The Tournament

by Angelo Kontos

  Goal.

  This has been unbelievable, folks! With 6.9 seconds left, Toronto has completed an incredible comeback and are now one faceoff away from finally winning their first game of The Tournament. Curtis Lewis with the hat trick. None of them pretty, mind you, but three goals just the same. Mike Hill with two and Barry Davis with the other. Six unanswered goals! What a night!

  The referee dropped the puck at centre ice. An Ottawa defenceman tried to take a long shot, but Eddie and Mike swarmed him instantly and it ended up being a slow, weak dribbler that didn’t even go near the Toronto goal as the final buzzer rang.

  Alex bent over and leaned on his stick to catch his breath as he watched his jubilant teammates pour over the boards to congratulate each other. He wondered if anyone was watching the local cable channel and listening to Cole call their first win. He wondered if anyone cared. He remembered Diana coming to so many of his games in poorly lit, chilly arenas while holding a cup of vending machine hot chocolate to warm her hands.

  Ken stood up on the bench and tapped every player on the helmet as they went by him to the dressing room. As Alex passed, Ken pulled him in close and hugged his helmet.

  “There it is, Alex,” the coach said. “The eye of the tiger.”

  Alex nodded and smiled at Ken before wondering about Isaac. The team was leaving on the bus again in the morning to return to Toronto. Alex would pay him a visit as soon as he could.

  25.

  Even though there was nothing preventing him from sleeping in his old bedroom, Alex crashed on the couch at his mother’s house. He had not gone to the apartment he shared with Diana for over a week now. His mother was getting worse, and she was only coherent for a few sporadic hours each day. Alex took an unpaid leave from the college, which they graciously granted him despite so little advance notice.

  Alex fell asleep underneath a small avalanche of brochures printed from the internet promising miracle cures for cancer. One thing they all had in common was exorbitant cost. Even one that focused entirely on the power of prayer was asking for $49.95.

  He woke up when he heard his mother hustling to the bathroom. Alex ran in to see her vomiting in the sink again. He put his arms around her waist to support her while she continued to throw up a vile-looking yellow substance.

  As the pace of the vomiting finally slowed, Alex’s mother put a hand to her head and a sizeable clump of hair came right off. She stared at it for a second before Alex grabbed it and threw it in the toilet. He quickly flushed it down.

  “Don’t worry about that, Mom,” he reassured her. “Sit down.”

  They sat together on the edge of the bathtub. Alex wiped his mother’s face with a wet towel. She smiled weakly at him and then rested her head against his chest.

  Alex looked down at her legs and could see they were very swollen. The last blood test had indicated that her liver was functioning at around twenty percent. Alex guessed that number must be lower now. For the first time he felt himself panic, but he could not show it.

  He hugged his mother and said, “Don’t give up, Mom. Okay?”

  Her whisper was barely audible. “Okay.”

  Alex helped her back to bed. The stench of vomit filled the house. He needed to clean the bathroom and he needed more clothes.

  “I’ve just got to go home and grab a few things,” Alex said as he tucked her in. “I’ll be back in half an hour. Okay?”

  Alex’s mother gripped a small cross she wore around her neck and did not respond. She stared blankly at the ceiling and took a deep breath.

  “Okay?” Alex asked again. “Okay, Mom?”

  She nodded.

  Alex left the house and jogged all the way to the apartment, bringing the fifteen-minute walk down to ten minutes. He used to be in better shape and a year ago could have completed the same run in six or seven minutes.

  He and Diana were at the point where they barely talked to each other. Alex felt badly about that, but his mother needed him. What choice did he have? Diana would have to understand.

  Thinking he would move as quietly as possible through the apartment so as not to wake her, Alex unlocked the door slowly and turned on a light. He immediately noticed that one of the two pictures they kept on a table was missing. Both pictures were of them together. One had been taken on a boat party in Toronto harbour. That was Alex’s favourite photo, and it was still there, but the other one of them attending a friend’s wedding, was missing.

