Yuri decided he had enough playing games with Maria. He thanked Cynthia for trying to help him, but he had decided some straight talking was needed instead of this crazy scheme.
Cynthia seemed slightly disappointed, but at the time she was sympathetic and understood, She wished him the best of luck, feeling he was really going to need it.
Yuri went in search of Maria and found her outside the Big Top, as soon as she seen him, she turned as if to walk away but he hurried and caught up with her grabbing her arm
“Maria wait up; please,” he entreated her.
She reluctantly came to a halt to turn stormy dark eyes on him. “What is it?” she demanded, her tone none to friendly.
“I want to talk to you,” Yuri replied.
“Are you sure you should? Your girlfriend Cynthia might get jealous, she seems very clingy,” Maria retorted
“That is what I want to talk to you about” Yuri replied
“Look if you are having problems with your girlfriend, don’t expect me to help you with them” Maria warned him, about to walk away again, only his grip in her arm tightened preventing her.
“Cynthia is not my girlfriend.. She never was,” Yuri replied impatiently.
Maria turned to look at him again, puzzled, “What do you mean?”
Yuri suddenly shifted uneasily and loosened his grip on Maria’s arm “What I say, she was never my girlfriend,” he repeated “She was just trying to help me, trying to make you jealous.. It was all your brother Carlos idea.. He thought if I stopped paying you so much attention and pretended to have a girlfriend.. You would start appreciate me more” he then explained, “But I am tired playing these games, and I thought we could sort this out by-”
He didn’t get any further as it only took that time for what he was saying to sink into Maria’s brain.
“-You were only going with Cynthia to try and make me jealous?” she interrupted him icily. Suddenly the stormy look in her eyes increased dangerously as they narrowed at him, “Not only that, but you connived with my younger brother Carlos to do this?”
“Yes but-” Yuri started to reply, but didn’t get any further,
“How dare you!… H-How could you?!” she exploded angry dismay.
“Maria if you will just let me explain-” Yuri started again.
“I don’t want to hear your explanations or your excuses, how could you sink so low Yuri, did you really think I would come running to you because I seen you with Cynthia?”
“Well it was obvious you were jealous.. So you must have some feelings for me, or you wouldn‘t care” Yuri pointed out in defence
“Whether I cared or not is immaterial now!” Maria snapped, “I am just so mad at you I could happily send you to hell!”
“Don’t be like this Maria-” Yuri pleaded, attempting to reach out for her and reason with her, but she jerked away, glaring at him.
“Don’t you touch me Yuri Sidorov; in fact I don’t want to look or speak to you right now!” she stated with contempt, turning on her heel, before strode away in fury, ignoring Yuri’s pleas, as he called after her.
He was suddenly realising with dismay that coming clean about Cynthia, had perhaps not been one of his best ideas. All he had achieved was to alienate her even further.
“How could you be so stupid?” Carlos echoed Yuri’s own thoughts a little while later when he discovered what Yuri had done, “why did you tell her about Cynthia?” he demanded in bewilderment, “Our plan was going so well.. What on earth possessed you?”
“”I was tired of the little games, I just thought if I talked with her told her how I really felt, but she never gave me a chance,” Yuri replied miserably, “Now I have blown it,”
“Yeah you have, and I am going to have to try and avoid her for the next few days, she is going to murder me” Carlos frowned
“Why did you have to tell her everything? We were so close!” he then exclaimed in frustration, “she was starting to break”
“I didn’t want her broken!” Yuri stated, “I just wanted her to see how foolish this all was” he frowned
“Well it’s out of my hands now, man,” Carlos replied with a resigning sigh, “all you can hope that she will eventually cool down and deem to look or speak to you again, before the season is over,” he finished
“Somehow I don’t think so,” Yuri replied glumly, “She hates me now and I will just have to live with the consequences of my actions,”
Carlos just patted him sympathetically on the back “I am sorry Yuri, really I am”
“It was not your fault, you were only trying to help.. I was the one who blew it,” Yuri replied graciously, “and now I will just have to deal with it,” he sighed heavily
********************************************************************
George was coming out his caravan on his way to meet Jelena. He had finally managed to get her to agree to meet up with him so they could have a talk after she had finished rehearsals with her father for the afternoon.
On the way across the field he suddenly heard Estelle calling him, even though they had made up several weeks ago now, he had seen very little of her, so now he stopped in his tracks, as he noticed her coming over towards him.
