Chapter 94

Two weeks later I was sitting in my familiar seat waiting for the boys to skate out on the ice for their warm ups. Next to me sat Brittany. Yes, I was reaching out to the bimbo as part of my plan to make everyone believe I liked her and suspected nothing. She said she had never been to a hockey game before, and I knew Max had been trying to get her to a game for weeks. I had finally convinced her to come with me. The things I will do for that boy!
"Here they come," I said to her as they came flying out of the runway.
"How exciting," Brittany replied without looking up while she was texting on her phone.
"Ya know, this is really the only time Max has to acknowledge your presence. He's really excited that your here. Do you think that you might be able to at least watch him for a few minutes so he thinks you're excited to be here?"
"He's not even going to know that I'm not paying attention."
"Oh, no? Look," I instructed.
Brittany lifted her head just in time to be startled by the puck Max shot at the glass.
"Jesus Christ!" she yelped. "Was that really necessary?"
I laughed.
"That's his way of saying hello."
Max winked at her before skating off towards the net and Sidney promptly replaced him in the spot he had occupied.
Brittany's eyes were intensely focused on Sid's back. I don't think she even blinked until he to skated towards the net.
'This is going to be easier than I thought,' I said to myself.
"So how come you didn't get the same treatment from Sidney?" she asked turning her attention back to Sidney skating around the ice.
"Because no one is supposed to know about us remember?"
"Oh, right. So how's that work exactly?"
"I'm not sure I know what you mean?"
"Well, like how do you go anywhere together without people seeing you?"
"We don't really. Most of the time we spend together is at my house or private team functions."
"So you don't go to the movies or out to the clubs or anything?"
"For one thing, both of us are extremely busy; he has games and practices and endless team and sponsor commitments and I have an extremely full work schedule and they boys have busy schedules with their extracurricular activities, so by the time we get to spend any time together, it's usually late and we just stay in and relax."
"Hmm. So no clubs huh? I wouldn't know what to do on a Saturday night if I wasn't going to a club."
"I'm a little beyond the club scene and even if Sid was old enough, which he isn't, he's very careful about the image he puts out there. He wouldn't want to be seen going to a club."
The bimbo sat silent for a few minutes.
"So what exactly is the age difference between you and Sidney?"
"That's a bold question."
"Sorry, it's just kinda obvious ya know?"
"Obvious how?"
"Well, as good looking as Sidney is, he does look his age. You are clearly more...mature than him and you just said that you're past the club scene and you have two kids and..."
"Brittany, stop. Yes there is a considerable age difference between Sid and I but we don't dwell on the numbers."
"That big huh? That's okay, I was just curious. It's cool that you guys have enough in common to keep a relationship going, usually when the age difference is that big there isn't a whole lot to hold it together. How did you two meet anyway?"
'I can't believe I am willingly sitting here being insulted by the witch that's trying to get on my boyfriend.'
"I met his dad first actually; the first day of training camp. He introduced us."
"Wow, so you already met his family? Cool. So did his dad like, set you guys up?"
"Sid and I have a very...complicated history. It's been a long haul to get where we are, and I'm not really comfortable discussing our relationship with someone I don't know very well. It's the whole privacy thing."

She looked a little startled by my comment but accepted it. We sat in awkward silence for most of the first and second periods. Silence except for the annoying questions she seemed to throw out every two minutes or so. Questions like "Why do they blow the whistle so much? Why doesn't he just push him out of the way? Why do they have to wear helmets, you can't see their faces? Does it hurt when they get slammed into the wall like that? Why do they have to sit in that box for two minutes? Why is that a holding penalty? What's interference? He didn't trip him, he just fell down."
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
I suddenly felt sorry for any man who ever tried to watch a game of any kind with a clueless girlfriend.
"This game is sooooo boring! I remember why I didn't want to come in the first place. It's cold and loud and these seats are uncomfortable," she whined.
"I hate to tell you this honey, but you better get used to it. Being the girlfriend of a hockey player means lots of time in arenas. Not to mention the community service you're expected to do."
"Community service!" she practically shrieked.
"The Penguins are extremely active in the community. Their spouses are expected to participate as well. I find it hard to believe you'd have a problem donating your time to great causes."
"Well, what do you do?"
"I don't do anything visible with the Pens. No one knows I'm a girlfriend remember? I do things behind the scenes like organizing events, making phone calls, getting donations, that kind of thing, but I've volunteered at women's shelters and homeless shelters for a while now. You always have to give back to the community."
"I don't have a lot of time for that kind of stuff."
"Well you better figure out how to make time cause it's going to be part of your life now that you're Max's girlfriend."
"Right. Great," she said in an unhappy, sarcastic tone.


We got back to our seats just in time for the beginning of the third after a trip to the ladies room. At the next whistle Brittany said something I was completely unprepared for.
"So I guess hockey is almost over. Max was telling me that the guys go home for the summer, I guess Sid will be going home too huh? Will you be going home with him for vacation?"

I had never thought about what was going to happen when the season was over. You get used to someone being there everyday, then going on short road trips, but going home for the whole summer?
"I don't know? Sid and I haven't talked about the summer."
"Oh. Well going home with him for the summer should be fun."
"I can't go home with him for the summer, I have to work. I have kids, I can't just take them away for the summer. They don't even know about us."
"Oooh. I see I hit a nerve. Touchy subject huh? Sorry. I just assumed you'd want to be with him.
I looked at her and she had a very satisfied look on her face.
'Oh you did not just start with me bitch! You should never start something you can't finish.'
I quickly composed myself and said "I'm sure we'll work it out. I have a bunch of vacation time coming to me, maybe I will finally take some time of to relax. He'll be back here a lot too I'm sure, he has a lot of commitments here. We'll be fine," I said confidently.
"If you say so," she said.

She had wanted to do anything she could to undermined my relationship with Sid from the moment we sat down - it knew it, but I wasn't going to let her know that I knew what she was doing. She was trying to plant a seed of doubt in my mind; I was not about to give her the satisfaction of knowing she succeeded.
Bitch! The bimbo was not going to get the best of me!

Happy opening day of the NHL season!!! Unfortunately for me it is an unhappy day forever veiled in darkness as I watched through tear filled eyes as my Joe's number 19 was raised to the rafters in the Pepsi Centre tonight. Until 6:53 pm MST this evening, I held out hope that he would in fact realize he had made a mistake and would surprise everyone and be in the line up for the Avalanche home opener as he has been every season for the past 14 years. Sadly, I have to accept that Super Joe will not be returning to the ice.
As sad as this reality is for me and the other Joe Sakic fans of the world, I am comforted by the fact that this phenomenal hockey player will now be able to be the phenomenal husband and father that he so desires to be. Joe took so much from his family so he could give so much to his team, his fans and the city of Denver. Joe, we thank you and your family for all you have sacrificed in order to give us, the fans the gift of being amazed by your talent, your leadership, your humility and your spirit night after night. I am honoured to have graced your presence. Enjoy your retirement and your family; you sure deserve it.
On a happier note... championship banner raising tommorrow night!!! (Great, more tears, but these ones will be happy tears!)

Now as for my story.... I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry for the lack of updates lately but I have been up to my eyeballs in essays, and reports, and working full time, and lesson plans, and workshops and my own kids, and so on and so on and so on. (I know many of you relate and feel my pain). I have two major assignments due by Sunday and my goal is to have them wrapped up by game time tommorrow night so I can update this weekend. Please don't give up on me and stay tuned...