Hockey Holidays

by Toni Aleo

  “I guess.” He shrugged. “But people just don’t—”

  “Yes, they do. Especially, in this day in age. Go out with the girl. Take a step outside into the real world.”

  He didn’t answer, only stood up and headed to the laundry room. He thought over everything Big Bruce said. He remembered numerous opportunities his father had to have a relationship and let them pass by because of his commitment to Dag’s life and future. He didn’t miss Faith anymore. He had moved past her. Although he told others he enjoyed his single life, the truth was he didn’t have a life. His boys were first, but his dad had a point.

  Pulling his phone from his back pocket, he opened the Twitter app. Think of it as a blind date. He pulled up the girl’s profile. It seemed she was a local Bears fan. She went to college, was obviously younger than him, but she was cute and mature by her tweets. Some were silly. She loved books and…kids? She talked about her work at the library. Think of it as a blind date.

  Hey @EDBookGirl, I say we do something casual for our first date. How about brunch on Tuesday?

  As he sent the tweet, he couldn’t believe he just did it.

  Chapter Three

  Elexis closed the book as the children and even a few parents clapped. She thanked the small crowd, and a few children came up to her asking questions about the story. Pleased everyone enjoyed themselves, she felt accomplished as she began to pick up the cushions and put the books back.

  Saying goodbye to the librarians, she grabbed her backpack and headed toward The Latte Bean. No, she didn’t have to work, but she needed an espresso and maybe she would do a little bit of homework.

  Walking in, she was taken by surprise when Janie grabbed her arm. “What the hell?” she whispered so the few customers who were in the shop wouldn’t hear her. “We’ve been texting you all day.” She dragged her to the back room where other employees were.

  “I turned off my phone. What’s wrong? Do you need me to work?” She couldn’t figure out what the issue would be.

  “No, you need to check Twitter. Right now.” Janie ordered.

  “Huh?”

  “Dag Limon tweeted you back and wants to take you on a date. It’s all over Twitter and everything.” She explained.

  “Wait, what?” Elexis’ heart dropped. There’s no way he tweeted her regarding a date. It had to be a mistake. A terrible mistake.

  “You have to answer him.”

  “Are you going to go?”

  “He seems sweet.”

  Everyone spoke at once and she couldn’t comprehend what happened. “I just did it as a joke,” she said. “I never, ever thought he’d answer.”

  “Well, he did and you have to go.” Janie told her.

  “I…I don’t know.” She shook her head.

  “Well, you have to answer him.”

  “I’m going to grab some coffee.” She quickly turned on her heels and rushed away from the staring eyes, waiting for her answer.

  She ordered her drink and dug around her purse for her phone. As it powered on, she took her drink and sat at one of the corner booths, hoping no one would bother her. Her phone vibrated and vibrated and continued to vibrate as the Twitter notifications exploded on her screen. There were over four thousand retweets for her #dateme not to mention all the comments accompanying them. Some supportive, others mean, but most were supportive.

  The question became clearer…what should she do?

  Go to brunch with him?

  Her eyes couldn’t leave the screen. He actually tweeted her back, and he asked her on a date. Her leg began to bounce as her adrenaline pulsed through her veins. She needed to reply. Say something. Do something. Soon.

  But what?

  Taking a deep breath, she called the one person who would give her advice without any bias. She punched the screen with her fingertip and listened. “Mom, I need advice and it’s world ending.”

  “I’m listening, Elexis, lay it on me.”

  She knew her mother understood her desperation. Quickly she told her the entire story and the dilemma she stood in now. “What do I do?”

  “Baby, that’s serious.” Her mother sighed. “You have to figure this out on your own.”

  “Huh? No way! I need you to tell me.” Elexis ordered.

  Karen laughed. “You’re nineteen years old, but you act like someone who’s one hundred years old. You need to experience life. Stop keeping everyone at arm’s length. Go for it, girl.”