“Can I speak to you about something in private, there is something I need to tell you,” she said, seeming a little furtive as she glanced around her.
“Sure,” George replied, a little curious about what it could be about.
She pulled him to the side, making sure no one else was about.
“This is a little difficult, but as my close friend, I wanted you to be one of the first one to know, so it won‘t come as a nasty shock when it could become public knowledge,” she then said
“What is it?” George asked
Estelle stared down at her fidgeting fingers, as if she wasn’t sure where to start, but finally she spoke.
“Since I broke up with Patrick a few weeks ago, its been really hard for me here, seeing him every day, remembering what a fool I made of myself.. So I decided I needed a fresh start, to go somewhere where there are no reminders”
“I see,” George replied feeling his heart sink a little at what she was implicating.
“Anyway three days ago I went to an audition for one of those theatre circus’s in Australia” she then explained
“Australia?” George echoed in disbelief.. “Isn’t that a bit drastic?.. I mean I can understand you wanting to get away, but Australia?”
“It’s a wonderful opportunity and I have always wanted to visit Australia,” Estelle replied “So I thought why not, I had nothing to lose.. A new beginning and all that”
“Well if that is what you really want,” George said, “although I have to say you are right, it has come as a bit of shock to me,” he admitted with a small dry laugh.
“That’s why I wanted to tell you personally before anyone else. I thought I owed you that much after all the trouble I caused over Patrick. They said they would get back to me by the end of the week, and I am in with a very good chance, but until then, can you keep it quiet, I don‘t want Patrick to find out anything until I am positive I get it” Estelle replied.
“Of course,” George replied understandingly.
“The hardest part is going to be saying goodbye to you and Jay and the others,” she then admitted, “But I can’t pass up this chance. I really need to move on”
“I guess so,” George relented.. “I though it’s going to be really strange if you go, I am so used to having you around, and Australia is so far away….” he trailed of there.
“I know, that is the most difficult part,” Estelle replied, “But we can still keep in contact over the phone”
“Yeah, but it won’t be the same.. I am going to miss you Essie,” he then told her.
She was almost close to tears, “And I am going to miss you too,” she replied hugging him tight, trying not to break down. he hugged her back.
Both of them were unaware that Jelena, who had come to find George had spotted them in the embrace. She now stopped dead, taking a small step back, as she felt her heart tighten in her chest.
George had said he had needed to speak to her and it was important because there were things that needed sorted out between them.. Was this what he had meant, was he going to tell her they were finished, because he wanted to be with Estelle?
She suddenly found it difficult to breath.
She realised she only had herself to blame for this. She had not been spending as much time with George lately, and it had probably made him seek out Estelle’s company. Jelena had her reasons for her recent behaviour, and had intended to share them with George, but now it was the last thing she wanted to do.
Thankful that George and Estelle were so caught up in each other they hadn’t noticed her, she hurriedly backed up and walked away, her heart pounding in her ears, not sure how her legs carried her across the field, when her body suddenly felt so numb.
Then she heard someone call her name, and she realised it was Maria, who was not looking very happy either.
“I am sorry, I know Yuri is your brother, so I understand if you have to stick up for him. But right now I am as mad as hell at him for what he done. Imagine getting involved with Cynthia just to make me jealous? How low could he stoop, and even worse, it was Carlos behind it. He let my silly little brother convince him to go along with the stupid scheme”
Maria was in such a fury ranting, she didn’t even notice Jelena looked unusually pale and drawn, and she wasn’t really paying attention too much, to what she was saying
“To hell with men, that’s what I say. They are more trouble than they are worth,” she frowned in annoyance
“Yes,” Jelena agreed although her voice was faint.
“Hey wanna go and get some training in? I could do with venting my frustration out on the trapeze to get it out of my system” she now addressed Jelena
Jelena hesitated “I don’t think-” she started
“Oh please,” Maria then wheedled, “I really need to concentrate my mind on something, or I will go mental, and end up attacking your brother. Besides you haven’t been putting in as much practice as we use to, so now is a good time”
“Ok,” Jelena finally replied, “actually think I think I need some distraction myself,” she murmured, Then letting Maria slip her arm through hers, they walked over to the tent where they usually trained.
*****************************************************************
George had left Estelle. He was still reeling from the shock of her new plans, and now went in search of Jelena to let her know what was happening, Estelle had had told George it was ok to share the secret with her also, as she trusted Jelena not to say anything.
