The Disqualification

That morning:

1. Carrie received a package of eleven brightly colored hip scarves rattling with coins from Hong Kong for the beginning of Gala Nights.

2. She was also whipping up further maté samples with bags of herbs and roots.

3. Francis received a haircut from Carrie.

4. Men’s Hockey: USA against Finland, 6-1, respectively.

That evening, OLeif left for a watching of Willy Wonka at Sunrise’s high school, where she would be playing the trumpet.

And Collette… Collette, well it could be guessed… She had to stay at home and watch Apolo Ohno race short track.

She couldn’t sit still.

At the Quarterfinals, she managed to watch the whole thing, including his leap over the French-German crash.

At the Semifinals, she had to leave the room and return every few seconds. And once again, he missed the South Korean crash to take first place from a four-position to skate in the Finals.

At the Finals, when he slipped around another Canadian-Korean crash to second place, Collette was just about jumping up and down… until he was disqualified. It was a bad call, and from a Canadian ref. Collette was predictably angry. And she wondered to herself if the Canadian had crashed on purpose so that Apolo would be disqualified, making Canada go 1-3. It was a maddening evening.

Next came the Men’s Shortrack 5000 m Relay. Collette could hardly believe they swung in at the very last moment, Apolo Ohno at the end, to claim the bronze from China. Nail-biters.

But now Apolo Ohno had eight medals. And everyone seemed pretty happy to end short track with the third place medal.