  Elexis pulled the phone away from her face to ensure she called the right person. “Go for it, girl? What are you watching on TV?”

  “Well, something has happened. I am going on a date Friday.”

  “Wh…wh…a date?” Thankfully she had been sitting down when her mother delivered this bit of information or she would have fallen over. Karen hadn’t dated…ever.

  “Yes, I believe it’s time for me to live my life and you need to do the same. So, if it were me, I’d go on the date. Talk to you soon, El. Love you.”

  Her mother ended the call before she could even counter her suggestion and ask more questions about this guy she would be going out on a date with. Dropping her head into her hands, she thought about the possible outcome of this situation. She didn’t want the one player she admired the most to think she was a crazy person or worse, she was boring. Never being on a real date, she didn’t know what to talk about or do. How could she go and make a fool of herself? She couldn’t go. Putting herself through such humiliation would be devastating to her—already—non-existent self-esteem. Sure, she had average looks. Her red hair was straight as a board. Her blue eyes weren’t bright, but a few customers had commented on them. Even though she was five feet four, she didn’t think of herself as short. Her one downfall—she had no fashion sense. None at all. Jeans and t-shirts were the only items of clothing that were folded in her dresser.

  Yet passing up a chance to meet Dag Limon hurt her heart. This was her idol. He gave her a puck. It meant a lot to her. He probably didn’t remember her. Thousands of fans go to those games every week. He probably had no clue who she was or that he gave her a puck.

  Picking up her phone, her brain told her to politely decline and move on with her life. What life? She worked and went to school.

  Thinking about her mother, Elexis didn’t want to work her entire life away. Then one day, turn forty and go to a sperm bank to conceive a child. Reality hit Elexis like a puck to the head. This is Mom’s life. She had been following in her footsteps. Step by step. She didn’t want to be forty and looking through a man catalog to have a baby.

  Taking a deep breath, she tapped the reply bubble.

  @DagLimon2 you tell me the time and place and I’ll be there.

  Elexis put on her Dag Limon jersey and couldn’t keep the smile off her face as the bus stopped two blocks from the arena. It was opening day. Her heart hurt a bit since Dag hadn’t replied to her tweet, but she figured he wouldn’t, and she was okay with it. The fifteen seconds of fame had been fun, but it was finished and she could move on. She tried and that was all that mattered because she could hold her head up high.

  While she waited in line for the gates to open, she glanced over the New Hampshire Bears arena and studied the massive banner with the player’s faces. Hamilton Baer, the captain who had a deep southern accent everyone loved. Alden Brockman and Remington Rosin placed side by side because they were the highest scorers. Cabel Dirks, the longest member of the team and most likable. Bas Zorn was who Elexis stared at the longest. She really felt pride for how he came through his struggles and was still dealing with them. At the end of the row, an even larger banner had several defensemen, including Dag Limon.

  Her heart twisted a bit seeing his face. A small part of her wanted to go on the date with him, but she knew it had been a far-fetched dream. She would enjoy the memory of her tiny moment of fame.

  As the gates opened and the line began to move, her heart raced with excitement because she would see her Bears soon. After the attendant scanned her
phone showing her ticket, she made a beeline to the concession stand. She ordered a drink, nachos, and a soft pretzel. Normally, she tried to eat healthy but calories and carbs didn’t count on game days.

  Making her way to her seat she wished they were against the glass, but she couldn’t afford them. She sat up in the cheap seats—at the very top. In all honesty, she didn’t care where her seats were as long as she was there.

  The crowd stood and growled the Bears growl when the players began to emerge onto the ice. If her heart had stopped beating, she’d be fine dying right then and there. In fact, she couldn’t think of a better way to go. Standing, she watched the jumbotron as the camera panned to the players.

  And then Dag’s face hit the screen.

  Elexis never thought she would be attracted to a man with no hair, but it fit him. His bald head shined under the lights and when he paused for a second, his brown eyes stared right into the screen. As if he were staring right at her. Now, she forgot to breathe.

