Page 2 of The Game Changer

“Thanks. It's still sinking in. He hasn’t benched me completely, but his professional opinion is I quit now while I still get to make that choice.”

“That makes sense. You’ve had a good career, right? Won the cup a few times?” she questions.

“That I have,” I confirm. I’m one of the few players to have been with the team through all five of the championship years. One ring for each finger on one hand. “Still doesn’t make hearing that I need to hang up my skates before I was mentally ready to any easier. I wanted to play for another few seasons.”

“I’m sure you’ll find something else to fill your days. And it's better to be alive than six feet under.”

“You’ve got me there,” I tell her. My body has finally adjusted to the brightness of the day. My vision has returned to normal, and my stomach has calmed down. With the distraction of talking to Jill, I realize that my body never went through some of the other stages that it does when I have one of these episodes. I never got the jittery feeling or the tiredness that almost always hits me right after. “Thanks for the water,” I tell her, “I think I’m going to head home. I’ve got some serious thinking to do and some phone calls to make.”

“Of course. Are you good enough to drive? I can take you home and then Uber it back here,” she offers.

“I’m good. Feeling almost one hundred percent back to normal. Thank you, though.”

“If you insist. Don’t be a stranger, call me if you need someone, even if it's just to bitch about your situation.”

“Thanks, Jill, have a good rest of your day,” I tell her before stepping off the sidewalk and heading across the parking lot for my truck.

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