The Carolyn Chronicles, Volume 1

by Derek Ciccone

  Lisa introduced herself to Carolyn and suggested they get some lunch. Carolyn was never one to turn down a meal. But before she left, she said goodbye to Chuck, who was seated at the polished conference table.

  She walked up to him and extended her hand. He looked strangely at her.

  “It’s a business meeting—no hugging during business.”

  He had no idea where she’d heard that one, but he took her small hand and shook. “Have a good lunch.”

  “Have a good meeting,” she said back. And then reached up and straightened his tie. That one, he knew where she got it—the few times he’d wear a suit, Beth was constantly straightening his tie.

  As they headed out, Carolyn took notice of the glass partition that provided a bird’s-eye view of the ice rink where the Predators played their games.

  “Whoa—you can see hockey from your office.”

  “They don’t have one of those in the principal’s office?” Dobbs asked.

  Carolyn looked to Lisa. “Can we play hockey?”

  “I thought you weren’t allowed to play?” Dobbs questioned.

  “I’m not sposed to, but one time Ryan and I sneaked out of the hospital and played.”

  Dobbs put his hands up. “I don’t even want to know—now get out of here.”

  As they left, Chuck wished Lisa luck. She didn’t seem to understand why, but he was confident that she eventually would.

  It was now time to get down to business, and Dobbs seemed to transform right before Chuck’s eyes. The death-stare was no myth—Chuck felt like he was looking right through him, and that his suit had shrunk three sizes. The other men in the room also looked a little skittish, and Chuck wasn’t sure if that should make him feel better or worse.

  “As you know,” he began, his Boston accent growing with each word. “I brought you here because I’m looking for a different voice on our bench. When I hired Coach Bannister, it was due to the fact that he is an extension of me. His philosophy, his strategy, his motivational tactics are similar to mine. But what I found last season was something my mother once told me—if everyone in the room believes the same thing then you’re in the wrong room.”

  He slipped on a pair of reading glasses and started sifting through folders and notepads he had in front of him. “I talked to Coach Mapelli from Bridgeport who told me,” he searched his notes. “Sorry—I want to get the exact quote. Okay, here it is—if you don’t hire Whitcomb you’re a bigger dumbass chowder-head than I thought you were when I played for you.”

  He looked up, removing his glasses, and the others struggled to hold back laughter. But John Dobbs displayed no humor. “I respect Coach Mapelli, but he’s not running my team, so his opinion doesn’t mean shit.”

  Chuck nodded, but wasn’t sure why.

  “And of course, my son-in-law, Guy Borcher, told me you were the most loyal teammate he ever had, and also one of the smartest. And if anyone knows about hockey IQ, it’s Guy.”

  “Guy was a smart player,” Chuck agreed.

  “Actually he was one of the dumbest players I’ve ever coached—would take terrible risks at least once a game—but he was able to make up for it with his extraordinary talent. It wasn’t until later in his career, when age started to strip that talent, that he learned the importance of thinking the game.”

  Guy was a Hall of Fame level player who won two Stanley Cups, but it was clear that he was never going to please his father-in-law.

  Dobbs tossed some papers on the conference table. “But I really don’t care what Guy says either. Because everybody I interview for this job will be a smart hockey guy and all that jazz, blah, blah, blah. So I’m not going to ask you why you think you’re qualified for this job, or why you want it, or any of that usual interview crap.”

  Chuck nodded again, but was starting to be confused why they flew him down here.

  “There is someone I want to ask you about though—tell me about Carolyn. Tell me what it’s like to manage her day to day.”

  Chuck’s confusion grew. “My daughter?”

  “Yeah—short little thing, just went to lunch with Lisa.”

  “With all due respect, I don’t understand what she has to do with my ability to coach.”

  “Just so we’re clear—I’ll be asking the questions, and you answer them. That’s how an interview usually works.”

