. No one’s even close, really. If she can get through the transition area quickly, she should have a big lead starting on the bike leg.”

  “That’s right, Dave. And I understand that she’s an excellent cyclist. Of course, there are some other top-notch cyclists out there. Some of them are world-class. But most of them are so far back that I don’t know if they’ll be able to catch her.”

  “What about Jill Kendal, Cindi? She appears to be a good, oh, maybe ten minutes back. Is she effectively out of the race?”

  “One thing you learn about a triathlon, Dave – especially a long-distance triathlon, like this one – is that you never count anyone out of it too soon. The early leaders may go out too fast, and then they might fade just as quickly, or they even might drop out altogether. And even though Sunshine O’Malley may be an excellent cyclist, Jill Kendal’s not exactly a slouch on the bike herself. And she’s always way behind after the swim. But she always comes back.”

  “But can she make up ten minutes on the bike? That’s a lot to ask of anybody, isn’t it? Even a champion like Jill Kendal?”

  “I don’t think it’s a question of Jill making up time on the bike, Dave. All she really has to do on the bike is not fall any further behind. If she starts the run only ten minutes behind Sunshine, or anyone else…”

  “So you think that Jill Kendal might be able to overcome a ten-minute deficit entirely on the run leg?”

  “Jill Kendal? The greatest woman marathoner in history? Is that a serious question?”

  6.1.5: Tanami

  “Sunshine, Sunshine, Sunshine…”

  The chant starts before she even reaches the beach, while she’s still pushing her powerful arms through the water, pumping steadily like a finely tuned swimming machine. By the time she reaches the shore, rises to her feet, and runs out of the water on rubbery legs, the chant has swelled to a shout: “Sunshine, Sunshine, Sunshine…” She doesn’t acknowledge it.

  The race officials ar
e easy to spot in their white caps and red gloves. Their red fingers point her toward the transition area, which for today’s race is a bathhouse that stands in the middle of the parking lot.

  Her face is set in a grim mask.

  She means business.

  She races into the building, an older structure that was hastily renovated in the short time since this event was summarily added to the Olympic schedule. She locates her locker easily – an hour before the race, she had practiced finding it from the direction in which she now enters the locker room.

  She hurries through the transition, executing the moves that she rehearsed earlier and reviewed mentally several times during the swim. She slips entirely out of her swimsuit, dries herself lightly with a few pats of a fluffy towel, steps into some cotton panties, pulls on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, slips into a pair of socks, steps into her cycling shoes, and secures the Velcro fasteners. She realizes that the complete change of clothing has cost her a few seconds, but she believes that it will be worth it in terms of comfort on the long ride.

  As she runs from the bathhouse, she grabs her helmet, stuffs it onto her head, and secures the chin strap. She exits the bathhouse just forty-two seconds after she entered it. When she leaves, the bathhouse is empty. No other swimmer has yet arrived.

  The chant has continued at a diminished volume in Sunshine’s absence. When she reappears, it swells to deafening proportions. She runs to her bike, pulls it from the rack, hops on, and secures her shoes in the pedal locks.

  She grabs a cup of Powerade as she glides out of the transition area. Even though she’s not terribly thirsty, Jill has impressed on her, time and time again, the importance of hydrating during a long race, whether you feel like you need to or not.