Page 8 of Hitting the Goal Line
When we get home, I notice that my dad’s car is in the driveway.
Part of me is angry that he was able to make it home early but not come to my game, but the fact that he is even home is taking some if that anger away.
I guess we are going to dinner after all.
Once Hunter parks the car in the driveway, I get out of the car quickly, grabbing my hockey bag before my mom yells at me, and run into the house to see my dad.
He’s in the living room, sitting on the couch watching something on his phone.
“Dad,” I say trying to get his attention and when he turns to me, I smile. “Guess what position Coach Martinez had me playing tonight?”
My dad puts his phone down on the coffee table and turns to face me, giving me a smile, one that doesn’t really reach his eyes. “What position?” He asks, actually sounding interested in what I got to say.
“Goalie. The other team was able to get two pucks past me and we lost but coach said that I did good. That I blocked eighty percent of the shots.”
My dad reaches over and pats me on the shoulder. “That great, buddy.” He gives me another smile before he looks over my shoulder. “Hunt, how was practice? Did you get a good work out in this morning?”
I turn to look at my brother, who is walking into the living room and beelines it to the recliner. “Practice was good. Coach said that come next year, I’m possibly going to start, so I have to work extra hard this summer to make sure that happens.”
My brother is currently in his sophomore year of high school and football is his life. Everything and anything he does, it has to be football related. Sometimes I wonder if he plays because he likes it, or because our dad wants him to play.
I also wonder if I should give up hockey all together and just play football instead. Maybe then my dad will come to my games.
“I know a camp that we can get you into. Keep you busy all summer long,” dad says, giving him a nod. Me and my game completely forgotten now. His attention is now on Hunter. Dad doesn’t even turn to look at Jainie when she comes and gives him a hug.
“Roy, I thought that we were going to meet at the restaurant,” mom says, walking into the living room, but staying by the entry way.
Dad turns slightly to look over at mom. “I thought that we just have dinner here. Make things easier.”
Mom doesn’t look happy about this. “We had a plan.”
“Well plans change. Let’s have dinner here.”
“Fine, but we are going to talk to the kids first and then we will see about dinner,” mom lets out, crossing her arms along her chest. She doesn’t look all that happy.
“Whatever you want,” dad answers, rolling his eyes when he turns away from her.
Mom grunts and I look over at my brother to silently ask if he has any answers as to what is going on, but he looks as confused as I feel.
“Talk to us about what?” Hunter asks, looking from mom then to dad. I do the same.
Mom looks at us three kids and eventually she lets out a sigh before coming to sit on the couch right next to me and takes me and Jainie in her arms as she answers Hunter’s question.
A sad smile spreads across my mom’s face and right away I know that whatever is going to come out of her mouth is going to be bad. She only smiles like that when something bad happens.
“We wanted to talk to you guys about your father and I are getting a divorce.”
“Divorce?” Both me and Hunter ask at the same time.
I may be ten but I know what that word means. A few of my friends at school and on the team have told me that their parents are divorced. That they are no longer married and that their parents now live in separate houses.
At first, I thought it was cool but now that I’m seeing how sad my mom looks as she talks about it, I don’t feel like that anymore.
“You guys are thinking about getting a divorce?” Hunter asks, leaning forward in his seat looking worried.
“Not thinking about it, doing it. We are getting a divorce,” my dad responds, his voice clipped like when he yells at Jainie and me for being too loud.
“What does divorce mean?” Jainie asks, looking up at our mom. She’s only six, she doesn’t know what any of this means.
