Hockey Is My Boyfriend: Part Three

by Ting, Melanie

  Ruby the producer took me out to lunch to discuss my broadcasting future. She was pregnant but only recently had begun to show.

  “Ouch, my back is killing me.” She rubbed it. “So, you wanted some advice on your career?”

  “Yes, there’s this college in Chicago. I was wondering if you think it looks like what I need to become a producer.”

  She looked over the curriculum and brochure. “Well, to be honest, it looks like a school for rich kids or something. You’re not even going to school for twenty hours a week. But they’re right, a production assistant job would be a breeze once you had all this exposure to television and radio broadcasting equipment.”

  Ruby drank her tomato soup. “What’s the plan, Kelly? Are you coming back later? Because if you still wanted the intern job, I think that completing this program, along with your real university degree and your sports background would make you a shoo-in.”

  I hadn’t really talked about the specifics of why I was moving since leaving for a relationship sounded dumb. But Ruby had been a great mentor.

  “I hope this doesn’t make you think less of me, but I’m moving to be with my boyfriend.”

  A big grin crossed Ruby’s face. “Well, what a coincidence. That’s how I ended up in Vancouver. I had a great job in Toronto, and I had to go and fall in love. Derek was everything I’d ever wanted in a man, except he lived on the other side of the country. He’s a tugboat captain, so he couldn’t move.”

  “Crazy! How did you guys meet?”

  “We met on a cruise ship. I was getting to the age where all my friends were married, and I figured I’d have to start taking chances if I wanted to meet Mr. Right. So that was one of the many things I tried.”

  I giggled. Ruby always seemed so buttoned-down and hard working at the station, that it was hard to imagine her on the prowl. However, her taking a completely methodical approach to finding love was very believable.

  “What about you? Who’s this guy who is taking you away from the glamourous world of radio? Is it that tall, dark hottie I’ve seen skulking around the reception desk?”

  “Um, no.” Because it was sports radio, I hadn’t ever shared my real story with anyone. Ruby was being so open that I felt I needed to share something. “I’ll tell you, but maybe don’t mention this to anyone—especially Brian Ford.”

  She gave me a curious look.

  “It’s James Frechette.”

  “You mean, as in the Chicago Blackhawks?”

  I nodded.

  Ruby looked shocked but quickly hid it. “Holy moly. You met him this summer?”

  “Oh no, we dated before. We met at hockey camp.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not sure why you’re even worrying about broadcasting school. You know how much NHL players make.”

  “I know, but Ruby, I’ve never even had a career or anything. Don’t you think work is important?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, I do. My mother got stuck in a bad marriage for way too long because she had no options.” Then she smiled again. “Weird. You don’t seem like a hockey girlfriend at all.”

  I knew that all too well. I was nervous about meeting all the WAGs, but Jimmy had reassured me they were all nice. “It’ll be fine,” I said. That was my mantra.

  * * *

  Things didn’t go as smoothly with my parents.

  “Oh Kelly,” my mother declared. “I was so happy that you were settled in your lovely apartment with your great job.”

  “Mom, I was a receptionist. Machines are replacing receptionists.”

  “But moving in with this James fellow, are you sure that’s the right thing to do?” My dad looked genuinely upset. James had insisted on getting to know my family, so I had brought him over to dinner twice. They liked him, but it was still a shock for them to hear I was moving to a new country to be with him.

  “He really needs me. It’s been a challenge for him navigating a new city and his work.”

  My mom frowned. “But Kelly, you’re so young, and he’s even younger. Of course, he needs someone to look after him. But a mature relationship is one of equals.”

  “Don’t worry, James is very mature. In some ways, he’s way older than I am.”

  “And I’m not sure about this living together. You know what they say, dear. A man doesn’t buy the cow if he can get the milk for free.” Clearly, in times of emotional stress, my mom reached for her cliché arsenal.

