Chapter 76

It was almost noon and I was still in my pj's, contemplating whether or not I was going to get dressed. My head was pounding and the aspirin and Lily's disgusting homemade 'surefire cure for a hangover' had done nothing but make my stomach turn. Maybe a long soak in the tub would help. As I mustered up the energy to get off the couch, I heard a car in the driveway and then a knock at the door. I prayed it wasn't Sid. Hopefully he was going to respect my wishes and leave me alone until I was ready to talk. When I opened the door, I saw something completely unexpected.

"Oh my god! What happened to your eye?"
"Your boyfriend."
I took a deep breath and shook my head. "Why don't you come in and explain," I said stepping aside so Max could come in.
"Does it hurt? Do you want some ice?"
"No, it's not that bad," he said taking a seat at the kitchen counter.
"What the hell happened Max?"
"Just a little friendly competition at practice this morning."
"If you look like this, what does Sid look like?"
"Don't worry, golden boy is as pretty as ever. I didn't fight back."
"Why were you two fighting?"
"Well, I said some things I probably shouldn't have before practice and I guess it kinda pissed him off and he tried to make me pay for it."
"What did you say to him?"
"He told me to stay away from you and I couldn't resist the opportunity to get him going, so I told him he was doing a great job making you angry and to keep it up because I'd be there to comfort you."
"Max, why would you say something like that to him."
"Relax, I was just trying to have a little fun with golden boy. Apparently, he doesn't have much of a sense of humour when it comes to you."
"This is getting ridiculous. You're teammates. I thought all you guys were suppose to have some sort of special bond, have each other's back. Why do you hate Sid so much?"
"I'll always have his back on the ice; that's my job. Off the ice is another story. I don't hate him, it just pisses me off that he's treated like some kind of god around here. Everything is always all about the almighty Sidney Crosby. Well, there's twenty two other guys here working their asses off too."
"So you don't hate him, you resent him."
"I resent the way people treat him like he's special. He revels in all the attention then tries to act like it's so tough to be him. Please! He loves being the centre of attention."
"Do you think it's easy having his life? To not be able to even go to a corner store without causing mass hysteria? To have so many demands on your time it feels like you're being pulled in a thousand different directions and there's no end? To have the kind of pressure he has on him not only to save this franchise, but to be the face of the entire league? To have all these expectations to win and then you don't so you feel like you're letting everyone down? He's eighteen years old and aside from business things and hockey, he's practically shut off from the outside world. Apparently he can't even depend on his teammates for any sense of normalcy. You try living his life for even one day and I bet you couldn't handle it."
"Boy, he really has you brainwashed doesn't he? He created the life he has. It has been very carefully carved out by his dad and his agent. This is the life he wanted so I am not going to feel sorry for him."

It suddenly hit me that I had no idea why Max was here or even how he knew where I lived.
"So why are you here Max? To try and show me what a jerk Sid is? To make sure I know that he's not playing nice with his friends? Maybe that will be the final straw to make me realize he's not the one for me? Why are you so interested in my relationship with Sid?"
"I'm not."
"Look, I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but I am not going to be the centre of your little feud. If you two don't like each other, it's none of my business, but please leave me out of it."
"That was quite a lecture considering I just came to see how you were feeling today. For someone who doesn't drink very much, you sure pounded them back last night. I figured you might need a cure for a headache. I have the perfect remedy if you're interested?"

"God no! Lily already tried to help with some god awful shake thing that smelled worse that sweaty hockey equipment. Thanks, but I'll suffer. And I'm sorry if I was a bit harsh."

"Harsh! I've used sandpaper that wasn't as rough as you! But, don't worry bijou, I'm tough, I can take it. Now, my remedy for your hangover is nothing disgusting, I promise. Go get dressed and let's go."


It hit me all of a sudden what I must look like and panic began to set in. "Max, I look awful! I can't just throw on clothes and go. At the very least I need a shower and..."

"Then I suggest you get moving. You have fifteen minutes...go."


For some reason, I didn't even hesitate before turning to head for the bathroom. "Make yourself at home," I shouted before closing the bathroom door.



