Page 31 of Off Side
DREW
Iattended the first game of preseason. Sam taking her position behind the bench swelled my heart with pride. She bitched about having to wear real shoes and not her bunny slippers, but she was excited to get the season going. The Bandits won 3-2 and looked really good. I made some notes while watching to prepare for my first practice with the team as well.
I glance at my phone and notice I have less than an hour. I can’t believe I’m this nervous. I feel like I’m going to puke. I’m lacing up my skates, intending to hit the ice by myself and work out the jitters when the team captain, Austin, shows up on the bench and scares the shit out of me.
“Shit, sorry, Drew. I didn’t know anyone else was here yet.” He notices my skates. “Are you planning to skate before our practice? I won’t bother you if that’s okay, I like to skate and think sometimes.”
Austin looks...pained? Something is definitely bothering him.
“It’s okay, you can skate, Austin. I won’t bother you unless you want company. I’m just getting my head in the game for your practice. I’m going to be joining you guys for some drills from now on.”
Austin appears both shocked and delighted. “No way! This is awesome, Drew! I’ve heard a lot about your career, you were the best sniper the league had. You still hold records, man!”
I can’t help the grin that slides onto my face. It’s nice to be remembered in some way. I also can’t help but notice his smile is not reaching his eyes. He said he wanted to skate and think before practice. I might as well try out the whole bonding thing now.
“You said you wanted to think, anything you want to talk about?”
“I don’t know yet, it’s sort of sensitive.”
We both push out onto the ice, skating along side each other quietly. Whatever he’s thinking about is something he’s not sure if he can share with me.
“I just want you to know, Austin, if you ever need or want to talk to somebody about something, I’m always here. You must already know it’s what I do. It would always be confidential. Not even Sam would know what we talk about.”
“How did you know Sam was the one for you? Like what was your ah-ha moment?”
Hmm, so he’s having girl issues, not surprising. He’s an attractive twenty-year-old man that likely has a flock of girls after him. “Believe it or not, when we first met, she hated me…I think. In a very short time, she managed to get me to say and do things that I’ve never done with anyone before her. One night, I sort of realized, holy shit, I can’t stop thinking about this woman and I’m planning our future and never want to be without her. It was kind of fast, but it was an overwhelming feeling that I had to protect her. That, to me, meant she was someone special. That’s probably not very helpful. Sometimes you just know. That’s how it was for me.”
We keep skating silently. I switch to skating backwards, and he follows suit. It’s a peaceful companionship, but he’s thinking more about what is on his mind than his skating skills. I suddenly have a wave of an emotion I can’t quite describe. Like I’m being helpful to someone in a different way and we’re still making a connection that is beneficial. I don’t want to push him to spill anything if he isn’t ready but I know how I might help shake his funk.
“Ready to do some speed? I’ll race you.”
“Ha! Bring it on, Drew!”
We line up at the red line facing opposite directions and take off at the count of three. As we both surge to our starting spots in the hopes of a win, he has me solidly beat. He’s genuinely smiling now and that’s all that matters. I’ve lifted his burden for a short time and he unknowingly made me feel the most comfortable on the ice I’ve felt in years. I was feeling good about all this.
