“I’m fortunate,” I agree.
There are four condos on each floor that make L’s around the building, so everyone has two large walls of windows in two directions. To the right of my condo are Skylar and her parents. To the left and separating our condos by the first of two elevators are Ellie and Paul. The condo opposite mine houses three corporate women who work some mad hours. I’ve met one in passing and I get the feeling everything has a price, including the ten seconds she spared me to introduce herself. I walked away feeling like I owed her twenty bucks for those ten seconds.
This time of day usually means the lobby is busy with people heading out to work and kids getting ready to be picked up by the bus. I’m not surprised when the elevator makes a stop on floor nine and again on floor five, picking up residents for the start of their morning commute.
We don’t join the crowd but veer off to the left and toward the first-floor amenities. I glance in at the pool and see Mario Simpson from the seventh floor making laps in the pool. I nod in his direction. “He was an Olympic swimmer,” I tell Arush.
“Yeah?” Arush asks, pausing to peek in at the pool. “Did he win?”
“Silver twice and a bronze last year. I’m not sure if he’s going to compete again.”
“I think I’d be obsessed with competing until I manage a gold, if that’s the case. He’s so close,” Arush says.
I nod. “He is, but he did place all three times he competed. That’s a huge accomplishment.”
Arush hums in agreement as we head for the gym.
As far as condo gyms are concerned, this one is decently tricked out. There are three bikes, four treadmills, a wall of weights, and a handful of other machines. It was another major pro to this building when I was looking for a place to live.
The team, like most, prefers if we do weight training and conditioning at their facility where our physical trainers, coaches, and team management can observe but they also understand that we live in the north where storms might make it safer for us to stay home and work out. That’s the risk you take living here.
There are three people already there: a young woman I don’t recognize, wearing headphones and lifting weights in the corner, and Tobias and James—the beefcakes of floor four.
As soon as I open the door, the two men look up. “Heyyyy,” James says, his smile splitting his face.
“Eleven!” the two men chorus together.
I chuckle. “Four!” I return, though my enthusiasm isn’t nearly as loud as theirs.
We meet them in the middle and do the whole fist-bump thing.
“Haven’t seen you in ages, man,” Tobias says to me as he claps Arush on the arm. Arush shifts at the impact. Tobias is one of those guys who doesn’t realize the strength in his playful punches.
“Hockey’s finally over,” James says as I make my way to the treadmill to warm up. Arush follows.
I nod. “Yep, so here I am.”
“Cool, man,” James says.
“You glad it’s over?” Tobias asks.
I shrug as I start up the machine. “Eh. Yes and no. It was a tough season, and I think we all needed to stop and regroup so we can return with a clear head instead of the weight of mountainous losses hanging over us. But then, I love hockey, so yeah, I’m going to miss it.”
“It was definitely a rough season,” James agrees. “You carried Chicago.”
I shake my head, though beside me, Arush is nodding along. I try not to grin. “I didn’t,” I insist. “Hockey is a team sport.”
“Dude, you made half the goals for the entire season,” Tobias argues. “Then, as if that’s not enough, you also started doubling as defense. Like, where were the guys getting paid to be defensemen?”
“I didn’t make half the goals,” I argue, though I don’t know if that’s true at all. I never thought to keep track. “I’m not going to badmouth my team. Bottom line, we had a tough season, and we’ll be better next year. Everyone has an off year. This was ours.”
“That mean you’re staying?” James asks. “You’re not being traded?”
I called my agent yesterday, and she said that there’s talk around three different teams I could be traded to. I made a really good impression this year, not just by points scored, but also by my versatility on the ice. However, she also said that Chicago noted the same and don’t want to let me go. I’m not the best player on the team in skill and experience, but Iwasthe best player this year. I was one of the few who had my shit together.
I truly believe we were just having an off season. I know for certain that most of my teammates can kick some damn ass. I’ve watched them for most of my hockey career, as one does. I know they can do better than they did.
The door to the gym opens again and Ellie and Paul step inside with Mittens on a harness.
