Page 22 of Puck You
I could picture them both at the kitchen table, Bill reading some war hero’s biography and my mother journaling her daily affirmations.If she didn’t write things down, she was likely to forget them.
“You’re both coming for a home game this season, right?”
“Yes, of course,” Mom replied.“Bill spoke with Elijah last night to find a date that works.We’re going to come in February for the Penn State game.”
I propped open the refrigerator door to survey my options, eventually deciding to grab all the essentials for an egg sandwich.“Did Elijah mention anything about the fundraiser?”
She chuckled.“He mentioned something about a playerfrom the women’s team stealing the show.From what Elijah said, she made some pretty good points.”
I wasn’t surprised to hear that he’d had nice things to say about Grace.I could tell he liked her from the moment she insulted me.
“Mom, I need your advice,” I said, eager to change the subject.“Kate and I got into a huge fight last night, and I have no idea where we stand.”
I walked my mom through the night, starting with the gala and ending with our argument back at the house, keeping Grace out of the conversation.By the time I was done explaining, my sandwich was made, and I’d taken a seat at the table to eat.
“I can’t believe you left her there,” she said, and I would have bet a million dollars that she was shaking her head.
Ravenous, I took a large bite, nearly halving the sandwich in one go.I spoke as I chewed, managing a somewhat intelligible response.“It was awful, I know.I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“Do you think anything she said is true?”
I’d stayed up all night thinking about her words, trying to understand her side of things.Have you ever considered that you’re the one who’s changed, not me?I supposed she wasn’t entirely off base.Before the injury, I’d had more time to spend with her outside of hockey.But my recovery was a full-time job, and I’d taken some of that with me into the new season.I had to if I wanted to get back to where I was before blowing out my knee.
“Maybe we’ve both changed.”I glanced down at the remainder of my breakfast, no longer feeling hungry.
“How do you feel about that?”
“Confused,” I admitted.“It was wrong to blame her, but I apologized, and that was more than a year ago.I thought we’dmoved past it.”
“Maybe she hasn’t.”
It definitely seemed that way.“I owe her so much, and I don’t want to let go.”
“But?”she prompted.
I closed my eyes and leaned back, the old wooden chair groaning under my weight.“But I also felt relieved after she left.We’ve been fighting so much lately.”
“Kate is a wonderful person, Sebastian, and she chose to make sacrifices for your relationship.If you’re not willing to do the same, it might be time to let her go.Even if you don’t want to.”
A part of me didn’t want to accept that my mom was right.
“And what if it’s a mistake?”
“Sometimes mistakes are good,” she said.“They teach you important lessons.”
>> <<
Grace
My stomach was a mess of anxious flutters when I woke in the morning to find an email at the top of my inbox from Castillo’s assistant.Rather than a meeting time and location, it contained a brief explanation of why he no longer expected us to meet—something to do with an inflexible schedule.There was also an attached letter signed by the athletic director himself.
Ms.Gillman,
I apologize that we will not be able to discuss this matter in person.However, I have a gridlocked schedule for the next few weeks and consider the conversation we had at the fundraiser a sufficient verbal warning.Your actions last night were an embarrassment to this institution.The disruption of a school sanctioned event held to honor one of Dallard’s most generous supporters is unacceptable behavior, especially for a student athlete of your caliber.Fortunately, I was able to convince the hotel not to press trespassing charges.Please be advised that any additional disruptions that violate our student athlete policy will be met with appropriate disciplinary actions.If you would like to raise an official complaint regarding the school’s facilities, please do so through the proper channels as outlined on the student website.
Best,
Howard Castillo
