“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy to be here right now, but for different reasons.”
“Oh?” She perks up.
“I mean, I was all prepared to watch movies the entire eight hours, being broody and shit. But then you changed my plans.”
Vivian chuckles. “I can’t see you as the broody type.”
“I can be. Like this morning, I was ready to—” I stop there, not knowing if I should continue. Talking shit about my team and the management could be in poor taste.
But if I have learned something about Vivian so far, she notices everything. And it doesn’t take long until she proves my point. “This morning you were ready to…what?”
“Nevermind, it was nothing. I'm just thinking about some ramifications following my actions on the ice last night. Today has been a long day.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Vivian says and puts her hand on top of mine, giving it a slight squeeze before letting go. I miss her touch instantly.
“It was all my own stupidity, so I can’t blame anyone but myself.”
“Still, it must suck a lot,” she points out.
“Definitely.”
“Thanks for sharing that…and about Finland.”
“Sure, no worries. I like to talk about where I am from. It’s my home, after all.”
“You can talk about Finland all you want with me.” Vivian smiles before continuing. “Do you ever wish you lived there?”
I rest my elbow on the side table between our seats, thinking my answer over. “Sometimes, but my career opportunities are better in North America, so I don’t plan to return until I retire.”
“Just like your dad?”
“Yeah, we moved when he retired from the League.”
“Oh yeah, you mentioned him retiring earlier. How long have you played in the NHL?”
I like how she remembered that. It makes me feel seen when normally people only see me as the hockey guy who gets in too many fights this season or the guy they want to get into bed with. “This is my sixth season. I joined the Woodpeckers after finishing my business degree at Cornell.”
“That’s a great university—impressive,” she beams my way before continuing. “So, you’ve played full-time ever since graduating college?”
I nod as an answer to the question. “My parents wanted me to graduate first before joining the team. It was never a question of whether I would, as I was among the first NHL draft picks before even playing college hockey and then signed the contract in my senior year of college. They still wanted me to have something else if my plans changed unexpectedly.”
“Are you talking about injuries?”
“Sure. That’s the thing—athletes never know when it all ends if it does. Getting injured could happen tomorrow or twenty years from now. So, while I’m playing, I’m putting my focus on the game and not much else. There’s always time for other things later in life. But still, I need to have options, just in case.”
“I can see why having a backup plan is important when you play professionally. It’s good to be prepared for anything bad that may happen in life,” Vivian says, shifting in her seat to get more comfortable. She grabs the blanket and snuggles against it. I have never wanted to be a blanket before, and I can’t stop thinking how I wouldn’t mind her against me right now.
Clearing my thoughts, I tell her, “Many players don’t think about having a backup plan until something unexpected happens and they are screwed. I have seen it too many times, both in the League and with my teammates from the national team.”
“Did your dad help you since he has personal experience?”
“He helped, but I did most of the work,” I say, pride in my voice. “Even though my parents are well-known former athletes, I still wanted to make it on my own.”
“That’s how I am too.” Vivian nods. “My parents both worked in the legal field, but I still put everything into achieving my goals when I knew what I wanted to do with my life. And it got me right where I am in my career.”
“What else do human rights lawyers do?”
She chews on her lower lip, thinking of her answer. “There are many jobs someone with an educational background in human rights law could do, but I wanted to work at the New York City Immigration Center, providing legal aid and pro bono services from the beginning. Many of my cases are deportation appeals and other support regarding the American immigration law.”