  Dobbs turned to the other men. “For those of you who don’t know, Chuck’s daughter has a rare genetic condition called CIPA. This means she can’t feel pain.”

  “I wish some of the guys on our team had that—maybe they’d be willing to sacrifice their bodies a little more,” Coach Bannister said.

  “I’ll bet it’s a mixed bag, good and bad,” Dobbs replied, looking at Chuck. “Tell us about the good part.”

  Chuck took a deep breath. “She’s uninhibited, and has no limitations. She sees things completely different than most people. Not just outside the box, but a completely different box … because her condition trains her to. It’s as if we all live behind one of those electric fences that people have for their pets, which zaps them if they go too far. But Carolyn has beat the system, she’s escaped the fence and is able to explore an area that we could only dream of going. In her world, anything is possible.”

  “What’s the downside?” Dobbs asked.

  “Her body doesn’t hold her accountable like the rest of us. Every time she jumps off a staircase or runs into a wall, she can break a bone or injure her joints. But she feels no pain. She has no warning signs—burning your hand on a stove as a child is a good thing, it’s a teaching moment. But she’d leave her hand on there until it’s burned to the bone because she doesn’t know any better. A built-in fearlessness, without the normal restrictions, can lead to a lot of days in the ER.”

  Dobbs remained dead serious. “So how do you manage these two extremes?”

  “You have to constantly stay on top of it. When you coach your team, you instill habits and values in the players with practice and repetition. And then in the heat of battle, when the game in on the line, you hope the things you’ve instilled will come out as muscle memory. But it doesn’t work like that with Carolyn. No matter how much we preach safety, she’ll always revert to her natural instinct, which is to live with fearlessness.”

  “So what’s your final analysis?” Dobbs asked.

  “It’s an on-going process, so I’m not sure there ever will be one. But I want her to be special. She’s not like everyone else, and that’s fine—I don’t want to force her to fit in. So the balance is to push her to run as fast as she can, yet be there for her, to make sure she misses the wall.”

  Dobbs nodded and looked at the others around the table, all sporting blank looks. “I think we’re done here,” he said.

  The men stood, traded pleasantries with Chuck, and left for their holiday weekends.

  Only Dobbs remained, and Chuck’s annoyance grew. “That’s it?”

  Dobbs just shrugged. “Were you expecting me to dance for you? Maybe a puppet show?”

  “You had me come all the way to Tennessee on Labor Day weekend to ask me a couple questions about my daughter’s condition? Not one thing about hockey?”

  Chuck stood, tempted to just walk out. But he heard Beth’s voice warning him not to burn bridges, as he was known to do.

  Dobbs motioned him to sit back down. “Like I told you, I could interview a hundred guys who have just as much hockey knowledge as you, and far much more experience. So what would be the point?”

  “That’s what I’d like to know.”

  “Those other candidates don’t understand being special, and playing without limitations like you do. How to let someone fly, but make sure they miss crashing into the wall. But you do, and Carolyn is the reason why—not toiling around minor league hockey for fifteen years, or your brief stint coaching at Bridgeport. And because of her, you see things differently. Not just out of the box, but as you said, a different box altogether … and that’s what we need.” />
  Chuck’s attention had drifted, through the glass partition, and down to the ice, where Carolyn was enjoying a ride on the Zamboni machine, which was cleaning the ice. She had one of the happiest looks he’d ever seen on her face. He wondered how she talked Lisa into it. She was a master.

  “Chuck?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” his attention snapped back. “You were saying?”

  “I wasn’t saying anything—I was offering you a job.”

  Dobbs’ words shot through him like lightning. All the years of trying to get to the big leagues, and all he had to do was say yes. So Chuck was very surprised when he said, “Can I take a few days to think it over?”

  Dobbs didn’t show his cards. He straightened his chair and placed his elbows on the table. “Guy mentioned that you had some reservations about moving Carolyn right now, but I meant what I said about this being a family-orientated organization.”

