Page 115 of Suck My Puck

“I thought Canadian Thanksgiving was in October.”

“It is, but my Mom’s family likes to celebrate US Thanksgiving whenever I’m able to visit them.”

She grins. “I didn’t know you were from Canada.”

“I’m not. My mom and her family are all Canadian though, and they live in the Victoria area. I was born in Michigan. That’s where my dad is from. I grew up visiting British Columbia multiple times a year to see my mom’s family. My parents divorced when I was in college, and my mom moved back to Victoria after that.”

“Sorry to hear your parents split up,” Bella says softly.

“It’s okay. It’s for the best. My dad’s been a workaholic his whole life and wasn’t the most attentive husband in the world. I realize that now that I’m older.”

I remember being a little kid and seeing my mom cook my dad’s favorite dinner for their anniversary every year. Sometimes she’d make reservations at a nice restaurant. Half the time he was late. And the other half, he’d call to say that he couldn’t make it because he was too busy with work. Because nothing mattered more than being a successful hockey coach, not even having dinner with his wife.

Even now I remember that sadness in her eyes when he couldn’t make it. How it happened year after year, until she finally got fed up and left him.

“That must have been really hard for your mom,” Bella says.

“It was. She really loved him. She tried for years to make things work with him, but you can’t make a relationship work with someone who’s never around.”

Bella nods, glancing down at Maizie as she sniffs a patch of mud along the sidewalk.

“What does your mom do for a living?” Bella asks

“She was a dietitian until she moved back to Victoria.”

“How cool.”

“Yeah, she loved it. She spends most of her time taking care of my grandparents now, since they’re getting up in age.”

“She sounds like a really sweet person,” Bella says.

“She is. She’d like you a lot.”

Bella smiles like she’s surprised and heartened all at once.

“So, does your dietician mom make you eat super healthy when you visit her?”

I chuckle. “Yeah, she always tries. I’m sure she’s going to have a healthy spread when I visit her next week and our family has Thanksgiving dinner.”

“Next week is Thanksgiving already?” Bella shakes her head. “That means I’ll have to see my parents.”

“You don’t sound excited about that.”

We stop walking when Maizie pauses to pee next to a tree.

“I’m not excited to force-feed myself dry turkey and listen to my parents lecture me about my life choices.”

“Then don’t.”

She looks up at me. “What?”

“Come to Canada with me.”

She blinks at me. “What?”

“Come to Canada with me,” I say. Excitement works its way up in my chest just thinking about Bella coming with me. I want her to meet my family. I want to take her on a fun and relaxing getaway so that she can rest and recharge after working so hard.

“You don’t have to come to my game,” I say quickly, remembering how she doesn’t like going to hockey games anymore. “But I can show you around Victoria.”

---