realize that we needed each other off the ice as well as on the ice. Although I still felt insecure about being
younger, I saw that I could be interesting to Sergei in the same ways his friends were interesting to him. That we could have
conversations about things. That I would take care of him, and he would take care of me.
But it became increasingly painful to be left behind so often. In Europe there were always so many interesting things to see.
And whereas before it wouldn’t touch me if Sergei would forget to invite me to go for a walk in Paris to see, for example,
the Eiffel Tower, or to a park in London, now it began to hurt. “You could have at least asked me,” I would tell him. “Maybe
I’d like to go, too.”
And he’d reply, “Oh, I didn’t know. I didn’t think of it.”
He never took me for walks, just the two of us. So I began going for walks by myself. I was sharing a room with the ice dancer
Natalia Bestemianova, and I spent a lot of time with her and her partner, Andrei Bukin, both of whom were married, and with
Valova and Vassiliev, who were married to each other. But it felt a little weird. Sergei, meanwhile, was going out with the
other skaters who were single. I remember one time on this tour when Sergei was dancing with a German ice dancer. I have a
picture of them. It was upsetting, but I never said anything to him about it. He wasn’t my boyfriend or someone I could feel
I owned. That whole Olympic year was not the happiest one for me.
After the European tour, we had a chance to go on the Tom Collins tour of America. All the other skaters went, but I was so
tired of traveling and so homesick that I said no. I told Sergei that I missed my mother and didn’t think I’d be able to handle
two consecutive tours. It meant, of course, giving up a lot of money, for us and for our coaches. Leonovich talked to me.
Tatiana Tarasova talked to me. But I didn’t change my mind. Now, looking back, I see that it was probably very stupid. But
I can also appreciate it as the first time I had really made a big decision by myself. I hadn’t talked to either my mom or
dad about it, and certainly Sergei wasn’t happy about my decision. But he just told me I had to decide for myself. He didn’t
try to change my mind.
So while the other skaters flew off to America, Sergei and I went back to Moscow. Life there hadn’t changed appreciably for
us as a result of our Olympic gold medal. We were a little more recognizable perhaps, but I didn’t feel like a celebrity at
home. Moscow was so big and busy, and a lot of successful athletes were living there. Our friends still treated us the same.
But I got a big surprise when my parents took me on a two-week vacation to the Black Sea. While there, I got a call from our
state department inviting me to a dinner that President Mikhail Gorbachev was holding for President Ronald Reagan.
It was exciting, and I just assumed Sergei would be invited too. I thought it would be fun to be there with him, so I rushed
back to Moscow, and when I got in I gave Sergei a call. He told me he hadn’t been invited to the banquet, but that I should
go ahead and attend it alone. I didn’t know what I should do. I went, but without Sergei there, or any other friends, I was
very bored. I was put at a table with President Reagan, and Raisa Gorbachev was seated beside me. But she didn’t talk to me,
and I didn’t have a very good time.
When I went back to my apartment, I discovered that while I’d been at the Black Sea resort, Sergei had brought me flowers
and perfume for my seventeenth birthday. I hadn’t told him that I was going to be away. So Sergei had left these gifts with
my grandmother, who was almost as excited about them as I was. “Look what Sergei brought you!” She was crazy about Sergei
and used to ask me to bring him home for lunch after practice all the time. “Why don’t you bring Sergei?” she would say.
younger, I saw that I could be interesting to Sergei in the same ways his friends were interesting to him. That we could have
conversations about things. That I would take care of him, and he would take care of me.
But it became increasingly painful to be left behind so often. In Europe there were always so many interesting things to see.
And whereas before it wouldn’t touch me if Sergei would forget to invite me to go for a walk in Paris to see, for example,
the Eiffel Tower, or to a park in London, now it began to hurt. “You could have at least asked me,” I would tell him. “Maybe
I’d like to go, too.”
And he’d reply, “Oh, I didn’t know. I didn’t think of it.”
He never took me for walks, just the two of us. So I began going for walks by myself. I was sharing a room with the ice dancer
Natalia Bestemianova, and I spent a lot of time with her and her partner, Andrei Bukin, both of whom were married, and with
Valova and Vassiliev, who were married to each other. But it felt a little weird. Sergei, meanwhile, was going out with the
other skaters who were single. I remember one time on this tour when Sergei was dancing with a German ice dancer. I have a
picture of them. It was upsetting, but I never said anything to him about it. He wasn’t my boyfriend or someone I could feel
I owned. That whole Olympic year was not the happiest one for me.
After the European tour, we had a chance to go on the Tom Collins tour of America. All the other skaters went, but I was so
tired of traveling and so homesick that I said no. I told Sergei that I missed my mother and didn’t think I’d be able to handle
two consecutive tours. It meant, of course, giving up a lot of money, for us and for our coaches. Leonovich talked to me.
Tatiana Tarasova talked to me. But I didn’t change my mind. Now, looking back, I see that it was probably very stupid. But
I can also appreciate it as the first time I had really made a big decision by myself. I hadn’t talked to either my mom or
dad about it, and certainly Sergei wasn’t happy about my decision. But he just told me I had to decide for myself. He didn’t
try to change my mind.
So while the other skaters flew off to America, Sergei and I went back to Moscow. Life there hadn’t changed appreciably for
us as a result of our Olympic gold medal. We were a little more recognizable perhaps, but I didn’t feel like a celebrity at
home. Moscow was so big and busy, and a lot of successful athletes were living there. Our friends still treated us the same.
But I got a big surprise when my parents took me on a two-week vacation to the Black Sea. While there, I got a call from our
state department inviting me to a dinner that President Mikhail Gorbachev was holding for President Ronald Reagan.
It was exciting, and I just assumed Sergei would be invited too. I thought it would be fun to be there with him, so I rushed
back to Moscow, and when I got in I gave Sergei a call. He told me he hadn’t been invited to the banquet, but that I should
go ahead and attend it alone. I didn’t know what I should do. I went, but without Sergei there, or any other friends, I was
very bored. I was put at a table with President Reagan, and Raisa Gorbachev was seated beside me. But she didn’t talk to me,
and I didn’t have a very good time.
When I went back to my apartment, I discovered that while I’d been at the Black Sea resort, Sergei had brought me flowers
and perfume for my seventeenth birthday. I hadn’t told him that I was going to be away. So Sergei had left these gifts with
my grandmother, who was almost as excited about them as I was. “Look what Sergei brought you!” She was crazy about Sergei
and used to ask me to bring him home for lunch after practice all the time. “Why don’t you bring Sergei?” she would say.
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