  “It’s a great honor—I just need to talk it over with a few people in my life.”

  Dobbs nodded. “As you know, our family has been going through a lot with Ryan’s illness, and the organization has allowed me to travel on the team plane to Boston on our off days. The same will be available for you.”

  “I appreciate that,” Chuck said.

  “I’ll tell you what, I can’t wait forever, since training camp opens in a few weeks, but we’re planning to fly to Boston on Monday morning for the holiday. We’ll drop you off so you can get Carolyn home in time for her party.”

  “How’d you know about that?”

  He grinned. “I always do my research.” Then added, “We will be flying back to Nashville on Tuesday. If you want the job we’ll pick you up. If you don’t, no hard feelings.”

  “Fair enough,” Chuck said, but he did have one more question. One that he didn’t think he’d like the answer. “How is Ryan doing? We haven’t heard anything in weeks.”

  The life drained from his face—he was no longer the tough coach, but the scared grandparent. “I’m not going to lie to you—it’s not good.”

  Chuck took another look at Carolyn down on the ice, a big smile still plastered on her face. His stomach sank.

  “The bone marrow transplant worked, at least at first. But then he got hit with an infection. The chemo had eaten away his immune system—robbing Peter to pay Paul—and he couldn’t fight it off. He’s in ICU in a self-induced coma. We thought it was best to visit this weekend … the doctors said it might be our last chance.”

  “Is there anything I can do?” Chuck asked.

  Dobbs shook his head. “Just hug your daughter—no handshakes next time. Savor every moment, because there’s no guarantees they’ll be a next time.”

  For a dream come true, Chuck thought it would be a much happier moment.

  Chapter 44

  Chuck took Dobbs’ advice and hugged Carolyn so hard he thought he might break a rib, even if she couldn’t feel it.

  “I got to ride on the Zamboni machine,” she told him.

  Chuck acted surprised. “That sounds like a special treat—did you like it?”

  “It was fun … but between you and me, it was a little slow.”

  Chuck couldn’t help but to laugh—that was his daughter in a nutshell.

  They strolled through downtown on a picture-perfect day. “So what do you think of Nashville?” he asked.

  “It’s the Music City—what’s not to like?”

  Everyone that Chuck had mentioned their trip to had given the city rave reviews. That wasn’t the problem. It was the geography, how far it was located from New Canaan, which was the sticking point.

  “Lisa said that Taylor Swift lives here,” Carolyn continued, excitement in her voice.

  Chuck smiled. “I’m sure she lives a lot of places.”

  He thought back to the concert he took Carolyn and her friends to back in July at Giants Stadium, or whatever they’re calling it these days. Lindsey was supposed to go with them, but her mother had an emergency gall-bladder surgery and was unable to attend. That left Chuck with Carolyn and four friends of hers from school. He never felt so overwhelmed and needing Beth as he did at that moment.

  But they made it, and it was all worth it to see the widest smiles on the girls’ faces as they sung along with their hero on each song, even if most of the lyrics were well beyond their years and understanding, relationships and such. He could only hope it stays that way for a while longer.

  It was time to find that same strength. But he would have to finesse this, which wasn’t really his forte. “Guess what?”

  “What?”

  “Your dad got offered an assistant coach job for an NHL team. How cool am I?”

  “Super cool!”

  “Cooler than Shanna’s dad from your school who owns his own airplane?”

  “Way cooler!”

  “But I haven’t taken it yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you and I have to figure out if it’s the right thing to do.”

  “How could being an assistant coach of an NHL team not be the right thing to do?”

  “If I take the job there’s going to be a lot of changes in our lives. And I’d have to move here permanently.”

  “To Nashville?”

  He nodded, and he could feel her gears starting to grind. “Where would I live?”

  “Eventually you’d move here with me.”

  “Would I have to leave my school?” She was starting to catch on.

  “Yes.”

  “Where would I go to school?”

  “In Nashville. I hear they have a really good school system here.”

