Page 111 of Bad Teammate
“Okay. I’m glad you’re being honest about it now. Do you believe you have a drinking problem?”
“I don’t believe I do—IknowI do. I thought I could control it, but I’m seeing now that I’m helpless around alcohol, just like my father.”
“Good to hear. Although Ihaveheard you say something like that before. How is this time different?”
“I’m willing to get help,” Niko said. “No—not willing to get help. Ineedto get help. Because I can’t do it on my own. Katya has helped me see that. I won’t throw my potential away because of alcohol. It’s not worth it. I’ve worked so hard to get to this point. Katya and so many other people have sacrificed so much for me to get here. If I didn’t try to get better, it’d be like slapping her in the face, and spitting on everything she and everyone else did for me.”
“So what’s your plan?” Mr. Bowfield asked.
“I’m going to do a thirty-day rehab program. And after that, we’ll go from there, one day at a time. I know it won’t be easy, but like I said, I want to get better. As a boy growing up in Moscow, all I wanted to be was a hockey player in America. I don’t want to give up on that dream.”
“That’s very promising to hear. Very, very promising.”Mr. Bowfield swiveled in his executive chair, trying to tamp down a curious smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. “But there’s still the other issue.” He pointed at me and Katerina. “How do you feel about your sister banging your teammate? Do you really expect to get along with a guy who’s going balls deep on your sister every night?”
Here come those off-color remarks,I thought, clenching my teeth.Mr. Bowfield was intentionally stirring the pot to see if he could bait an outburst from Niko.
But Niko took a deep breath and stayed calm.
“I hated it at first,” he admitted, casting his eyes at the two of us. “I could tell they had chemistry from the moment they met. But they both denied it, and that just made me crazier. I started to think that Derek was just using Katya for sex. I lost my cool and that’s why I lashed out. Not just today at practice, but other times, too.”
“But now?” Mr. Bowfield asked.
“But now, they both say they’ve found something special in each other, and I believe them. My sister is a very talented musician, but she stopped playing the piano years ago—and it’s all my fault. Yet she played piano for the first time in years, just for Derek.” He shook his head. “I can see how much they like each other. As long as he’s serious about her, and treats her right, I don’t have a problem with it.”
Mr. Bowfield smirked at me. “Sounds like you better treat her right, kid.”
“I will,” I said. “So does that mean you’re keeping Niko?”
His smile faded. “Not exactly.”
“Why not?”
“Like I said a minute ago: you’re late.”
“What?” I gasped. “You’ve already traded him?”
Katerina piled on. “Why’d you let us get our hopes up?”
“I’m really sorry,” he said with a sigh. “I wish you guys would’ve made it here a few minutes earlier, because rehab is a promising first step. I might have been convinced. But the paperwork is already done.”
Mr. Bowfield reached into a drawer, pulled out a stapled stack of papers, and slid it across the desk. Niko and I leaned forward to examine the trade agreement. The trade was with Pittsburgh and Mr. Bowfield had already signed on the dotted line.
Niko and I leafed through the trade, poring over every player and draft pick involved. The trade was a king’s ransom—butIstillbelieved in Niko.
“With all due respect, Mr. Bowfield,” I began, “you’re making a mistake. Niko’s going to be better than all these guys put together.”
“If he gets sober, yes, he absolutely will be,” he agreed. “But right now, it doesn’t matter if he gets sober or not. I’ve traded him. It’s too late—there are no givebacksin NHL trades. It’s over and done with. I can’t do anything.”
The three of us looked at each other, exchanging defeated glances. We were stunned. We’dreallybelieved that everything would all work out. It wasn’t supposed to end like this.
“So, I still recommend you go to rehab,” Mr. Bowfield said, “but you don’t have to do it for this organization’s sake, because it’s already too late. You should probably meet with Pittsburgh before you go to rehab.”
Niko shook his head. “No. I’m doing it today. Soyou’dbetter call Pittsburgh and tell them that I’ll join the team in thirty days, after I get out of rehab.”
“You’re going to piss your new team off if you do that, Niko,” Mr. Bowfield warned. “Better to meet with them first and see what they want you to do.”
“I don’t care what they want me to do. I know what I must do.” Niko stubbornly folded his arms. “If I put this off today, I might not do it tomorrow. I have to do thisnow,while I still have the will to do it. Tomorrow might be too late.”
A grin slowly began to pull at Mr. Bowfield’s cheeks. “You’re that serious about going to rehab, eh?”
