Page 93 of Second Round

“That’s great to hear, Rico. Sounds like you did a ton of hard work this summer, both internally andexternally.”

He leaned towards me. “But Coach, I wouldn’t have done it without you encouraging me. I always thought that therapy was for guys who were, you know, weak or nuts or something. When you said you’d done it, I was shocked. You’re sotogether.”

“Thank you. Most people need help at some point in theirlives.”

Merde.Why did it take so long for me to turn on this particular light bulb? Everything was going great at work, but I still had this nagging discontent. I was having trouble sleeping, and I was irritable. I needed to talk to someone before things got worse. And luckily, I already knew the resourcesavailablehere.

35

TwoPrinces

Leo

After our special teams meeting,I went back to my office. When I checked my phone, there was one unusual message. Tristan Wagner hadtextedme.

Hey Leo. I got the A this season! Thx for allyourhelp.

I chuckled. I hadn’t even done that much for the kid, but we’d definitely worked on his confidence. I hesitated for a minute, and then decided tocallhim.

“CoachLeo?”

“Hey, buddy. How’s itgoing?”

“Great. I’m on a new team this year. We’re in East Van, and I can walk to the arena from ourhouse.”

“So, you’re an alternatecaptain?”

“Yeah. This season, I’m one of the best players on the team. I think it’s all the work we did in thesummer.”

Maybe. But hockey at his age was like that because it spanned two years. So each year, you were either the best or the worst. Built-in humility. It was all good for Tristan though, since he was in a new place. Boys were predictable: if you were a good player, guys would want to be your friend. Hell, it still happened in the professionalranks.

Regardless, I’d take credit for it. “Well, you worked hard. I’ll have to come by and see one of your gamessometime.”

“Wow, really? I told some guys I knew you, but I never thoughtyou’d—”

He didn’t finish that sentence. That was an emotion I knew well, Charlotte’s disappointment when someone she’d grown to like wasn’t around anymore. The first time it happened, she had cried, but now she never said a word. I hoped that by the time I saw her in person, Charlotte would have forgotten how much she likedJackie.

But I doubted that. The difference was that my other girlfriends had been nice to Charlotte to score points with me. Jackie had appreciated Charlotte for herself, and that was something my daughter understoodperfectly.

“Just because your mom and me aren’t seeing each other anymore doesn’t mean you can’t call and ask for advice anytime,” Ioffered.

“Sweet. Thanksalot.”

“No problem. Send me your schedule, and I’ll see if I can drop bysometime.”

Two weeks later,I was driving to a rink in East Vancouver on a Sunday. We’d played on Friday and Saturday nights, and while I should have been going over game video, I needed a little break. Keeping my promise to watch an Atom house team wasimportant.

And truthfully, it was a chance to see Jackie again. While she had been in my life almost constantly for months, now I never ran into her. Vancouver was a big place, and she had moved into a new neighbourhood and a new life. I missed her a lot. How would she react to seeing me? The image of Jackie’s agonized face when she left was seared into my memory. I had hurt a fragile human being, and I felt like shit about the way things had played out. Maybe she hated me now. It would be painful to see her affection turned to disgust. But on the other hand, what if she smiledatme?

Britannia was an old arena. I liked these rinks; they brought back memories of my own childhood and the early mornings with my dad. I stood by the glass. It didn’t take long to pick out Tris. He had a distinctive upright style of skating. He’d probably get more power if he bent his knees more, but I hadn’t had enough time to work with him on the ice. Coaching him was so different, more fun and personal. But it had also felt important, like I was passing on my hockey knowledge throughgenerations.

Tris looked good. He looked confident, which was key. After a whistle, he skated near me, and I raised my hand. He grinned and ducked his head ingreeting.

After making myself known, I finally checked out the stands. Jackie was there, of course. She was sitting by herself, dressed in a down jacket and jeans. Her hair looked messy and sexy. I felt the immediate attraction—like the chilly arena had heated up. Our eyes met, and she smiled in her friendly,naturalway.

Okay, at least I wasn’t on the most hated list. I crossed over to the stands and took the steps two at a time until I reached her. So far, everything was going as I’dhoped.

“Hey, Leo. The Vice must be in big trouble if you’re scouting Atomgames.”

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