Page 15 of Hitting the Goal Line
“Hunter!” Mom yells out.
“What the fuck was that for?”
“Blake!” Now mom is yelling at me.
“What? He’s the one that punched me. And while he’s driving, I might add,” I say rubbing my shoulder but still with a smirk in my face.
“You instigated it,” mom throws back, pulling my ear in the process. “And don’t curse. Now, Hunter, are you in love with this girl?”
My brother quickly looks over at me, giving me a death glare for giving mom more ammo to talk about his love life, but he should have known that that specific question was coming.
His face continues to go red as he answers mom’s question. “I think it’s too soon to tell, but I do see it going in that direction.”
“Aw, I love that. I can’t wait to meet her,” mom says and if I turn around right now, I’m sure that I will find her with her hand on her chest and a lovely dovey look on her face. “I am going to meet her, right?”
“Yes, mom. You’ll meet her.”
“Good. Blake take a note from your brother and don’t settle down with someone until you’re in college. Maybe even wait until after you graduate.”
I shrug as I watch Hunter take the exit to the airport. “I don’t plan on settling down until after I get drafted, maybe not until I sign my NHL contract and have a few years under my belt.”
“Big words coming from a sophomore in high school. At least Hunter is in college and already has draft papers. What makes you think you are even going to get drafted or that the NHL will want you,” Jainie, unwarrantably, adds to the conversation.
I turn around to narrow my eyes at her. If I was closer, I would pull her hair.
“Watch, I’m going to do it and leave you with your mouth wide open with no room to talk,” I say to her, sticking my tongue out in the process.
I’m about to sit back in my seat, when I look over at my mom and see that she has tears in her eyes and smile on her face.
“What’s wrong?” I ask her, starting to feel a little worried.
Jainie looks over at mom too, scooting over to take her hand.
“Nothing,” mom says shaking her head, wiping away the tears but still somehow has a smile on her face. “It’s just been so long since I’ve had the three of you like this. Fighting and sounding happy, I’ve missed it.”
We go silent as Hunter pulls into the parking garage and continue to stay that way well after he finds a parking spot. Eventually he breaks the silence.
“I’m sorry, ma,” he says, turning over in his seat and looks at our mom before reaching out and taking her hand in his.
“Oh, honey, no. This isn’t your fault,” mom reassures him, reaching over and patting his cheek.
“It kind of is. If I hadn’t move with dad, you would be getting moments like this all time. Not just on random occasions or when I finally realized that moving away so that I can concentrate on football was a dick move that probably hurt you more than you will ever admit.”
I would never tell him this, but he is right. It is kind of his fault that he’s not as close to me and Jainie as he used to be and that mom cries the majority of the time she talks to him on the phone. If he hadn’t move with dad, four hours away from us, we wouldn’t be sitting in an airport parking garage pouring our fucking hearts out.
Step one is admitting that you were in the wrong. So, I guess were going in the right direction.
“Hunter, you moving with your dad was the best decision for you. Like Jainie said, you have draft papers ready for you to fill out. If you would have stayed with me, there’s a possibility that you wouldn’t even be playing right now. But look at you, your team just won a bowl game and you have a shot at making a name for yourself in a few months. Have there been hard moments, sure. Do I wish that you were closer to your siblings that what the current state is? Of course, I do. But honey, you were just a kid. Me crying as I watch you guys laugh, and actually acting like siblings isn’t your fault, so get it out of your head that it is.”
Hunter tries to smile at mom but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
So, I decide to lighten the mood a little bit.
“I’m okay with blaming dad for all the bad stuff, if you guys are.”
The second that words leave my mouth, the three of them laugh and the tension that was developing in the car starts to disappear.
“I’m down for that,” Hunter says, smiling at the three of us.