I must say, I was impressed with myself. I made sure to leave the water cold so I wouldn't be tempted to stay in the shower for too long. After drying off, I threw on a little foundation, bronzer, eyeliner, mascara and lip gloss. I never wore alot of makeup anyways, but this was minimal, even for me. I was really thankful that my hair was fairly short, so a quick blow dry and a little styling putty and I was good to go. I went to my closet and grabbed my favourite dark jeans, brown tee and cream cashmere cardigan. I finished zipping up my brown boots that added three inches too my short, five foot four frame and took a quick glance in the mirror. Why did I even care what I looked like? It's not like I was trying to impress anyone right? I threw on my watch and the small diamond earrings I had inherited from my grandmother and headed back out to the family room where Max was waiting.


"So, how'd I do?" I asked a little breathlessly.

Max stood up and surveyed me from head to toe. He looked me in the eye and squeaked out, "Magnifique!" with a voice that sounded like a teenage boy who had just hit puberty. He cleared his throat and spoke again. "You are a very beautiful woman Bekah. Sid is very lucky."

I felt myself starting to blush and quickly looked away. "Umm, thank you, but I was referring to my time. How'd I do with my time?" I asked nervously.

"Time? Oh right, time!" He looked at his watch and an awkward smile appeared on his face. "Wow, two minutes to spare. That's impressive!"

"I try to stay low maintenance," I joked, grabbing my coat and purse and heading for the door. Max followed.

"Some of the women I've dated could learn a few things from you. They take forever to get ready!"

"It's not really by choice, but by necessity. When you're a single parent trying to get you and two kids out the door in the morning, you learn how to get ready in a hurry. Besides, I have a feeling, the girls you date care alot more about the way they look than I do," I said as I locked the door behind me and then followed Max to his car.

"Why do you say that?" he asked, opening the passenger side door for me. I waited for him to get in the car before continuing.

"I could care less what people think about the way I look. I work in a hospital full of sick children, I'm not trying to impress anyone. I imagine the kind of girls you date are the exact opposite. They are clearly trying to impress people, especially handsome hockey players, and that requires a little effort."

That strange little smile came across Max's face again. "You think I'm handsome?" he snickered.

Not about to let him get the better of me, I replied, "I didn't say I thought you were handsome. I was simply stating that the goal of a puck bunny is to land a hockey player and in order to do that, you need to look good. Am I wrong?"

"Do you think hockey players are so shallow that all we care about are looks?"
"Nooooooo, not at all! I'm sure when you're looking for someone to take home and have sex with, you're very concerned about what her IQ is and having an intelligent conversation," I chuckled.
"I'm a little offended by your very jaded opinion of hoc key players. Not all hockey players are like that."
"No, but you are, so don't pretend to be offended. I'm not judging you Max, I barely know you, so if you want to sleep with anything with a heartbeat, go right ahead!"
"Ouch!"
"Sorry, but your reputation proceeds you. So why don't we agree to disagree and change the subject before things get ugly?"
"Fine by me, we're here anyways."

I looked around and didn't recognize anything around me. Max came around and opened the door for me once again and then ushered me in through a door That had a quaint red, green and white a,wning with the name 'Pasto's written on it above it. At first glance, it didn't look like much, but once we were inside, I was pleasantly surprised. It was small but very cute. The tables were covered with beautiful lace tablecloths that appeared to be very old. Candles and fresh flowers completed the ambiance. A cute, older woman with gray hair pulled tightly back in a bun and wearing an white apron came out from behind the bar and greeted us.
"Maxime, il mio ragazzo dolce! La vostra signora, è molto bella. Differente per voi. Sono impressionato il mio ragazzo. Il vostra gusto sta migliorando!"
I watched a warm smile spread across Max's face as the woman pinched his cheeks and wrapped him in a warm hug. I was surprised when Max spoke to the woman.
"Si, è bella, ma non è come quello. È guista un amico."
Max noticed the puzzled look on my face and laughed.
"Sorry. Bekah, this is Mrs. P...ah, Pastorelli. Mrs. P, this is my friend Bekah."
"It's nice to meet you," I said extending my hand to shake hers.
"Ah non, non, non," she said pushing my hand away and giving me the same greeting she had given Max, cheek pinching and all. She led us to a table in the back of the dark restaurant and smiled when Max pulled out my chair for me, then quickly disappeared.
"The back of the restaurant? I don't think you need to worry about being recognized, there's nobody in here."
"This is where I sit whenever I come here. Mrs. P takes very good care of me."
"She's an interesting woman," I said, before taking a sip of water. "So does she think we're on a date?"
Max looked a little surprised. "Don't worry, I told her we were just friends."
Mrs. P appeared with a bottle of red wine and two glasses. "Your usual Maxime."
"Oh, no thank you Mrs. P. Today we need two of the 'day after' remedies please."
"Alright Maxime. I be back soon."

