Page 7 of Safety Net
“Wow, am I finally worthy?” Sam asked sarcastically when I picked up his call.
“You are lucky you,” I said with a smile. I lifted my shoulder, holding the phone in place against my ear. “I’m a very busy guy, as you know.”
My hands were full with two crates I’d bought from a yard sale. A family down the street had been offloading all their Halloween supplies. Never mind it being the wrong season; I would have our rental house decorated by the time the guys and Naomi returned. It was never too early to do a practice run for a Halloween-themed murder mystery dinner.
“You better stay busy and ensure you’re at the rink tomorrow. Six AM sharp,” Sam said.
“What’s this for again?” I teased. The ladder Finn used to clean out the gutters rested on the side of the porch. I dumped the boxes at the bottom of the stairs and dragged the ladder to the side of the house, where I’d start what I’d call an art installation. Years ago, I learned labeling my projects as art helped my best friend, Henrik, accept things out of the ordinary.
Hen liked to color in the lines. The guy wouldn’t go outside without a tidy bedroom and an even tidier appearance.Christmas trees were for Christmas, pumpkin pie for Friendsgiving, and Halloween movies should never be spoken of before October 1st or after November 2nd. However, I had a vision that defied the concept of time. And Hen had an undeniable respect for art.
“Stop messing around, Lincoln,” Sam said as if he could see the wheels turning in my head. “Don’t screw this up.”
“Didn’t plan on it,” I promised, swallowing a far more cutting response. I resolved to channel my irritability about his nagging into my project.
I couldn’t fault Sam for anticipating a grievous lapse in judgment on my end. He had known me since high school, where I would often skip classes out of sheer boredom.
But hell, I’d appreciate fake trust. The low probability of my failure to rise to the occasion constantly haunted my thoughts. I didn’t need it hammered into my skull from an external source when my internal team had things covered.
I opened the ladder and positioned it under the roof. The installation involved rigging the ghosts to fall when someone opened the side door. I’d have to figure out how to make a clue to fall along with the ghosts as well. A sign tied around the ghosts’ necks might be the easier option. But a note swirling to the ground would be far more theatrical.
Sam exhaled. “I can hear you right now. You’re doing something you’re not supposed to do.”
“Something I’m not supposed to do?” I chuckled. “Who are you? My father?”
“I hear cars going by. So, you’re not inside studying or at the rink.”
“Why would I be studying? The semester doesn’t start for another week.” I grunted as I repositioned the ladder. Its legs wobbled enough to be a red flag. But if it had held a guy as heavy as Finn, it should be stable enough to house my weight.
“That doesn’t mean you can waste your time,” Sam said. “And you’re definitely not going to waste Anthony’s time. I stuck my neck out for you. He’s driving down early because I convinced him you were dedicated.”
“Sam, relax.” I put the phone on speaker, resting it on the porch railing before climbing. The ladder swayed but remained upright. “Once I meet him, I’ll prove I’m worth the drive up. Give me some credit.”
“Credit? Lincoln, you filed for bankruptcy years ago.”
“That was the old me, young and naïve. Fallen prey to shark loans. And living in your shadow,” I joked. “I’ve taken on the responsibility that was forced on me per your abandonment.”
Sam’s laugh was looser. He sounded more like himself.
My captain—ex-captain, now rival, eternal friend—was about three hundred miles away at a school with an angel as a mascot and one of the best hockey championship records in the country. He had transferred out of Mendell for a few reasons, one large, eclipsing one being his girlfriend, Aderyn: another captain, another leader, another person who got the short end of the stick.
Aderyn’s ex-stepfather – our former athletic director–got a little too comfortable with his gambling habit and decided to take his betting to new heights. Accusations were made (and proven), investigations were opened (and closed), and people got hurt (and recovered as best they could).
And so, the landscape of hockey and all other sports programs at Mendell shifted. We couldn’t undo the harm, but we could learn from it. We had a committee dedicated to athletic well-being. It was unfortunate it took a scandal to implement it, but still, it was a nice change.
Not finishing out the season during my junior year due to no fault of my own bred a special kind of disappointment. Four hockey seasons were equivalent to the blink of an eye. I’dlearned as much in high school. So, cutting a season short and letting all that momentum go to waste left a hole. Not having control over a massive part of my life, a part I once felt the most stable in, stole a decent chunk of my inner peace.
Sam was also no stranger to a lack of inner peace due to the scandal. Though he was gone, he still felt a responsibility to help his team. Help me. I appreciated his willingness. It led him to connect me with a former NHL goalie, Anthony Baker, who agreed to train me during my senior year.
“Anthony’s dedicated to what he does,” Sam said. “I think you can learn a lot from him if you take this seriously.”
“What did I say about the new me?” I’m at the top of the ladder now. Finn did an incredible job on our gutters. There was plenty of space to latch a few hooks up here, along with my trip wire.
“I mean it.” I leaned forward, trying to get a better look at the shingles and a concerning dark splotch that could be mold.
“What’s going on?” Sam asked. “I can’t hear you that well anymore.”
“I said—” I cut myself short when the rung beneath my foot gave out. I’d been so focused on the ladder’s legs, I hadn’t paid attention to the rungs. The wood had rotted thanks to the undoubted years it spent in the elements. The Ables (who happened to be Celeste’s parents) were the couple we rented the house from and were notoriously bad at maintaining much of anything.
