“Donna and I are going to spend the game gathering signatures to remodel the dog park, so we need somewhere for these fur babies to hang out.”
“Oh, okay,” I say. Wyatt has a puppy gnawing on his shoelaces while I have one clinging to the hem of my jeans.
“Just shut the gate and they’ll be fine,” Aunt Camille says, then she and Donna take off.
“We totally should have expected this,” Wyatt says.
“We really should have,” I answer.
The puppies explore the small square area, and we both notice one of them has already peed on the carpet.
“Do you think they can escape?” he asks.
I shrug. “Maybe we should help them?” I’m only half joking.
Just as Wyatt and I are able to clear a space on the couch to sit, I hear Olivia scream from somewhere behind us, “Sooooppphhhieeee!”
I twist around and scan each row until I find her. They’re on the very top row—basically as far away from us as possible.
Throwing my arm up, I wave and she waves back. I expected to see Charlie and Wes—both of them grin and wave at me from their nosebleed seats—but I wasn’t expecting to see Sara, Graham, and Jake, too.
“Is that your family up there?” Wyatt asks.
I spin back around. “Yes. And I had no idea they were all coming. This date thing has moved to a really weird level where my family feels overly invested.”
Wyatt laughs and sits down next to me. “I think it’s cool you have a big family. Mine doesn’t even fill up my mom’s dining room table.”
The lights dim and a spotlight shines on the ice, highlighting a girl in a fancy red dress and skates who sings the National Anthem.
Just as she finishes singing, Olivia says, “Hey!”
I swivel around on the couch. My family members are standing at the gate to the box, looking as eager to be let in as the puppies are eager to get out. Wes stands toward the back as if he isn’t quite sure what he’s doing here.
Wyatt must be able to read their expressions, too, because he says, “Y’all want to sit down here with us?”
Anyone listening can tell he’s just being nice, but they immediately jump inside.
Charlie plops down on a recliner with one of the puppies in his lap. “Man, this is how you’re supposed to watch one of these games.” Graham and Jake are leaning over the short wall so they can chat with the girls sitting in the next box. Sara and Olivia sit on the floor, even though the carpet looks questionable, and both are completely covered up in puppies within seconds.
I’ve never seen a hockey game before, even on TV, so I spend equal time during the first period watching the ice and making sure none of the dogs escape. It’s hard not to be mesmerized by the action right in front of us…as much as we can be while also wrangling eight puppies.
The announcer screams, “Power play!” and everyone cheers.
“What does that mean?” I ask to no one in particular.
Wyatt opens his mouth to answer, but Jake plops down on the couch next to me.
“Number twenty-three on the other team is in the box for slashing, so that means we have more players on the ice than they do,” he says.
Graham sits on the floor in front of me and scoops three of the puppies in his lap. “It’s the best time to try to score.”
Players slam each other against the Plexiglas wall, and we’re inches from the action. Thanks to the running commentary by Jake and Graham, I now have a working knowledge of power plays, lighting the lamp, and breakaways.
Wyatt leans around Jake and says, “I’m heading to the restroom. Want me to bring anything back from the concession stand?”
Jake says, “Popcorn!” I elbow him in the side. “What?”
I give him a look. “I’m good, Wyatt. Thanks!”