  “We’re not getting married or anything like that. Think of it as my little adventure. I’ll go away for a year—just like you guys. We’ll see how everything goes. And I’m not wasting my time, I’ll be studying too.” I had explained about the broadcasting school.

  My dad broke in. “Let’s talk finances then. Do you need money? How are you going to pay for tuition and living expenses?”

  I knew my parents were cash-strapped right now, so I didn’t want them to worry. “I’ve got some money saved up. And I’ll get a part-time job or something.” That was a straight up lie, but nobody seemed to notice.

  “How are you going to pay down your student loans?” My dad wondered.

  “The interest isn’t too bad. I can cover it for a year, and then when I get a job as a production assistant, I can pay it down.”

  “How about if we help you pay down the loans, and you can repay us instead?” My dad’s face looked tired and worried.

  “It’s okay. I know you need the money for your Japan trip.”

  “That’s not true, sweetheart. We need the money for our eventual retirement, so most of the money from the building sale is going into long-term investments. You can be one of my long-term investments.”

  I nodded with relief. My financially-conservative dad had raised me to be careful with money, and debt was a big worry. “That would be a big help, Dad,” I confessed.

  He hugged me. “Kelly, I know you’re a smart girl and you wouldn’t do this on a whim. But since we’re going to be so far away, I need to know that you’ll contact us if you need anything.”

  My mom nodded and got in on the group hug. “Please call us anytime, even if you just want to talk. We can do that Snipe-y thing.”

  “Skype, Mom.”

  “As long as we hear from you. We worry, you know.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” I sat back in my chair, feeling really emotional. Gino, sensing that loving was being doled out, jumped into my lap.

  “I’ll miss you, you fat fluffy thing,” I murmured into his fur.

  “We’ll miss you too,” said my mom.

  * * *

  April took things the hardest. “I love having you for a roommate. We get along so well.”

  “What do you mean? You’d get along with anyone.”

  “Not everyone appreciates my sense of humour,” she complained. “And I know you won’t believe this, but I’ve been called bossy.”

  I bit my tongue.

  April continued. “Well, at least all the furniture belongs to me, except the stuff in your bedroom.”

  “Do you think it’ll take you a long time to find someone new?” I had offered to find the next roommate, but April overruled that since she’d have to live with them.

  “I already have two candidates. Karen Leighton, and Alyssa from work.”

  “Wow, you don’t waste any time.”

  “I’ve been putting out feelers. I could sense the way things were going based on how unhappy Phil was becoming.”

  “What? When did you see Phil? I hardly got to see him myself.”

  “Oh, he dropped by Ben’s on weekends. I still can’t believe he broke off with you first. I bet it was some sort of pre-emptive strike.”

  “Yeah, that’s what Jimmy thought too.” I had no problem believing that Phil did it out of genuine dislike. He had never been so cold to me in all the time I’d known him. It still hurt to think about it.

  I changed the subject. “Well, I would think that Karen is the natural choice. She’s a sweetheart and so easy-going.”


  “Yes, but she’s got that stupid dog.” April was no animal lover, and Karen’s dog was irritating. She was fostering him, and he was a leg-humper.

  “She won’t have that dog forever.”

  “Apparently she brings other dogs home for work. If I have to watch dogs getting massaged all day, I’ll barf. And what if they wreck our perfect apartment?”

  “If I stayed, I was going to bring Gino here when my parents left. He’d be more likely to scratch the furniture than a dog.”

  “Gino is a fat, lazy cat who spends 23 hours of the day sleeping. I could have handled that. Oh yeah, what’s happening to him now? Are you taking him to Chicago?”

  I shook my head sadly. “Jimmy is a dog person. Anyway, there are no pets allowed in his condo. Gino is getting shipped off to my mother’s friend, Martha. She spoils cats, so he’ll be in clover there.” I still felt bad about that because I loved my old cat. I’d have visiting rights when I came home, and my parents would reclaim him when they got back from Japan.

  “Kelly, can I ask you—what were you going to decide? If Phil hadn’t done what he did?” April peered at me curiously.

