Page 65 of Second Round

“They are yours though. So wherever I go, those darn cats will be there.” I assumed that I could take the paintings; Jackie got them specifically for Charlotte. If not, I’d buy them from the leasingcompany.

“You should get a real pet.” This was Charlotte’s favouritecampaign.

I put her down. “I’m too busy to take care of a pet. Now, let’s get youunpacked.”

“If you got a cat, I could take care of it while I’m here. And I saw this machine that releases cat food on a timer. You wouldn’t have to do anythingatall.”

“What about the stuff that comes out the other end?” I opened up her two suitcases. Sophie had packed way too many clothes, even for a month’s stay. I handed the folded piles to Charlotte toputaway.

She giggled. “Eww, Papa, that’s gross. Oh, I know! I could teach the cat how to use the toilet. I’ve seen videos of cats who candothat.”

“Jackie has a cat.” I had to change the subject before Charlotte had transformed my place into an automated cat careparadise.

“She does?” Charlotte was carefully separating her tops and bottoms into different drawers. She took after me when it came to organization. “Do I have to meetherkids?”

“Do you want tomeetthem?”

“I guess.” Her face was solemn. “They’re older. Sometimes older kids are nice and sometimes they’re mean. I wish Danilivedhere.”

Dani was her best friend in Montréal. When I grew up, our house was always full of kids, but Charlotte hated too muchstimulation.

It didn’t take long to get her unpacked and ready for bed. She could barely keep her eyes open by the time I tucked her in. But sometime in the night, she woke up and slipped into my bed. I debated taking her back, but decided to let her stay. The sweet smell of my little girl was something I’d missed. Even though we talked nearly every night, she was always different and new when I saw her in person. I worried that someday she would outgrow her straightforward adoration of me. And in the darkness, I felt a new sensation—almost like fear. This was the longest I’d ever looked after Charlotte on my own. And I had to work too. Was it all going tobeokay?

Noelle was the college student that Jackie had found to look after Charlotte. There were two candidates, both with references, and Noelle was the smarter, more energetic one. Although it was the first time I’d interviewed anyone unrelated to hockey and I had no idea what the right questions were, so I asked her about overcomingadversity.

On Monday morning Noelle was late, and Charlotte’s anxiety was beginningtorise.

“Is she nice, Papa? What if I don’t like her? Can I call you and you can come homeagain?”

“Sure. You have your phone, right?” Sophie gave Charlotte a cellphone, which was ridiculous at her age, but it came in handy for situations like this. “But you have to give her a chance. There’s been lots of people you didn’t like at first, but you likedlater.”

“Likewho?”

“Like, uh, Anita.” She was my girlfriend inAlbany.

“I never really liked Anita. She was too grabby.” Another of Charlotte’s quirks was that she only liked certain people touching her. “Mamanthinks you shouldsettledown.”

“Really?”

Charlotte nodded. “She thinks you’re too old to keep having so many girlfriends. She says it’s bad for me to formattachementsto people who are gone in a few months.” That seemed to be a direct quote right down to the mixed French and English that Sophie used when she wasstressed.

“And how do you feel?” That was the most importantthing.

She swung her legs from the kitchen chair as she considered this. “I feel like I don’t want to like the nice ones because they’re going to be gone soon. But I don’t have to worry about theyuckyones.”

Then Noelle arrived, full of apologies about transit problems. I had already prepared a schedule for her, so I handed it over, hugged Charlotte, and rushed offtowork.

In the middle of a strategy meeting with Lucky, Swanny, and the coaching staff of the Millionaires, I noticed that I had three missed calls from Charlotte. I excused myself and went out in the hall to callherback.

“Papa, I want you to come home. Now. Right now,” she whispered into thephone.

“What’swrong?”

“You said you’d come home if I needed you. Please,please.”

“Where’sNoelle?”

“She’s out in the kitchen. But she wants to go outside all the time. She doesn’t know any inside games. She’s not one of us, Dad.” That was Charlotte’s expression for people whounderstoodher.