  “Would my teacher, Miss. Brady, get to come with us?”

  “No, she wouldn’t be able to come.”

  “Would Taylor Swift come to my school, since she lives in Nashville?”

  “Anything’s possible, I guess.”

  “Would she be my teacher?”

  He got a chuckle out of that one. “I don’t think so—being a pop star tends to pay more than being a teacher.”

  She thought hard. Chuck could tell that the questions in her mind were becoming increasingly difficult.

  “Would Billy and Aunt Dana get to come?”

  “No—they would stay in Connecticut.”

  Her face saddened. But he also suspected she was searching for solutions—that’s how she thought. A way to live in Nashville, but keep her life in New Canaan—bring the two together—she was always bringing things, and people, together. But unfortunately, as she was finding out more and more each day, not every problem in this world has a good solution.

  “You see why this is such a hard decision now, don’t you?”

  She stared straight ahead, a million thoughts zooming through her mind.

  “And here’s the thing—if I take the job, I would have to start right away. That’s not enough time to get you here and into school. So until the end of the year you would stay with Billy and Aunt Dana.”

  It was a lot to digest, but she was focused on the Billy and Aunt Dana part. “That sounds like fun.”

  “It would be like when I go on a hunting trip and you stay with them, but just longer. It will go really quick. And I’ll be able to come visit when we have time off.”

  “Or like when you go on a ski trip with Lindsey?”

  He knew she’d work her in at some point.

  Carolyn again grew quiet, often a danger sign with her. “What do you think … about what I just told you?”

  She smiled up at him as they walked. “Just make sure you think it totally through before you make a final decision.”

  He smiled back—another Beth line.

  He wasn’t sure what to make of her reaction—she’d grown much harder to read over the past year, like most people as they grow older. But it went better than expected. He’d predicted a hardline refusal to leave their home, followed by a temper tantrum, and then tears. Or worse—the silent treatment.

  They returned to their hotel, Opryland,
which was the size of a small city. A helpful soul at the front desk suggested The Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner, which included a serving of spumoni ice cream with their meal. This received Carolyn’s approval, “Spaghetti and ice cream for dinner—it don’t get better than this!”

  They returned to the hotel after dinner and browsed through its many shops. It was like living at the mall.

  Since it was the country music capital of the world, they bought matching cowboy hats—when in Rome—and returned to their room and watched TV, before they both drifted off to sleep.

  The next morning Chuck again went to the front desk seeking interesting things for him and Carolyn to do in the city. This time they suggested the Belle Meade Plantation. But after what happened in Clarksville, Chuck was done with plantations … forever.

  The followup suggestions were much more helpful. The Music City Trolly Hop, took them to different stops throughout the city, including the Adventure Science Center, which was right up Carolyn’s alley, and the Country Music Hall of Fame, which was more to Chuck’s taste.

  They spent some time in Bicentennial Park and ate at a place called Puckets, which was known for its BBQ and live music. It didn’t disappoint.

  Even if he didn’t take the job, Chuck was reveling in the time they got to spend together. He knew as she got older that kind of time would dwindle and she’d be a teenager before he could blink his eyes. It made him think of the Borchers. He could picture them walking around Boston when Ryan was Carolyn’s age, free and easy, and thought it would last forever.

  They toured the Grand Ole Opry and walked around the Vanderbilt campus. “Hey—Cassidy is going to school at Vanderbilt. Maybe she could be my babysitter if I move here.”

  Chuck felt a pain on the side of his head, and he swore that Beth had smacked him straight from the Great Beyond. “We’ll see.”

  Monday morning, they met John Dobbs, his wife, and daughter Lisa, at the airport. Their faces were somber, as they faced the possibility of seeing Ryan for the final time.

  But Dobbs put on a smile for Carolyn, and presented her a Nashville Predators jersey with the name Whitcomb on the back, and the number six, representing her upcoming birthday.