  “I was going to chose Jimmy,” I said firmly. I hadn’t even let myself think about that hypothetical choice. I was never a person to live in regret or look back, once I decided—that was it.

  Her question made me remember a discussion I’d had with Charmaine. She said something about the victors rewriting history, and I had found that ridiculous. History was fact. Whatever happened, happened. But now I could see how easily history was rewritten. Jimmy and I were together, and now it was as if I’d always loved and chosen him. Because there was no point in thinking about Phil again.

  28

  Better Homes

  Jimmy was waiting for me at O’Hare Airport.

  “Jimmy!” I went running over and jumped up on him. It was always so great to see him after we’d been apart.

  “Hey, Kelly.” He held me up with one arm and then kissed me. Then he put me down and produced flowers from behind his back. “Welcome to Chicago.”

  “Aww, how sweet,” I said. His expression was sunny and stress-free. I felt a pang of guilt for everything I had put him through all summer. But he was happy now.

  We picked up my two suitcases and then headed to the car. He smiled happily and unlocked the doors of a black Mercedes sedan.

  “Is this your car?” He nodded. I was surprised, because it looked like a dad car.

  Jimmy pointed out things as we drove home: the way to Wrigley Field and the zoo. Then we cruised around downtown. He showed me the United Center, but you couldn’t tell much about an arena from the outside. He showed me Millennium Park, Navy Pier, and shopping on the Magnificent Mile.

  “Wow, it’s so incredible. The city’s huge and so busy. I wonder if I’ll be able to find my way around.”

  “It was overwhelming at first. But you find neighbourhoods and places you like, and stay in them. Things are pretty familiar now.” He reached across and put his hand over mine. “It’ll be even better now that you’re here.”

  I smiled up at him. My heart felt full. I had been nervous from the moment my parents took me to the airport, but now I could exhale.

  “Home, sweet home,” Jimmy announced, as we pulled into the underground parking lot of a big condo tower. As we rode two sets of elevators, he sounded like a real estate agent, telling me all about the construction of the building and the quality of the finishings.

  He swung open a wide door, and the apartment was full of light. It was a gorgeous place—all new and totally decorated. The colours were muted, and the furniture was modern and oversized.

  I walked by a couple of bedrooms and headed towards the sunlight in the living room. Jimmy continued the tour and pointed out more places in the expansive view of the city, the Chicago River, and Lake Michigan. All of Chicago was laid out on one side, with the lake and the pier on the other.

  “Wow, this is an amazing view. I bet it looks unreal at night as well.”

  Jimmy smiled. “I knew you’d like it. It’s a big change from Freddie Beach, right?”

  I laughed, but I knew what he meant. When he went from a small town to an even smaller college town, and then to such a big city, that must have been a real adjustment.

  “C’mon, I want to show you the rest.”

  He eagerly pulled me through two bedrooms, all done up in dark wood, leather, suede and neutral tones. The kitchen had dark wood cabinets, granite, and stainless appliances. There was a balcony as well, but when we went outside, the winds whipping around the tall buildings were almost frightening. There was a games room, with yet another TV, and a pool/ping pong table. The whole place was as impersonal as a hotel, except for Jimmy’s hockey memorabilia everywhere. He had sure won a lot of stuff for a guy who was only twenty.

  My jaw kept dropping farther at every new detail. “I cannot believe this place. It’s like a something from TV—you know, Lives of the Rich and sort of Famous,” I joked.

  “Gee, Kelly, I showed you photos of everything.”

  “I know, but you can’t tell how big everything is in pictures. And it’s so nice, did you use an interior designer?”

  “My mom helped. I knew how I wanted things to look, so it was just a matter of ordering stuff.” He acted casual, but I could tell he was really proud. He had way better taste than I did.

  “It does look like you here: big and masculine.”

  “Not too masculine for you, right?”

  “I’ll add some feminine touches, like leaving my sports bras on the table or maybe my hockey jills on the floor.”