  The players left the ice, and Elexis sat down to enjoy her food. While sitting, she glanced over the crowd of people and felt a little anxious. She didn’t mind small crowds, but larger ones made her feel even more anxious. Keeping her focus on her food, she decided tweeting would help her keep her mind off the thousands of people entering the arena.

  After she took a few photos of her food and the ice, she finished eating and scrolled through her feed to see what her friends were up to.

  “Excuse me.”

  Elexis turned to her left. “Yes?”

  The female, not much older than her, grinned. “You’re Elexis Dunaway, right?”

  Her mouth dropped a bit. “Oh my God, you’re Nova Long.” The realization hit her as she gawked at the stunning female.

  “I am.” Nova sat down in the seat next to her. “I was wondering if we could chat for a moment.”

  “Sure. Yea. Of course. Great.” Elexis stammered over her words. Nervousness overtook her. She couldn’t believe the co-owner of the Bears was sitting next to her.

  “I don’t mean to bother you, but can we talk about your tweet.”

  Her heart stopped. Had she done something wrong? Would Dag be in trouble? She didn’t want him to be in trouble.

  “We’d like to have our social media specialist come and take a couple of photos while you’re on your date with Dag. If it’s okay with you that is? Dag said he’d leave it up to you.”

  “Um…wh…what?” She couldn’t understand what Nova said or asked.

  “Dag is going to tweet you later and tell you the time and place to meet. We’d like to have someone there to update our fans on the results. Are you okay with that?” Nova asked again.

  Elexis’ mouth dried. Her tongue felt like sandpaper. He’s going to tweet me.

  “You didn’t think he was going to, did you?” Nova smiled.

  “I wasn’t sure,” she answered. “But sure, I’m totally fine with it.” Trying to act nonchalant had never been her forte. She worried Nova would think of her as some nerd or idiot, or worse, some stalker.

  “Outstanding. Thank you and I hope you have a great time. Actually, I know you will. Dag is an amazing person.” Nova smiled one last time before leaving Elexis.

  It took her a moment to remember to breathe and then…everything hit her at once.

  Oh my God, I’m going on a date with Dag Limon.

  Chapter Four

  Third period and the score was zero to zero. Dag loved games like this. He couldn’t explain the thrill he had rushing through his body right now. His tired, sweaty body told him he needed to rest, but he skated harder and faster. Where had this extra energy come from? He thought of it as a second wind, but he had felt it all game. Stronger. Faster. Powerful.

  Maybe since his boys were in the stands?

  No, it couldn’t be. The boys have watched him play since they could come and sit in the arena chairs.

  Nothing came to mind on what change had taken place, but he loved it.

  He jumped the wall with a minute and a half left on the clock and skated toward the goal to protect it from the opposing team. The puck came racing toward him, but he put his body in front of it. The puck bounced off his chest, and he felt the thud on his hand. It stung, for a second, but he kept going.

  The puck had dropped right in front of him, and he quickly gained control of it. He passed it to Ladd, a forward who really had great handling skills but was underrated by the team standards. He watched Ladd burst down the ice with Zerrick and Gage, the other forwards, right behind him. Shade and Dag stayed behind them to ensure the puck remained in play and didn’t get shuffled back down to the Bears side. When Ladd passed the puck to Gage, he lost control and it bounced over to Dag. He slowed it down and saw the opening—a brief one—to the net. He knew if he could get closer to the net, Zerrick might be able to tap it in. He pulled his stick back and with all his might, he slapped the puck at the net.

  It hit the goalie in the left shoulder pad and…dropped behind him and into the net.

  The crowd went wild and the line came up to congratulate Dag. He had scored. When was the last time he scored? Last season he had less than fifteen assists and maybe two or three goals. Hell, when did he have an opening season goal? Or a game winner? Not since he played in the minor league.