  Alex went to the bedroom and turned that light on. Diana wasn’t there. The closets were wide open, and all of her clothes were gone. Alex opened a few of her drawers and they were empty too.

  He grabbed one of his backpacks and threw a few things in it…shirts, underwear, pants, socks. Then he noticed a key on the night table by their bed. Diana’s apartment key. She must have asked their landlord to lock the door behind her.

  Alex pulled out his cellphone. He thought about calling her, begging her to come back – or yelling at her for leaving him. He wanted to ask her to forgive him for the way he had been acting, but he also wanted to shout at her for not being more understanding.

  He just could not figure out what to say. Alex put the phone back in his pocket and hurried back to his mother’s house.

  26.

  As soon as the team bus returned to the city the next day, Alex dropped his bags off at his place and then took a cab to Isaac’s building.

  Even though visitors were supposed to use an old-fashioned buzzer from the 1970s, the front door was open and Alex just walked in and went up to Isaac’s apartment. He knocked on the door loudly and waited.

  “Will you be quiet?”

  Alex looked to his left and saw an elderly woman dressed in a nightgown scowling at him from an apartment down the hall. A cat ran through her legs and went right to Alex’s feet, sniffing and marking a spot with its tail.

  “I’m sorry,” Alex responded. “Have you seen my friend who lives in this apartment?”

  “I have problems with my hip, you know,” she replied bitterly. “It’s very hard for me to get up and open this door.”

  “Okay, I’m sorry,” Alex said. “I’m just concerned about my friend. Have you se –”

  “I’m taking blood thinners and my doctor told me to rest,” she continued as a second cat ran out from her apartment.

  “Look…”

  “Are you one of his rowdy music friends?” the bewildered lady fumed. “I’m going to call the police.”

  “No, wait, don’t –” Alex started to object.

  She closed the door before he could finish, leaving her cats in the hall.

  Alex turned to leave and hoped the cats would not follow him. They were both purring like crazy. As he was about to descend the stairs, he heard a clicking sound. Alex turned and saw that Isaac’s door was slightly ajar.

  He pushed it open and called out Isaac’s name. The cats looked scared and ran off.

  Alex walked into the apartment. He saw Isaac wearing a holey bathrobe that could use a wash.

  “What’s going on?” Alex asked. “You sick or something?”

  No response.

  “Why didn’t you show up for the bus?” Alex asked. “Or call?”

  Still no response.

  “You’re going to ignore me?” Alex asked angrily. “Seriously?”

  Isaac grabbed a remote control and pointed it at the television. Alex slapped it out of his hand. Isaac looked at him for a second and then lunged at him.

  Despite the fact Alex was stronger, Isaac managed to grab him with both hands and slam him into a wall. Alex’s back hit the wall hard, and he winced. He managed to pry Isaac’s hands just far enough away from his throat to speak.

  “What – the – hell – is… wrong with you?!”

  Isaac released his grip and glared at Alex. “Why are you here?! Get the fuck out! What do you want?”

  Alex sat down on the edge of Isaac’s little bed.

  “Go ahead and kick the crap out of me if you want,” A
lex said defiantly. “But I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.”

  27.

  Even though Ken had not been behind a hockey bench in several years, he still was an experienced coach and knew not to read too much into a single game, whether it was a win or a loss. As he sat in the dark and reviewed portions of the film against Ottawa in the team’s meeting room back at the Arena Gardens, he was still breathing a little easier. His team just won their first game – but more importantly they showed signs of life in that big comeback.

  Ken was tempted to fast forward the film to the second half of the game, when Alex and Mike decided to go for Ottawa’s jugular. Instead, he stayed on the first half, even slowing it down in parts to make note of the various mistakes the team made.

  Helen and Angus came in from the hall. Angus turned the light on. He and Helen were both smiling at Ken.

  “Someone’s here to see you,” Helen said.

