“I don't really see it as being tied down. Just starting a new chapter of my life with a person who's really special to me and has been for a while now.”
“Alright, alright. I hear you. Young love. Very precious.” Kallum chuckles to himself sardonically.
I open my mouth but Connor gives me a look and shakes his head. Ignoring that Connor was the one who brought up Violet, I let it go.
We enter the conference room and head toward the back, taking a seat next to our goalies who are currently in a heated discussion about whether a Hawaiian deep-dish pizza includes alayer of just pineapple or pineapple dispersed throughout the pizza. A few minutes later our coaches stroll in. Coach Patrick quickly rattles off the highlights of our game before spending the majority of the meeting discussing areas of improvement. Win or lose, there’s always room to grow. The Rangers haven’t gotten remotely close to the Stanley Cup in years, and I plan to be the one to change that. Although I’ve been on a hot streak lately, which has helped my team secure the #1 spot in our division, I know I need to keep my head on straight. It’s one thing to have a solid start to my rookie year and win a bunch of games during the regular season. It’s a completely different beast to be a stand-out player during the playoffs when you’re up against some of the best hockey players in the league.
Toward the end of the meeting, Rowan names me player of the game. The room breaks out into a sea of cheers and chirps as he reaches into his gym bag, pulls out a tattered old cowboy hat, and places it on my head the way an archbishop would crown a king. Rowan’s first year on the team, about ten years ago, the Rangers were one win away from making it to the playoffs. Rowan scored the final goal, securing their playoff spot. That’s his last memory of the night as the team immediately went out to celebrate. He woke up the next morning with a hangover from hell and completely naked sans the cowboy hat on his head. From that night on the cowboy hat was gifted to the MVP of the game, along with the cautionary advice to never mix tequila, beer, and whiskey.
The meeting concluded with a reminder that we’d be playing the Canadiens and Bruins next week. The latter had a near-perfect season and would be one of our biggest challenges yet. A few of the boys discuss grabbing brunch at the hotel restaurant but I politely pass, wanting to get back to Violet as soon as possible. Before I can slide out of the room, Coach asks if I can hang back for a minute.
A wave of nerves hit me as we wait for the room to empty. The world of professional hockey could get very political, andwhile I knew I was doing well, I wouldn’t be the first rookie who was having a killer year but got sent back down to the farm team because they needed to open up salary space.
“Is everything alright Coach?”
Coach Patrick is one of the warmest people I’ve ever worked with. So I’m not sure if he looks happy because he has good news, or if that’s just his permanent state.
“We’ve been really impressed by your game lately Mason. The way you’ve gelled with the rest of the team, and created so many openings for us hasn’t gone unnoticed.”
“Thanks Coach. I’m very excited to be here.”Please, please don’t send me back to Connecticut.
“While we initially moved you up to the first line on a temporary basis, the rest of the coaching staff and I have been talking about keeping you with Rowan and Connor.”
Holy shit. “Are you serious?”
“Very.”
“I won’t let you down, Coach. I promise.”
“I know you won’t.” The flicker of emotion in his eyes conveys what we’ve all been thinking — this is going to be our year.
“Go catch up with the boys. We’ll talk more about this when we’re back in New York.”
I rush out of the room and catch Connor waiting outside the hall for me. I pull out my phone and send Violet a quick text before giving Connor the news.
Need to talk to you.
Connor slaps a hand on my shoulder. “What was that about?”
“Coach says I’ll be staying on the first line going forward, as long as I keep playing like I have been.” I thought saying it out loud would make it feel more real, but it still feels like a dream I’ll wake up from any minute.
“Ho-ly shit! That’s amazing, let’s fucking go!” Connor’s yelling draws the attention of a couple other teammates, and suddenly, I’m getting showered with congratulations. We stand around talking for a bit about ways to improve for next week’s game. It’d been about 3 hours since I left Violet this morning, and I am now itching to see her again. I tell the guys I’ll see them later and head for the elevator. Tapping my foot impatiently, I watch the numbers on the elevator pane increase. Back on our floor, I scan my key and open the hotel room door. I glance in the bedroom and see an empty, unmade bed. A quick peak in the bathroom proves no sign of Vi.
I was gone for much longer than I had originally told her, and she was probably famished given we never made it out to dinner after the game last night. I smile to myself thinking about how deliciousmydinner had been. Maybe if I was a good boy, I could have Violet for lunch too. I check my phone and see a text from Violet that I had missed a few minutes ago, letting me know she was in the hotel cafe getting food and would be back soon.
Good. No need to bring me anything, I’ll be having you as my snack.
twenty
. . .
Violet
three years ago
chicago
I’min line at the cafe, contemplating if a breakfast sandwich will hold me over when a group of Mason’s teammates shuffled in behind me.
