Page 21 of Hutch
“I’m from the coal fields. We’re anywhere from five to ten degrees warmer than most of the state.”
“But it does get cold and it snows?”
“Sure, but…”
“No buts.” He shoves three sets of skates at me. “Try these on. If they’re too tight or too big they won’t work.”
“Are you not listening to me?” I all but growl.
“I am, but I want to show you why I love hockey so much. It’s not about the sport, not really. It’s about the ice and the feeling I get when I’m on it. You sounded like you had a bad day and when I feel like shit, the ice always makes me feel better. I want to do that for you.”
That’s actually kind of sweet, but he and I are not the same person. I don’t see any bonus to getting out on a slippery surface on shoes with blades attached. Blades that could potentially do me serious harm.
“I’m not going to let you fall.” He smiles slightly at my hesitation. “I swear. Now, will you please try on the skates? I promised my mom I’d come over for dinner later, but I want to show you this too.”
“These are too expensive.”
“These are cheap compared to mine.”
“I can’t afford these.”
“But I can.” He waves away my protests. “I have tons of scholarships. My mom made sure I got good grades in high school for that reason alone. She wanted to make sure I wasn’t just an athlete. She wanted me to get an education and I did. I clear more money a semester from scholarships and grants than some people do in a year. Trust me, I can do this for you.”
Even if he can, I don’t like it. Nana raised us to only rely on ourselves and no one else. You can’t be beholden to anyone if you never ask them for anything. Maybe it’s pride, maybe it’s something else. Either way, I’m not comfortable letting him buy skates that cost five hundred freaking dollars!
When I don’t move, he sighs and gets down on his knees in front of me and starts removing my shoes.
“Hey!”
“What? We need to get this show on the road.” He takes the first set of skates and puts one on my right foot, testing the fit. “Nope. Too loose.”
Three pairs later, he finds ones he likes. They do fit better than the previous ones. He laces them up and puts his fingers down the inside.
“They fit like a glove. These are the ones.”
He takes the pair and passes it to the sales guy, who says not a word, but he can’t hide his grin.
Men are stupid.
“I’m not…”
He puts a finger to my lips. “Hush. Let me do something nice for you and if not for you, then for me. I’ve had a shit day too and this will make me feel better.”
Grudgingly I nod. I still don’t like it.
He smiles like he’s won the lottery.
It’s not until we’re in his Jeep and driving back toward campus that he speaks again. His voice is husky and full of joy as he talks about the first time he got on the ice.
“Your dad introduced you to it?”
“Yeah. I was four and he took me to the same store I did you to get me my first pair of skates. I remember we went to this little rink on the other side of town. It was colder in there than it was outside.”
“Is that where we’re going?”
“Nah. That place closed down years ago. We’re going to the rink on campus.”
“Am I even allowed in there? Isn’t it just for hockey practice?” I can’t afford to get into trouble for being somewhere I’m not supposed to be and possibly getting kicked out of school or put on probation or something. I could lose my scholarship.
