“But I look good in it. Admit it.”
I’m no longer the youngest guy on the team, Julian is. But I’m still the one that gets the most indulgent looks from the older players. Like I am now.
“You sure do, son,” Hilt says, gripping my shoulder.
I huff as we head out to the waiting car that’s going to drive us twelve minutes down the road. I both love and hate when Hilt teases me like I’m one of his kids. Okay, I don’t hate it at all. Even when he’s maybe mocking me a little.
The restaurant is nice. It’s decorated elegantly in festive fall colors and decorations. There aren’t a ton of people here, but it might be the time of day. We opted to eat at three to give us enough time for our food to digest and maybe work some of it off in the gym or pool before we crash for the night.
The meal is likely already pre-prepared by the time we sit. We’re given a variety of drinks to choose from before our plates—loaded with ‘traditional’ Thanksgiving meal dishes—are placed before us, along with a heaping basket of rolls.
You know the food is good when no one speaks for several minutes while we try each item. I’m not a fan of green things, but I even love the green bean casserole. And these yams, man. I need the recipe.
“You talk to your family?” Horny asks Hilt.
Hilt nods. He has four kids; the oldest is sixteen, and the youngest is six. He and his wife are still adorable together, even though they’ve been married for twenty years. They got married right out of high school. It’s really sweet.
“Yep. They’re not eating for a while. Letty’s mom is down, so I feel good that it’s not just her and the kids. We were going to video while they had their meal so I was ‘there,’ but then we thought it would be too weird, so I’ll call them on the video later.”
“That must be hard,” Etna says.
He shrugs. “In some ways, but you get used to it. It helps having a partner like Letty. She knew what she was signing up for when we got married, and I was drafted a month later. She’s truly amazing. The things that I worry about aren’t our marriage while I’m still playing. It’s when I retire.”
“Why?” Julian asks. “Shouldn’t things be even better then?”
“I’ve missed at least half of their lives. Almost all their games, competitions, and milestones because I spend so much time with hockey. Our games take place when their games do. I travel constantly. They know I love them, and I’d do anything for them, but they’re also used to a life where Dad isn’t around and Mom is the queen of the roost. That’s not something they’re going to forget. So I’m providing them with a comfortable life at the cost that I miss most of it.”
“Wow,” I say. “That’s a lot more depressing than I thought it would be.”
He chuckles. “The part I’m worried about isn’t being completely present in their lives. It’s being completely presentin Letty’s. So much of the time, she’s the leader of a single-parent household. There is no discussing it with Dad because Dad’s 500 miles away. While I would never dream of challenging or changing her parenting style, I’ve never been around enough during the school year, their sports seasons, and such to be a truly active participant. Who knows how we’ll clash?”
“You’re assuming you will,” Julian says.
“True, and I’m really not, even though that’s what it sounds like. It’s just a possibility that worries me.”
“I guess maybe I’m glad I don’t have a family right now,” Horny admits. “I don’t know that I’d want to miss them all the time.”
Hilt nods. “That’s very true. I miss them all the time.”
“What about you, Jules?” Horny asks.
Julian nods, shrugging at the same time. “I want a partner. I want someone to come home to. Someone who misses me and texts me when they’re thinking about me. Right now, I have my empty apartment and it’s… a little cold. Lifeless. There’s no warmth.”
“You could get a dog,” Horny suggests.
“We’re traveling for an entire month right now. That means a kennel. That’s no life for a dog.”
I look at Etna. “We should get a dog.”
He meets my eyes with an eyebrow raised. “Did you not just hear Julian? Kenneling a dog for a month at a time is no way to own a dog.”
I huff.
“Meanwhile, you’re already an old married couple and don’t know it,” Hilt says. Once again, the entire table gives me that indulgent look I’m used to. Humoring me. Even Etna’s looking at me that way. As if that comment wasn’t directed at him, too.
It’s not the first time we’ve heard the comment. I don’t care. There are worse ways to spend my days than with my best friend.Especially if we consider what Julian just said. He’s alone and lonely. We’re not.
After three platesof food apiece, three or so of the most delicious rolls, and too many slices of various pies to count, I’m feeling like I just ate my weight in Thanksgiving goodness. Despite the windchill, we opt to walk back to the hotel.
