“Oh, oh—gift bags,” I continue. “Everyone gets one. I’ll put up a Christmas tree in the lobby this week. Each child can write a wish to Santa on an ornament, and I’ll make it all come true. They get what they want this year.”
“Hello-o?” Renae taps the screen, looking all around it. “Am I in some scary Hallmark Christmas movie right now?”
“Stop. Can’t help it if I’m excited. I need this right now—say, can you rent me a Santa suit? I should appear at the end of the party wearing it and hand out the gifts. This entire thing sounds awesome. I wish to be a kid again and attend it myself.”
“You are out of control.” She crosses her arms and cocks her head.
“But you’ll make it happen because it’s your job?”
“Of course, sir.”
“You’re the best. Send out the invitations to all the families and send me posters to hang up at the rink. You have my credit card details. Buy yourself a year’s worth of Mountain Dew, on me.”
“I’ve definitely earned it.”
“Hey, Renae? Do you think Aiden and all the children will enjoy this party?”
“Yes. It’ll be very memorable.”
“Cool. Thanks.” I click off with a grin ear-to-ear.
Tyler, Mason, and Sean are still up, chilling out, watching a movie downstairs. They’re nursing beers, silently cursing me for my part in the game loss, and icing their bruises.
I enter the room like a wrecking ball, popping M&M’s from the candy jar, and pacing.
“Stella and I are having our first argument, and it’s a biggie.” I come clean. “I don’t want to lose her, but it weighs on me, so I played shitty on the ice, coming from a place of fear. That’s on me. And I apologize for it right now to you guys.”
They all mumble that it wasn’t just me. Sean’s glove acted as if it had a hole in it. Mason couldn’t win a face-off to save his life. And Tyler says his girlfriend gave him a hex or something.
“But guys, cheer up. I have something we all need about now, a way to bring the joy back into the season.” I talk fast and fill them in on all the new plans for the party.
Mason grumbles and sits upright, running his hand through his mop of curly hair. “Slow down there, Hurricane Eli.”
“Good advice, but I can’t.” I have a new mission ahead of me. “We have a huge party to pull off in a very short time.”
“Which sounds like code for ‘I need you guys to help me,’” Sean snickers.
“Good read of the room. That’s exactly what I need.”
“I’ll get Michelle to bring the mascot. There, I contributed.” Tyler hardly moves from his lounging spot in making that statement.
“Come on. You all jumped in with me in getting this Wishes Granted Hockey Program off the ground. It’s been a great start, and now we can finish the classes up with a bang.”
“You’re just doing this to impress Stella.”
“I could think of a dozen other things to impress Stella. No. This is for the children who signed up, getting a chance to be on the ice with us, full hockey gear, and lessons that their parents otherwise couldn’t afford. Think of the how excited they’ll be at the party. Or how full your hearts will be, knowing you’re making a difference in their lives.”
My little pep talk works. They offer to help decorate and string holiday lights all over the rink, and they agree to wearing superhero costumes. By the time I exit just as fast as I entered, they’re re-energized to see this thing through.
I worrythat after this week and the parties, Christmas is coming. Will I spend it alone, or will Stella and I patch things up? Or—and this one scares me—will she succumb to Jerrod’s demands and leave me again?
It’s with these things in my head that I keep Aiden a little longer on the ice, skating with him and teaching him stick control, to spend more time with him alone. Marjorie is waiting patiently in the warming area, though.
“Guess you'd better get home.” I gesture him toward the exit of the ice. We sit on the bench and untie our skates.
“Aren’t you coming home, too?” He squints up at me.
“I have some work to do in the office.” A lame excuse, and I can tell the disappointment as he peers down at his boot. “But hey, you have your birthday party Saturday, and I’ll see you at the Christmas party here on Sunday. Lots to look forward to.”
