“Any questions?” Brennan asked.
Webb raised his hand. “What time do we need to be there?”
“Eighta.m. sharp. You’re representing Millard hockey, so show up on time, work hard, and make us proud. Dismissed.”
As the team dispersed, Nils approached my area of the locker room. “I hope you don’t mind the company. I didn’t know Coach Brennan would assign me to you.”
“Why would I mind? We work well together.”
“I thought you might be sick and tired of me since we spend so much time together during the week.”
I’d better not tell him that I was happy about it, or I’d truly shock his socks off. “It’s fine. Coach is right that I can’t go by myself… even though we both know you won’t be much help.”
He grinned with that wide open smile he so rarely displayed. Made me proud I’d coaxed that out of him.
“What made you choose the youth center?” he asked.
I thought about it as I packed up my gear. “It seemed like something useful. I’m decent with tools, and it’s probably not a place that attracts a lot of volunteers.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you.”
“Don’t make it sound like I’m some kind of saint. I figured painting walls would be more interesting than reading picture books to six-year-olds.”
“Still, it says good things about your character.”
“We’ll see if you still think that after you’ve spent eight hours listening to me bitch and moan about volunteering all day on my day off.”
Nils quirked an eyebrow. “It’s my day off too.”
Point taken.
* * *
Saturday morning came with the kind of crisp October air that made Buffalo feel like a place people might voluntarily choose to live. I met Nils in the parking lot outside the youth center, a converted house in a neighborhood that had seen better days but still maintained a sense of community pride.
The building was smaller than I’d expected, painted a cheerful yellow that couldn’t quite hide the fact that it needed significant maintenance. The front steps were slightly uneven, the porch railing had a few loose boards, and paint peeled around some of the window frames.
A woman in her forties opened the front door before we could knock, her face lighting up when she saw us. “You must be the volunteers from Millard College. I’m Sarah Chen, the center director.”
“Nils Anders, assistant coach,” Nils said, shaking her hand. “And this is Adan Rivera, our team’s top scorer.”
His obvious pride flashed warmth through me. Also, when had I started thinking of him as Nils rather than Coach Anders? Somehow, something had shifted in my brain, but I couldn’t pinpoint why or when. As long as I didn’t say it out loud, it would be fine, right?
“Thank you so much for coming. We really appreciate college students taking time to help out.” She gestured for us to follow her inside. “Let me show you what we’re hoping to accomplish today.”
The interior was warm and welcoming despite the obvious budget constraints. Mismatched furniture filled a large common room where a few teenagers were hanging out, playing video games and messing with their phones. Colorful posters covered the walls, some motivational, some educational, but all clearly chosen to make this feel like a safe space.
“The main project is painting the common room,” Sarah explained, leading us through the space. “We’ve got the supplies, but we haven’t had the manpower. And if you’re up for it, there’s a bathroom faucet that’s been dripping for months, plus some general repairs around the building.”
“We can handle all of that,” I said, already mentally cataloging what needed to be done.
“Wonderful. The paint and brushes are in the storage closet, and I’ll get you some drop cloths. Please let me know if you need anything.”
As Sarah headed off to gather supplies, I looked around the room more carefully. There were probably a dozen kids scattered around, ranging from maybe fourteen to eighteen, all clearly comfortable in this space. Some were doing homework, others were hanging out, but everyone seemed relaxed in a way that suggested this place was important to them.
“Nice space,” Nils said quietly.
“Yeah. You can tell they really care about making it welcoming.”
