Goldengirl

‘That was why the four hundred was so tough?’ said Goldine, the excitement rising in her voice. ‘It was the diabetes that beat me?’ She wheeled round toward Dryden, eyes shining. ‘You see — I could have won that race.’

‘Of course you could!’ crowed Serafin. ‘You exhibited your symptoms early in the Trials. Klugman reported them. But undue tiredness and a dry throat can result from a dozen different causes. Even if I had recognised the condition at once, it is doubtful if I could have helped you through the remaining races. It takes time to check the insulin requirement. It’s a very fine balance that varies from one individual to another. Yours is stabilised now, but it’s taken nearly two weeks.’

‘You mean I could get back to training at once?’ asked Goldine.

Dryden put his hand on her arm. ‘I know how much this means to you, but it isn’t wise. Even if you limit yourself to one event in Moscow, what use will it be if you go out in Round One? Isn’t it better to be remembered as a winner than someone who failed in the Olympics?’

‘Why should she fail?’ Serafin hotly demanded. ‘She is the finest woman athlete in the world.’

‘How much training has she missed?’ said Dryden. ‘Twelve, fourteen days? No Olympic athlete can afford to lay up like that before the Games.’

‘Never mind!’ Goldine cut in. ‘You can bet he’ll think of someone who did and won a gold medal. He has a story for every situation you could name. Before we go into that, has it occurred to any of you that I might decide to make up my own mind about running?’ She paused challengingly. ‘Obviously not. You’re not accustomed to Goldengirl having ideas of her own. She isn’t programed to think. You’d better understand, all of you, that as of now, that’s changing. These last two weeks have taught me a lot, about myself, and the people around me. What you just told me underscores my principal conclusion — that it’s crazy letting any of you take charge of my life. Thanks, I’ll pick up the bits and see what I can do with them myself.’

Dryden had lost. What Goldine was talking about wasn’t freedom. That had beckoned briefly and gone. Goldengirl had taken possession again.

‘But you will run,’ said Serafin, sensing what Dryden had. ‘You can’t pass up the chance now you know it’s possible. You will do it, you know. You’re going for gold.’

If Serafin was expecting a good response, he didn’t get it. Goldine ran her eyes over him and said with contempt, ‘Would you get out of my sight? Don’t you understand it’s all over for you, whatever I do? I don’t need you any more. Like Jack said, there are other doctors.’

‘But you’ll run,’ Serafin persisted with fanatical certitude, ‘and you’ll prove that you can beat the world. I’ll publish your case history. Oh no, Goldengirl, it’s not all over for me! It’s the summit of my professional career. The public will never hear about the diabetes. Shall I tell you why? Because it would tarnish your commercial image. Ask Dryden.’ He held up his hand. ‘All right, I’ll go. I’ll even keep out of your sight if that’s what you want. But you won’t totally shut me out. You’re still my adopted daughter, and the police and press believe you were kidnaped on the way to your U.S. team medical. I don’t think you realize how much media interest there is in this story.’ He smiled and lowered his voice. ‘What would you like me to tell them?’

She breathed the one word, ‘Bastard!’ and looked for help from Dryden.

He knew he must give it. Her bid for self-determination had not lasted long.

Next morning, Sunday, August 3, the press were called to a midday conference at the Metropolitan Hotel, Cleveland Heights, where Serafin read the following statement:

‘I am pleased to announce that my daughter Goldine, who has been missing since Wednesday, was this morning reunited with me. She is physically unharmed but suffering from shock and nervous exhaustion. She is at present under sedation, and will not be making any formal statement to the press. Remembering that the U.S. Olympic team leaves for Moscow three days from now, I ask for your forbearance in giving Goldine the chance to recover from her ordeal. I am not able to state at this stage whether she will be fit enough to travel with the team or, indeed, to compete at all.

‘The circumstances of her release from captivity were as follows. Yesterday morning, a business associate of mine in Los Angeles received a telephone call from a spokesman for Goldine’s abductors, demanding a ransom in dollar bills. A condition was stipulated that the news of the ransom demand should not be communicated to me or the police until the transaction was made. So, unknown to me, my associate raised the money with the help of a consortium of business colleagues interested in America’s representation in the Olympic Games. I have no knowledge of the amount of the ransom, but I should like publicly to express my appreciation of their generosity.