"So you speak Italian too?" I asked when she disappeared into the kitchen.
"Not really. Mrs. P has taught me a few things. I've spent alot of time here and like I said, she takes care of me."
"And all the girls you bring here to impress?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Max said slyly.
"Riiiight! That's why your usual is a big bottle of red wine. I'm sure it helps 'loosen' them up for you."
"I thought we agreed not to talk about my personal life anymore."
"You're right, I'm sorry. What would you like to talk about?"
"Why don't you tell me about your job?"
We got so involved in our conversation, it seemed like only five minutes had past before Mrs. P returned. She put a huge plate of spaghetti and meatballs in front of each of us, followed by a glass of something that appeared to be tomato juice.
"Mangè," she said before leaving again.
"Umm, I don't really drink tomato juice."
"Trust me," Max said. "You want to drink this. I don't know exactly what's in it, but I guarantee you will feel like a millions bucks afterwards."
"And the meatballs?"
"That's so you can tolerate the drink. Oh, and you have to chug it."
"Seriously?"
"It's the only way it works."
"I think you're full of shit Talbot, but here it goes."
I brought the glass up to my mouth to take a drink and the smell that hit my nose was enough to make me gag."
"I can't even get this past my nose, let alone drink it!"
"Chug, chug, chug, chug," Max began chanting quietly.
I growled at him before closing my eyes and gulping the nasty concoction right down to the last drop.
"That is the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted! Is my chest supposed to be burning?"
"That means that it's working," Max laughed. "Now eat."

We talked and ate and talked and ate some more. Max told me about growing up in Québec with his brother and sister, what his family was like and his journey to the NHL. He had asked about the hockey memorabilia he saw in my family room which began the long process of telling my life story and everything that led me to Pittsburgh. For the first time in a long time, I didn't hesitate to open up about my past and I wasn't completely overwhelmed with sadness when talking about David, Gram and my past with the boy's dad. I was surprised at how comfortable I felt with Max. He was very easy to talk to and he made me laugh. And not once was there any mention of Sidney. We were so lost in our own little world, we hadn't paid attention to the time. When Mrs. P came by to see if we needed anything. I looked at my watch and was shocked to see it was going on four o'clock.
"Max, we've been here for almost four hours! I have to get home for the boys."
Max thanked Mrs. Pastorelli for everything and we headed for home. I had to admit that I felt great. Whatever was in that glass sure worked miracles! Before I knew it, we were back at my house. Once again, Max opened the car door and walked me up to the front porch.
"So I guess I'll see you around?" Max asked awkwardly. "That is if you and golden...uh Sid, work things out. I hope you work things out."
"Really?"
"For your sake, yes. I still don't think he deserves you, especially now that I know you better, but I just want you to be happy. You're amazing Bekah, and you deserve to find happiness. So do what makes you happy; you and no one else."
He kissed both my cheeks again but this time wrapped me in tight embrace before backing away.
"Thank you Max."
"For what?"
"For today, for everything. Not only did you take my mind off things, but you cured the impossible hangover. I appreciate it."
"It was my pleasure bijou. I'm glad I could help," he said turning to walk back to his car.
"I'm sorry I was so hard on you Max," I shouted after him. He just smiled and gave a little wave as he got back in his car and drove away.
"Maybe I was wrong about you," I said out loud to myself as I unlocked the door. "Maybe."