  “Yeah, and you ain’t gonna fuckin’ believe who,” Angus grinned.

  “I’m not expecting anyone,” Ken said.

  “You’re going to want to see this person,” Helen replied.

  Angus nodded and slapped Ken on the shoulder.

  “Buddy, you’re gonna wanna fuckin’ see this guy,” he coughed. “Trust me.”

  Ken stood up. “Okay. Who is it? Where is he?”

  “Just wait here,” Helen said. “I’ll bring him.”

  Angus laughed again. “You just fuckin’ wait here. She’s gonna bring him.”

  “Angus, come on!” Helen motioned for Angus to leave the room with her.

  Angus walked out with her. “Okay, fine…only because I like you.”

  Ken stood there waiting. After a few minutes, he started to feel like it was a waste of time. He turned to sit again and resume his review of game film when Helen reappeared with a tall young man. Angus was behind them smiling his wide, gap-toothed grin.

  “Ken Hornsby, meet Freddy Rozelli,” Helen announced.

  “Freddy the fuckin’ Flash Rozelli!” Angus chimed in from behind her. He was bouncing up and down on his toes and could barely contain himself.

  Freddy stepped forward and offered a hand for Ken to shake.

  “Nice to meet you, Coach,” Freddy said politely.

  “Likewise,” Ken responded.

  Helen turned to leave and pushed Angus out the door, closing it behind them. Ken pointed at one of the chairs and Freddy sat down.

  “What brings you here?” Ken asked.

  “The Tournament,” Freddy answered.

  “I don’t understand,” Ken said. “You know that you can’t play on the team, right?”

  “That’s not why I came.”

  “Then why?”

  “I want to be behind the bench with you.”

  “You want to be behind the bench with me?”

  “Yes, sir,” Freddy replied. “I’ve been watching the games and I think I can help out…that is, if you’ll have me.”

  “How?” Ken asked.

  “Well, maybe in a few different areas, but specifically I would say the offence,” Freddy answered. “It’s fairly shit right now. No disrespect.”

  “We scored six goals the other night in a period and a half,” Ken pointed out.

  “Look, Coach, I didn’t come here to argue,” Freddy said. “It’s just that…I think you could use a little help. Plus, like I said, I’m watching the games and I know you got nobody back there with you.”

  “Well, I appreciate what you’re saying, Mr. Rozelli…”

  “Call me Freddy.”

  “Okay, Freddy.”

  “You heard all the stuff about me in the news, right?”

  Ken did not get a chance to say anything else before the fire alarm in the arena went off. In keeping with the building’s age, the alarm sounded like an old, long, continuous bullhorn and was deafening.

  Angus’s keys could be heard jingling as he ran down the hall.

  “Ahhh, fuck!” Angus yelled.

  “I think we need to get out of here,” Ken shouted as he got to his feet.

  Freddy stood up and blocked the door.

  “Look, Mr. Hornsby,” Freddy began, raising his own voice to be heard, “I made some really stupid mistakes. Maybe you think this is a stunt or something, I don’t know, and to be honest I don’t care. I’m trying to change, and I think I can help this team.”

  Ken nodded. “We need to go.”

  Freddy pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket and gave it to Ken. “This is my number.”

  Ken reached out and took it. “Thank you.”

  At that moment, Angus swung the door open. He was out of breath.

  “What’s going on, Angus?” Ken asked. “The building burning down?”

  “Nah, I think it’s a heat sensor that’s tripping up, or maybe a wire,” Angus said. “Either way, you guys gotta get out until the fire department gives the all-clear.”

  Ken walked past Freddy into the hall as sirens could be heard in the distance.

  “Everyone deserves a second chance, don’t you think, Coach?” Freddy asked. “Didn’t you ever get one?”

  28.

  Alex managed to convince Isaac to go out for a drink. Isaac’s crazy cat neighbour may have called the police, so Alex wanted to get out of there. They sat on the patio beside a large park named Kew Gardens in Toronto’s Beach neighbourhood.

