Chapter 5: Something Interesting

Bueller, Bueller, Bueller? Is anyone out there? Well this is a long chapter, hopefully people will like it.

I walked into the door and couldn’t realize what just happened.  He kissed me? I didn’t call what we did a date. It was more like friends.

“How was your date?”  Abbey sung.

So it was a date? “It wasn’t a date.” I groaned.

“Oh it so was,” Izzie half sung walking into the living room with popcorn.

“Good, what are we watching” I plopped myself onto the couch and propped up my feet onto the table in front of me.

“Some movie.”

So this is how is was going to be. The two boy crazy girls who one night didn’t have a date with someone and I did, I guess it was a date. But anyways they are going to be bitchy because I am, not telling them what he smelt like, and what colour his eyes were. The silence between the three of us got unbearable and the movie really sucked, and I felt like I have watched it before. I couldn’t take it anymore, but I wanted to torture them right now.

Bzzzzzz.

“Was that my oh, it was yours?” Abbey complained.

I looked down; yes in fact it was mine. And it was from Sid. “I don’t have to get it, it’s no one.”

“Get it, he seems nice,” Izzie said not taking her eyes off of the flat screen that was mounted on the wall.

This was my chance to get out, so I get up and go into the kitchen, acting like I was thirsty so Abbey didn’t get anymore pissed then she already was. I lean on the counter and look at my phone.

New Text Message from Sidney: Hey, umm I forgot if you asked me to text or call when I got back to hotel, but I decided that I should call anyways, just so you know.

I smiled, he was so generally nice, and so different than any other hockey player I have ever known.

To Sidney: Thanks, oh and I still have your sweatshirt, I could send it to you or something.

From Sidney: I thought we went over this, keep it, I have a lot of them anyways, but if you want I can get you and your friends tickets to our game v the islanders. If you’re not busy. And if you really don’t want it you could give it to me then.

By this my fingers were getting their exercise too much. I hate texting, why not just call the person if you really need to talk to them? And I started to get really into the movie that the girls were watching which was like watching paint dry for some reason. So I went to my room and put in B*Witched and turned the sound on low. I stared at my blackberry for a few minutes and decided to call Sid and make plans for the islander game.

“Sidney” He sounded annoyed.

“Is this a bad time?” I asked

“Maddie? No, no its fine, I thought you were someone else, I didn’t even look at my phone.”

“Oh, it’s okay, so umm, the Islanders game, I’m not busy or anything so I could come.”

“Sweet, I can leave tickets at the window for you and your friends, is there only two of them?”

“Sadly,” I grunt taking it back as soon as I say it. Speaking of the art twins they turned the volume of the movie they were watching. “ANNE” it screams

“Are you watching Anne of Green Gables?” Sid asked. That’s what it’s called.

“Not me, but the girls are.”

“Oh,”

“Yea, I have watched it to many times.”

“My sister is in love with it. So I get what you mean.”

“So are those two, I swear they know each line by heart.”

“Ha, well if Taylor ever comes to New York, I know I can stick her with you and your friends,”

“mmm, sounds good. I am sure Izzey and Abbey would love it. When we were in High School Izzie was Anne, and Abbey was a school girl. All I heard was stuff about this musical, ever since then they are obsessed.”

“DARRYL” I hear through the phone.
“Yea, hold on, is it important Gronk?”
“I GUESS NOT, WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?”
“Taylor,”
“OH, OKAY. LATER WE TALK.”
“Okay Gronk.”

“I was almost named Taylor,” I say without even thinking about what I am saying.

“So I wasn’t totally lying,” Sid says starting to laugh.

“No, that was lying,”

“Ha, I guess it was. Tell me something interesting about yourself?”

This was hard, I never really thought about it. “My friends say I have man toes,” I say flatly.

“Man toes?” He said between laughs. “Alright, next time I see you are comparing toes.”

“Deal, now what about you?” I was expected to hear something about hockey but it totally wasn’t.

“I am afraid I am going to die alone.” He says shyly, and flatly.  And I didn’t really know what to say to that. Do I soothe? Do I tell him that’s a joke? Is he stupid? I mean he could look outside his window. He is Sidney Freaking Crosby. But what I really wanted to say was I would be there.

“That will never happen, why are you thinking that?” I sound like my shitty therapist I saw.

“Look at all my friends, Army is married, and I am pretty sure Flower, and Jordy, and Geno, and TK have found the girls they want to marry. Flower and Jordy both have rings, they are just to pussy to actually ask. God and my Mother, she is worried that I will end up with a fucking puck bunny, and I am not that stupid. Whenever I am home its always either, I want a grandbaby, or you’re running out of time. My grandmothers say I need to have kids because I need to keep Crosby, and Taylor can’t.  Nat is even getting in on it now. So it could be a Saturday night and all the single guys are going out to get shit faced and ass, and I am home relaxing. And she asks why I never go out. And then you have the people who hate me and say I am gay.”

“You’re not gay,” I say cutting him off, it seems like he could go on forever. “And you won’t die alone. As for your friends, I know how it feels. I have had one, count them one, boyfriend throughout my life time, and it was hell. His palms were all sweaty, he drank, he chewed, he smoked.  I also know how it feels with family. My mother says she will be 100 before she sees a grandchild, oh and my family thinks I am a homosexual. And trust me, I am not on that side of the road.”

“We sound perfect for each other,” He murmurs. When I heard that I didn’t know what to say. What do you say to that?

