“So what, you were Ducky and he was Chicky?”
“No, but after, I was sharing a house with another guy from the farm team. When I told him about the show and the animals, he thought it would be cool to have a pet duck, but he wouldn’t have a chicken because he didn’t want to feel guilty about eating chicken.”
She laughed. “He didn’t eat duck?”
“I guess not. But it sounded like fun. I found a guy who let me buy a duckling. Cutest thing ever. We called him Donald.”
Katie covered her mouth, but I heard that laugh.
I sighed. “A few months later, I got called up when one of the team’s wingers was injured. I asked, but the team was going to put me up in a hotel till they knew if they were keeping me, so I couldn’t bring Donald.”
“I guess most places aren’t really prepared to deal with pet ducks.”
“Donald had to stay with Smitty. Anyway, I’d call up to ask how Donald was doing. My teammates heard me asking about the duck, so I was the duck guy, and that became Ducky.”
“They call you Ducky because years ago you were on the phone asking about your duck.” I shrugged. “How is Donald now?”
“You really want to know?” She nodded, a little smile on her face. I pulled out my phone. “Here’s the latest pictures. Turns out Donald is actually a girl, but anyway, she’s doing well. Those were the ducklings she had last summer.”
Donald was a white duck, with a slew of little yellow ducklings around her.
“You never wanted to get her back?”
I shook my head. “She’s happy and has lots of room. And I’m traveling all the time—not good for a pet.”
She considered me, mouth pursed. “Do you like being Ducky? Could you ask the guys to call you Middy again instead?”
“I’m used to it now.” And I really didn’t care.
“Is it okay if I still call you Josh? I’m not sure I can manage Ducky.”
“You can call me Josh. I like it.”
She dropped her eyes to her lap, twiddling with a piece of licorice. “So, should we watch another episode?”
I hit the play button to move forward to episode two, reminding myself we were just friends for now.
Chapter 21
Maybe You Should Listen to Her
Josh
Our next home game, the fans were subdued. Coach came into the locker room before we went out, reminded us that this was our place and we could win this game. Cooper promised a reward for whoever scored the winning goal, or for Petey and Mitch, our goalies, if we got a shutout. Knowing Cooper, it would be something good.
We didn’t go out there bursting with confidence, but we were determined. Like when we didn’t want to get up for an early practice but powered through it so we could have a nap. Or something.
We scored two in the first, Montreal scoring one, and the mood was shifting in the arena and the locker room. Second period, they tied it up but we managed a goal at the beginning of the third. With two minutes left, it looked like we’d hold on to a win, but they scored on a breakaway a minute before the buzzer.
Overtime, we were a mess and they won.
Coach came in, looked at us and just shrugged before he turned and left.
“What the fuck?” Royster asked.
I shrugged. “What fuck are you asking about? That game? Coach? Us?”
“All of it. What the fuck is our problem? We’re better than this. We know it because most of us were here last year, and we almost won it all. We can do it in practice, but this season? Make it a game and we fuck up all the fucking time.”
