Chapter 7

I decided that from now on I would not wait until the games were over before I left...just in case! I thought I caught him scanning the section a few times in the warm up or during the anthem. Probably just my imagination. My early exits were working out quite nicely until...
November 10, 2005
Montreal was in town. Normally not a big deal, but today it was. It was the first time Sid would play the team he grew up idolizing. Even I felt a little excited for him. The crowd went insane when Sid scored the Pens first goal and the kid was overjoyed! I felt myself tear up a little. The game was a nail biter. By the end of regulation they were tied. Great...overtime! We go to a shoot out. Recchi missed. So did Perrezhogin. It all came down to Sid. He had the chance to win the game. As Sid came over the boards and took his place above centre ice, the entire arena fell to a deafening quiet. We were all on our feet and I was holding Jake in my arms (it was his turn to come with me). I held my breath as Sid faked his shot, gathered the puck back on his stick and lifted the sweetest backhander over Jose Theodore. We won, or rather Sid won! The crowd erupted! The jumbotron showed a replay and then Sid's dad's reaction from his seat. I thought about how great it was for Sidney to have his dad there to witness this moment and celebrate with him. That was something that David had always been deprived of. The whole crowd was so excited it took forever for them to start filing out. A few minutes later when the crowd finally started to leave, an usher came down to our row stopped me as Jake and I were about to make our way up the stairs.
"Excuse me Mame. Are you Miss Rebekah Jones?"
"Umm...yes I am," I replied a little bit panicked. Had something happened with Alex? Lily was at home with him.
"Your presence has been requested in the player's lounge. I am here to escort you there."
"I'm sorry, there must be some mistake. I can't go back there, I have to get my son home."
"I assure you Miss Jones, there is no mistake. You are Rebekah Jones, holder of the season tickets for section 32, row 2, seats 1 and 2. And I have been instructed to not take no for an answer."
"Instructed by whom?"
"Mr. Crosby. And I'm afraid if I go back there without you, I could get fired."
"Did he say that?"
"Well, no. But he is Sidney Crosby. I don't want to make him angry. Please just follow me Miss Jones."

I reluctantly followed the very nice young man through a series of hallways and tunnels until we eventually came to a small room that had a couch, a few folding chairs and a very large tv mounted in one corner. I started to feel a little uneasy. This was not the same lounge I had waited in with Sidney's family before.

"Excuse me...Nate. This is not the lounge that the family and friends usually wait in, there is no one else here."
"No, this is a room that no one usually uses, more private. I assure you this is where I was asked to bring you. Mr. Crosby said he would be about half an hour and to make you comfortable."
"Half an hour! You can go tell Mr. Crosby that he is crazy if he thinks I am going to wait around in this little dungeon for him. Go on, go tell him."
"But, Miss Jones...he will be in the middle of interviews. I can't interrupt him," Nate said almost pleading with me.
"Well you can deliver that message or one that tells him I have left."
Nate paused for a moment. "Please, just wait here until I get back."
"OK, but it had better not take you half an hour!"

I sat on the couch with Jake who was watching the post game show on the tv waiting for Nate to come back. I could feel how red my face must have been. I was furious! Who the hell did Sidney think he was assuming I had nothing better to do than wait around for him? I was still shaking my head when Nate came back.

"He said 5 minutes. Just give him 5 minutes."
"Fine. 5 minutes. But if he's not here then you will be escorting me out of here."
"Yes mame. I'll be just outside the door if you need anything."
"Thank you Nate."

Sure enough, in 5 minutes flat Sidney was walking into the room. He was just about to say something but then stopped dead in his tracks. The was a confused look of shock an his face.