“I guess we do,” I whispered

“You should come down to Pittsburgh, you seem a little stressed, and I could be your tour guide, like you were mine.”

“Trust me, it would be nice to get away, but I just don’t know, I am really busy right now.”

“Well, when you’re not busy maybe?”

“I would love that.”

“Well I should get going, big game tomorrow.”

“Yea, I have an appointment tomorrow morning too,”

“Wait, before you go, umm would you like to get some lunch with me? You don’t have to if you don’t want to or anything.”

“Yea, sure, will you text me when you are out of your morning skate?”

“Defiantly, good night Maddie.”

“Night Sid.”

That  night I didn’t have nightmares of my last hockey game, I didn’t wake up with the sweats, I simply slept. I had no dreams, no aces or pains. I also slept in for me and went for my appointment, which is a waste of my time because I never tell my therapist anything that is going on in my life.

I got up that morning with my glass half full, I made the girls breakfast of coffee cake and a fruit salad, I also left a note for them too. (Which I usually never do.) Then came my therapist who looked like she hasn’t gotten any in a long time, and it looks like she spilt her Starbucks down the front of her. Glass empty.

“How are you feeling today….Maddie?” She said looking at her shoes, which looked like Izzie’s cats poop.

“Fine” I answer now looking at her shoes like they are a piece of art.

“You sound a little mad Madison, would you like to…umm…talk about it,” Now this woman is picking at a piece of lint on her grey sweater that my Great-Grandmother would wear, if she got up and dressed herself.

“Stressed that’s all,”

“So what happened this weekend,”

“The usual really ate Chinese food, my friends watched Anne of Green Gables, and I am trying to get a job,”

“Have you thought about teaching?”

“Yea, I hate kids though, they are dirty,”

“Not all kids,” She looks up now and has this look on her face like I just slapped her across the face.

“You have kids,”

“Yes,two, now did we go to a hockey game or practice?”

“Yes, like always, the Rangers were playing Pittsburgh,”

“mhmm.” She’s writing something down, and now she is thinking, thinking hard. “Someone famous plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins right?” Jesus is she slow or something.

“Sidney Crosby? I guess he is kinda famous. Do you have a daughter? She must know who he is, and I bet  she fantasizes about him, does she?”

“We aren’t here to talk about my life Miss Martin.”

“Well my life is crap, so let’s talk about yours; Mrs. What’s your last name?”

“It’s Remouski, and do you want to talk about my life, you can become a therapist.” Remouski’s angry now, she slams my chart or book or notebook or whatever it is down on her lap.

“Naw, but thanks Mrs. Remouski, I would have to start college all over again, and I am already majoring in business.”

“Business, eh,?” Now she is interested again.

“Yepp.”

“Are you going to start your own business?”

“Maybe I will, I don’t know, maybe a café.”  I say glances at the clock. 11:00 Remouski should be getting the next nut ball soon.

“Well Maddie, I need to prep for my next patient, so I will see you in three days?”

“Bright and Early.” I say walking out.

What to do now, Sidney is probably still at the rink, the girls are probably doing work. I could go see if anyone at the rink needed help but I really didn’t want to. For March, The City was warming up, it was in the 60’s, maybe I will go to Central Park, seeing it wasn’t very far from the therapists. After the cab ride and I found a bench I liked I simply just sat and watched, and started to think. I am done with college in two months, spring break is coming up and I have nothing to do after the summer, which I will spend at home. New York is great but it’s too crowded, Lake Placid is too small, and to be honest boring. I don’t want to be stuck with some bar-dud who just drinks, and I don’t want to have ten kids who all smoke pot and drink and have sex at the age of twelve. Maybe in the fall I should travel the world, maybe backpack through Europe, or pick a spot on the map and live there.   I was deep into my thoughts when my blackberry buzzed saying I had a new text.

New Text Message from Sidney: Hey I’m done, where are you I can meet you?

To Sidney: I am sitting in the middle of Central Park.

New Text Message from Sidney: You must love that park, I will be there really soon, don’t leave.

To Sidney: Oh trust me I am not going anywhere.

While waiting for Sidney I watched people. The first people I watched were a young couple, probably my age walking hand in hand, whispering to each other, probably saying how much they love eachother, and how they will never leave each other. The next were two young parents with a toddler, who was in a buggy. The two were laughing, probably at something the baby did before hand. And finally were an elderly couple, which reminded me of my grandparents, the man, who was tall and lean, and the women who was medium height and stout who walked slowly, the two looked so happy, and like they lived their lives, something my grandparents never had time to do. By the time I knew Sidney was beside me I was almost in full sobs,

“Are you okay?”

Sniff “Yea.” Sniff “Don’t worry about it.” I answered still watching this old couple take every step. I think Sidney caught on because he also got really quiet and sat and watched the same old couple I was.

When the couple was to be scene anymore Sidney spoke, but softly like one would do in church; “Do you miss them,”

“Yes, a lot. Do you miss them?” I say looking at his eyes, that have now gotten glossy.

“Him, my grandfather, It was hard, I was away, but yes very much, and I also feel bad for my grandmother, what she would do to be like that couple.”

Right now Sidney didn’t look like a hockey player, he looked like a boy who just wanted to cry, I could see the stress in his shoulders. I know if I were in his shoes I would want someone to be there to talk, so I held his hand and rested my head against his shoulders, and whispered; “Do you want to talk about anything?”

He looked down at me. And simply said “Sometimes I hate my father.”