My heart was with Josh, who was moving to Canada, at least for now. But it was also here in my arms—and I could love Lilyanywhere.
Drew:Just considerit.
32
Josh
If you’ve never beento Canada, there are several things you should know. It snows. Alot.
They have the best maple syrup ever known toman.
The beaver is their national animal, but I had yet to see one wandering down thestreet.
They don’t have dollar bills. They have weird coins called the loonie and thetoonie.
It snows. Alot.
They also accept American credit cards—which was a good thing. Because of the Canadiens’ tight schedule, I hadn’t been able to return to San Francisco to get mystuff.
So until recently, all I’d had with me was the three days worth of clothes that I had packed for the Rocks’ road trip. And then just when I thought I was finally flying home for a few days, Montreal and the Eastern States were hammered with a snow storm. Flights were canceled. And once again I was stuck in my hotel room with no place togo.
Fortunately, there was this great invention calledSkype.
“How’s my gorgeous little girl doing?” I said to my phone, the image of my three-week-old daughter peering back at me from the crook of Holly’s arm. She smiled—and I pretended her beautiful smile was for me and not due togas.
“Daddy misses you and can’t wait to hold you again.” To hold her for the short amount of time I would behome.
And when I say short time, I meant two days—as in less than forty-eight hours. That was as much time as the Canadiens could afford to lose mefor.
Lily made a little sound I interpreted to mean that she couldn’t wait for me to holdher.
The camera shifted, and both Holly and Lily came into view on thescreen.
“She misses you too,” Holly said. “We both do. Any news yet if you’re coming homesoon?”
“The team rebooked the tickets. I’ll be home Thursday.” In six days. “But I’ll only be there for twodays.”
“That’s okay. We’ll be happy to get even thatmuch.”
Holly’s smile? No, it didn’t fool meeither.
“Trent got tickets for your game at the end of the month.” When the Canadiens were scheduled to play in San Francisco. “And it won’t be much longer before you’re back for the summer,” sheadded.
“That’s right,” I said. “But then who knows what will happen afterthat…”
“What do youmean?”
“I’m going to be a free agent soon.” Holly and I had already discussedthis.
What did my becoming a free agent mean? It meant one of several things couldhappen.
The Canadiens or another NHL team might offer me a contract. If that didn’t happen, a European team might want me to play for them, which allowed me to keep playing hockey. The downside? I would have to move to Europe for a few years—which was worse than my current situation with theCanadiens.
And then there was door numberthree…
No one would wantme.
I’d have to start a new life—a life that no longer involvedhockey.