  The rest of the line fist bumped the players who were sitting on the bench before he took his position for the puck drop. Glancing up at the clock, there was less than a minute remaining, and he knew they could hold them and keep the lead. Just as the puck dropped and the Bears had control, Dag and Shade raced to the bench for the next line to come out. Coach Long slapped his pads hard, silently telling him how proud he was of him. His cheeks hurt because of his huge smile.

  Dag felt as if it took forever for the seconds to tick down to zero, but finally it happened. The Bears had won, and he scored the winning—and only—goal. The team skated out to congratulate Nathan Paxton for the first shutout of the season and the team did the same for Dag.

  The team headed into the locker room, and Nova greeted Dag by his stall. He always liked Nova. She had a strong personality and a keen sense for hockey and business. It was probably why she was a co-owner of the team. And she was under the age of twenty-five.

  “I talked to her.” She beamed.

  “Who?” Dag questioned, pulling off his sweat-drenched jersey.

  “Elexis Dunaway.”

  He froze. “She’s here?”

  She nodded. “Yep. I followed her on Twitter and figured out where she was sitting by the photos she tweeted. I talked to her, she’s very sweet. She agreed to have a photographer at the date.”

  He did his best not to groan. When Nova came up with this crazy idea, he really couldn’t say no. She signed his paychecks and she promised it would only be a couple of photos and then they’d be alone.

  Did he want to be alone with her?

  What was she really like?

  “Oh my God, are you really doing this?” Edgar came up next to them.

  “Please say you are.” Cabel joined in.

  He nodded. “Yes, I am. I guess.” He tugged at the straps of his pads and pulled them over his head.

  The entire team listened now and began asking all the questions Dag had no answers to. Where? When? What did she look like?

  “Enough!” Nova yelled and the room became quiet. “She’s nice. She’s pretty. No, they don’t have a confirmation on date or place and when they do, you’ll see it on Twitter. Now, everyone get changed and get ready for the media swarm to come in.” The team disbursed and did as they were told. Nova grinned at Dag. “By the way, the media is going to swarm you the most.” She patted his shoulder before heading out of the locker room to let the media in.

  Nova hadn’t been lying as numerous reporters bombarded Dag with questions about his upcoming date. He still couldn’t figure out why this had such great importance, but he answered the questions nonetheless.

  After showering and changing back into his
suit, he said bye to the guys who were still in the locker room and headed out to his boys and father. Standing with a few other family members, he stopped to watch the interaction of his twins. They were his pride and joy, and even though he worried every day about their safety, their education, their overall lives, he wouldn’t change a single moment of it. He’d truly give up his entire world for them.

  “Dad!” They both yelled and raced over to him.

  Dag bent down and captured them both in his arms. He knew they were getting too big for him to carry at the same time, but he’d break his back if they wanted to be picked up.

  “Dad, you won the game,” Bruce said.

  “You were awesome, Dad.” Brock added.

  It almost brought tears to Dag’s eyes to hear the pride for him in their tiny voices. It’s something he wanted to hold onto forever. He wanted his boys to be proud of him. “I’m glad you enjoyed the game. Now, let’s get home and get you two to bed.”

  Big Bruce followed them to Dag’s house since Dag would be leaving the next day for a couple away games. He hated this part of the job. Leaving the boys, only talking to them through Facetime or phone calls. He really hated putting the additional pressure on his father. His father should be enjoying his retirement years, not raising his grandchildren. Big Bruce would never complain though. When Dag discussed leaving hockey and finding a new path for him and the boys, he stepped in. Dag knew he wouldn’t be here had he not wanted to be. Big Bruce did what he wanted, but it still bothered Dag.

  The boys were already asleep by the time Dag pulled his SUV into the garage. His father took the spot next to his in the two-car garage. Dag managed to get both boys into his arms and Big Bruce opened the door to the house, unarming the alarm. Together, they got the boys changed and into bed.

  In the kitchen, Dag grabbed a bottle of water, handing one to his father. “Thank you for everything today.”