But when he searched for her in the Big Top, he discovered from her some of her brothers that she had already left much to his annoyance.
He started off to go and find her, only as he left the Big Top his father hailed him, “George I need you to come with me”
“Oh, where are we going?” George asked as his father joined him
“Not too far, just outside town I need you to help me, I told Joseph I would collect some of the new catering equipment he purchased, he can’t do it himself, he has a lot on” Ricardo informed him
“Um, ok Dad.. Can I just go and find Jay and tell her? I was suppose to be meeting her and-”
“There isn’t time, I have to get there and be back for the next show, so we have to go now” Ricardo informed him sharply.
He was still having trouble accepting he was going to have to give up the Trapeze, He was still brooding about it, he tended to get a little snappy and impatient with everyone, which was why when George noticed his fathers recent moodiness, he did not want to set him off again by arguing with him.
So he now sighed and swore under his breath in frustration.
In the end he had to hastily inform with one of Jelena’s brothers to pass on the message that he had to go with his father, and would be back soon, just hoping as he got into the car with his father, that she wouldn’t be too pissed at him when he returned.
Jelena, was totally unaware of George’s frustrations in trying to meet up with her.
She was standing up on the Trapeze bar as it swung gently back and forth, she was half expecting George to turn up to find her by now. But perhaps he was too occupied, with Estelle, and he had forgotten all about her.
She forced herself not to dwell on these painful thoughts.
She didn’t want to think of them, they were distracting her from her real purpose and goal of becoming an aerial artist, which is what she should have been doing, instead of getting involved with George.. It had all been a terrible mistake.
Now she had to concentrate her mind back on that goal, and shut everything else out, nothing else mattered, that’s how it had been before she had got mixed up with George, and that’s how it would be again..
It was the only way she could cope. So now she pushed the trapeze swing with her body to give it more momentum, before hunching down and hanging in a knee swing, so she could reach for Maria who was on the ground below her.
Using the strength in her arms she hauled Maria up, so she was able to use her as leverage to climb on the trapeze bar. Once Maria was standing up on the trapeze bar Jelena swung her body swiftly, so she could reach up and grab the trapeze bar with her hands to bring herself back up into a sitting position next to where Maria was standing.
They swapped positions, so that Jelena was standing up, and Maria was sitting down. She had now dropped so she was hanging from her knees, whilst Jelena attempted to do a tumble above her holding onto the ropes at each side of her for leverage
But as she tumbled, a sharp pain in her abdomen made her miscalculate her footing, as she came to land on the trapeze bar. Missing it and found herself falling awkwardly onto the mat below.
“Jay are you alright?” Maria asked in alarm as she saw her friend on the mat below, now manoeuvring herself so she could swing from her hands on the trapeze bar and then let herself drop on the Mat next to Jelena.
“I think so,” Jelena replied, “Though I hurt my ankle when I fell” she admitted in annoyance with herself.
She attempted to move and stand up to find her ankle hurt a little but then she also felt the sharp pain in her stomach again which made her wince
“What is it, what is wrong?” Maria demanded anxiously suddenly noticing how pale Jelena had suddenly turned
“I think you had better go and get help,” Jelena replied her voice suddenly weak. Maria thought she might pass out, so in panic she got up and fled the tent to find help.
Much to her relief, she spotted her mother not too far away, walking with Lisa, She now hurried over to her
“Mom you have to come quick, its Jay, I think she has hurt herself badly when she fell of the trapeze,” she explained urgently
Lisa and Melanie exchanged looks of dismay, but wasted no time in hurrying after Maria, back to the tent to check on Jelena
She was still lying on the mat, curled up, obviously in pain, as Melanie hurriedly bent down she noticed that Jelena was crying
“What happened Jay, where does it hurt?” she demanded anxiously.
“My ankle,” Jelena manage to reply, then gasped, “and my stomach, her arm was clutched around her abdomen, “it’s my stomach.. I am so sorry Mrs Sanchez,” she stared up at Melanie, her blue eyes tearful and wide with fright, “But I think I might be having a miscarriage” she then blurted out.
The significance of this statement sank in to Melanie‘s brain, as she stared down at Jelena
It made her go cold inside, but now she turned to Maria and Lisa, managing to make her brain go back into gear .. “I think we are going to need an ambulance.. Quick!” she informed them hurriedly, and found herself holding into Jelena’s hand squeezing it comfortingly, whilst praying very hard…