  He laughed and tackled me onto the couch. “I knew you’d bring fun into my place.”

  I was giggling as he lay on top of me. I could feel a very firm part of him of nudging into me.

  “You know, I think there’s one room you haven’t shown me yet....”

  He raised one eyebrow. “Oh really? What room would that be?”

  “The bedroom—you know, the master bedroom.”

  “Oh, so you’re calling me your master now?”

  “No way,” I protested. Jimmy scooped me up in his arms and carried me down the hallway. We walked into the master bedroom. It was decorated in more browns and taupes and not much furniture except one gigantic bed and yet another TV.

  “Why do you have so many TV’s?”

  “I won’t need one in the bedroom now that you’re here.”

  He deposited me gently on the bed and sat beside me. It was so big that I could lie across it and not touch the edges. I laughed and started bouncing gently on the bed.

  “This thing is enormous!”

  Jimmy laughed. “You’re such a kid sometimes. I love you, Kelly.”

  “I love you too!” He started kissing me again and pushed me down onto the bed, kissing my face, my throat and the bare V where my t-shirt was open. He eased my t-shirt up from my jeans, kissing my stomach. I felt all melty inside.

  “I think we need to christen this bed,” Jimmy said. I nodded with half-closed eyes.

  “And I saw two other beds as well,” I said reaching up for him. “Plus maybe the couch in the living room.”

  “Don’t forget the kitchen counter,” Jimmy added.

  “The possibilities are really endless here.” I kissed his neck and his ears.

  “I knew this place was a good investment.” And he pulled off his jacket and then my t-shirt. We started pulling off each other’s clothes and were naked in no time. Jimmy pulled back the bedspread, and we lay down on sheets that felt soft, cool and smooth. We were kissing and touching each other everywhere, like we were in a great rush to make love.

  We did end up christening pretty much every surface in the apartment, and then some. In fact, the first week I was in Chicago, we stayed home a lot. Jimmy had to train, and I sometimes tagged along. Mostly, I ran outside and did my weight work in the deserted gym in our building. We got a bunch of groceries, ordered food in, and basically had sex like
two people who had just gotten out of long-term incarceration.

  I was in the kitchen eating an apple and yogurt, when he came home from the gym. He laid some papers in front of me.

  “Okay, I went to the bank and arranged everything. Here’s a credit card for you. It’s got a $4000 limit on it, but if you need more I can get it raised.”

  I looked at the shiny black card in my hand and felt instantly guilty. “Why would I need more than that? Outside of rent, that’s more money then I spent all last year at school.”

  “Kelly, it’s different now. You’re going to need new clothes and stuff for all the events we have to go to. Don’t forget, you’re the one managing the household while I’m working. Having a stocked fridge when I get back from road trips and being able to entertain more—that’s what makes this place a home. I’m really looking forward to living together.” He snaked an arm around my waist. “Of course, having you waiting in my bed when I get home will be the best part.”

  “Yeah, okay.” I automatically kissed him, but I was still worried. “You’ll tell me what you want in the stocked fridge, right?”

  He nodded. “I’ll give you a list. We’ve got enough storage space that we can stock up. And that reminds me, what kind of car do you want?”

  “A car? I don’t want a car. This is all insane.” How could he be so casual about all this? I was feeling guiltier by the second. He was already paying my tuition, and now offering me all this other stuff.

  “Calm down, baby.” Jimmy lifted me onto the kitchen countertop and stood between my legs with his hands on my thighs. He leaned his forehead against mine. “We talked about all this already. You had to give up your job and move to a place where you don’t know anyone—all for me. The least I can do is make your life here nicer. And if we don’t get you a car, you’ll have to drive the Mercedes all the time.”

  “I could take transit.”

  His hands ran up and down my thighs in a very distracting way. “With your own car, you can get to school faster and get back faster.” He kissed me and cupped my breast. “You want to come right home and see me, don’t you?”