Page 95 of O Goalie Night
I take it in mine, almost certain that this is the first time I’ve shaken my brother's hand. If we embraced as kids, it was either a hug or a headlock.
I clear my throat. “Thanks for having me.”
He welcomes me into the house, a wreath jingling on the door as it closes. Removing my boots, I line them up neatly with the other footwear. I smile at the smallest pair.
He takes my coat and hangs it from a hook by the door. “Would you like a coffee?”
“I’d love one.”
Cody leads me through a hallway with framed pictures on the wall. I slow as I pass them, desperate for a glimpse into the last ten years of his life. He notices me lingering and backtracks to me.
“This was taken on Amelia’s first day of Kindergarten,” he says, pointing to the family portrait. Amelia sits between Cody and a blonde woman with glasses, her hopeful smile almost identical to the little girl.
“You all look really happy.”
“We were,” he chuckles. “Although, Amelia threw up about fifteen minutes after it was taken and all three of us were sick for a solid week with a stomach bug.”
I follow him into the kitchen and he pours me a cup of coffee. “Still take it black?”
“Yeah.”
He smiles. “Black coffee gives me heartburn now. Jenna got me on to oat milk and it’s not half bad.”
“Is Jenna your wife?” I’m almost embarrassed that I have to ask.
“Yeah. We got married when Amelia was four. She’d really like to meet you, sometime. She’s been after this reunion for years.”
I don’t say anything, because I don’t know what to say.I look around the kitchen. “This is a nice place.” A lot nicer than the house we grew up in.
“Thanks. We’ve been here for almost two years. We were in Markham, but moved here when the bank Jenna works for opened a new branch. We really like the area. It’s a young neighbourhood and there are a lot of kids around Amelia’s age.”
“And what do you do for work?”
He hesitates for the briefest moment. “I’m an accountant.”
I laugh without thinking and once I start, I can’t stop.
“I know, I know,” Cody smirks. “Get it out of your system.”
“I’m sorry.” I cover my mouth, trying to contain myself. “The guy who said math was for nerds became an accountant.”
“Numbers are my first language. I stopped fighting it years ago.”
“Do you like it?”
“I really do. It’s less stressful than hockey and a lot easier on the body. I mostly work from home, which is great for me. I get to be here when Amelia gets off the bus.” That’s something we definitely didn’t have when we were kids.
He motions to a small, oval dining room table. I take a seat across from him and we continue to drink our coffees. Even though it’s nice just sitting here, being with my brother in his peaceful home, it’s not why I came.
“You said you had some things to say?” I hope it doesn’t come out blunt, but I need Cody to start talking. We spent years avoiding it and look how that ended for us.
He clears his throat and rests his forearms on the table between us. “I take full responsibility for what happened between us, Foster. God, there’s so much to say I don’t even know where to start.”
“Start from the beginning. When I came home that first summer after being away all year.”
He nods and I sense he’s preparing himself to be vulnerable.
“I was so proud of you when you went to the junior league. We all were. But I missed you. I had just stopped playing hockey and your career was just beginning. I didn’t want to be jealous of you, but I was a little. I lost touch with my old hockey friends and the new ones I made weren’t the best guys.”
