The Tales of a Future Hockey Wife

Chapter 24: The Spits VS. The Frontenacs.

~Ben~

When I was growing up, we didn't have much. We lived in a small bungalow in the shadiest part of South Victoria. My sister, Megan, and I used to sleep in the same bedroom until my father got a promotion when I was thirteen. That promotion allowed us to move to a nicer neighborhood, in a house that was ours, and not a rental. That house had two bedrooms and an office that my parents transformed in a room that became Megan's. Even then, hockey was a luxury my parents could barely afford. They earned enough to pay for my season but finding money to pay for the equipment I seemed to outgrow every year was the tricky part. They mostly got me used equipment. Everything they could find online, they would buy and resell the year after to pay for the new stuff I needed. I will always be forever grateful to them. Not once did I hear that I couldn't play because we didn't have the money. Not once did they complain about early morning trainings and practices. Not once did they refuse to drive me to the arena, no matter how far it was from our house. Not once did they tell Megan she couldn't continue her piano lessons. Not once did they complain in front of us. We never knew we had money problems.

When I met Eleanor, I never thought she would be interested in a guy like me. I had noticed her in school way before we actually talked. She was smart, brilliant, funny, and, I'll admit, she was very beautiful. She is still all those things. The more we spoke, the more I realized that she was exactly what I needed in my life. She was the calm I needed in the storm that was becoming my reality. The day before I met her, I got into a fight with my dad about my future plans to drop out of school. He strongly advised me not to, even threatening to stop paying for hockey if I went through with it. He eventually came to his senses after he read that most players who want to make it to the NHL drop out to focus on the sport. He wasn't happy about it, but he supported me, and so did Eleanor. I knew she wasn't thrilled about it, but she never complained. She had never said a word about it until Saturday night when we had our biggest fight yet. She told me everything I always dreaded when she told me that, if I fail, I can't blame no one but myself. She's 100% right, it just hurts to admit it which is why I didn't. Instead, I tried to make it up to her by getting her the best tickets to tonight's game. It's the best I can do. I don't have enough money to get her something nice or bring her to a fancy restaurant like most of the guys on the team would do. I know she doesn't care about that, but it would be nice not to have to worry about money all the time.

This is what I think about in the locker room before the game. I know I have to give a speech to pump up the guys before the game, but I don't have any inspiration tonight. I usually talk about teamwork or how we are stronger than the other team, but the words that pop into my mind seem meaningless tonight. She didn't call me like she usually does when she comes to a game. I brush it off, thinking that she is probably too busy entertaining her friends to text me, and it works. I imagine her showing them around while talking about the team's accomplishments with a proud voice. It works enough for me to gather the courage to get up to talk to my boys with the same confident tone and attitude. It'll be a good one tonight.

I walk on the ice when I hear the commentator's voice shouting my name. It always gives me the same adrenaline rush. Hearing the crowd cheer the second they hear my name makes me feel invincible. I transform into my best-self when my skates touch the ice. This is me. This is where I belong. I can't see El and her friends since their seats are on the opposite side of the arena from where I am standing when some girl sings the national anthem. It's always been the same girl. For the last two years and a half, at every home game, it's always her and her squeaky voice. Someone once told me they pick her because she is the arena's owner's niece. Niece or not, her voice is awful. It's always a conversation topic at the bar after the games. "Was she worse today or last time?" She always seems to outdo herself in the horrendous department. Every time sounds more awful than the previous one, and tonight is no exception. Right before her performance, she apologized, apparently, she has a cold today, so if we find her voice less melodious than usual it's because of the awful virus affecting her. Toby, our best defenseman, laughed under his breath for the whole song. I could see him even if we were on opposite sides of the ice.

After her awful performance, it's finally time to start the clock. The timer has been set to twenty minutes, we start with the faceoff that we easily win. Hunter, the right wing passes me the puck, and I start to skate as fast as I can towards the opposite side of the ice. As I make my way towards the goaler with enough lead to easily score without being disturbed by their defensemen, I look up to where Eleanor should be sitting. I want to see her face when I score with only two minutes down. I know exactly where her seats are, I handpicked them yesterday morning. My eyes scan the arena in hopes that she will wave, so I can spot her more easily, but I see nothing. I spot them seconds later. The three empty seats in the VIP zone reserved for friends and family. I can't look away from them. She didn't come. I don't understand. I don't have time to clear my head, I feel something hit me on the back. I think I must fall forward because my head hits the ice with a loud noise in my ears. Everything goes black and I fall deeper and deeper into the darkness until I can't feel a thing.

First chapter in Ben's POV! This is it, we're at the exciting part now 🙊