  “You think what happened to you when you were a kid had anything to do with it?” Alex asked, taking a sip of his beer.

  “What are you, a shrink?” Isaac asked.

  “Your mother with the baby…your old man taking off,” Alex continued. “You end up falling for this girl, knocking her up kind of by accident because you’re an idiot, and then you feel all this pressure to be a dad.”

  “So?” Isaac crushed his beer and motioned to the waiter for another.

  “So maybe you overcompensated.”

  “Speak English, asshole.”

  “You overdid it…you went too far,” Alex explained. “You wanted your kid to have everything, and you weren’t making money with your music, so you did something dumb.”

  “I was good at it.”

  “You gonna brag about being a good thief?”

  Isaac reached down into his pocket. He pulled out a wallet and tossed it onto the middle of the table.

  Alex’s eyes widened. “You swiped my wallet?”

  “I was gonna give it back to you after I treated you to these beers,” Isaac responded.

  Alex shook his head and put his wallet away.

  The next round arrived, and Isaac wasted no time grabbing his beer and knocking it back. He let out a huge burp that turned a few heads on the patio.

  Alex shook his head again and they both laughed.

  “Okay, so this woman…” Alex began.

  “Melanie.”

  “Right. Melanie…she won’t let you see the kid?” Alex asked.

  Isaac shook his head. “Don’t blame her, to be honest.”

  “Maybe she’ll change her mind if you show her you’ve got your act together and grovel some more,” Alex said.

  “I tried that, my man,” Isaac replied. “I went to her house. I even got a fucking teddy bear.”

  “I’m talking about really getting it together…like getting a job.”

  “It won’t matter.”

  “Look, one thing at a time,” Alex said. “Maybe you need to work up to it and that’s why this tournament is good for you…makes you commit to something.”

  “I ain’t playing in this bullshit tournament anymore,” Isaac replied. “Forget it.”

  “Oh yes, you are.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Remember when I helped you get back into your place?” Alex smiled. “You said you owe me. I think you even wrote it down?”

  “You can’t blackmail me into playing.”

  “Okay, fine. Pay me back then.”

  “You’re a fucking jerk, you know that?”
/>
  Alex asked a waiter for the bill.

  “Let’s go for a walk down by the water,” Alex said. “We can hold hands.”

  29.

  When Diana decided she needed a break, she wasted no time. The morning after staring at her tired, unhealthy-looking reflection in the mirror, she was at the airport boarding a plane for the Caribbean.

  “Where are you going?” her mother demanded as she watched Diana throw clothes into a suitcase.

  “I’ll figure it out when I get there.”

  “This is crazy. When will you come back?”

  “I don’t know, a week…maybe two,” Diana answered as she packed her passport.

  “Why are you doing this?” her mother asked. “Are you trying to make me suffer?”

  “No, Mom,” Diana replied. “I’m doing this for me. I know you have a hard time understanding that, but it’s true.”

  “Leave her alone.”

  Diana and her mother turned around. Her father stood just inside the room.

  “Just leave her alone,” he repeated to his wife.

  Mrs. Cross looked shocked. She stood there for a moment looking upset before leaving the room in a huff.

  “You okay?” Mr. Cross asked Diana. “Can I do anything?”

  “No, Daddy.”

  She walked over and hugged him.

  “I just need some time.”

  On her way to the airport, Diana reserved a last-minute getaway to an all-inclusive resort for one week. She used her phone to make the booking and would print her tickets at the airport.

  She booked a place where she did not have to worry about preparing food or anything else; somewhere she could just dry out.

  A warm, sunny resort seemed like a sensible choice.

  30.

  Ken sat in his arena office and could not recall the last time he felt so rested. He’d enjoyed a long, glorious sleep, and all the game charts and diagrams he was looking at now just seemed to be clearer.