Those Will Be The Best Memories
eleven
“You’ve reached Madeline and Ben, sorry we’re not here! Leave a message at the beep,” Madeline’s feminine voice said into the ear of Ben’s cell phone.
Ben cleared his throat, “Hey Mads. We just got to the hotel in San Jose. I don’t know what time it is there but I figured I’d give you a ring. Call me back when you get this.”
Hanging up his cell phone, Ben sighed and slipped off his shoes, leaning back on his bed. He could hear Dave in the bathroom rummaging around, and turned to the side table to get the television remote. He turned the television on, leaving it on Sports Net, and folded his arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.
The hawks had been on the road for 11 days out of their 14 day road trip. Out of six games they had won 4, and were hoping on two more wins before they all headed home. The Olympics were starting in just a few weeks and everyone, besides the Olympians, were looking forward to the two week break.
Just before the road trip, Ben had moved back into the house he shared with his girlfriend and son. He was still sleeping in the guest room, but at least he was in the house. Madeline and he had dropped Matthew off at Colin and Carli’s house and went out on a date.
It was their first date since they found out that Madeline was pregnant.
Ben took Maddy to the small Italian restaurant that they’d been to a few times before, and spent the entire evening talking. They talked mainly about what went wrong in their relationship; how fast they moved after Matthew was born and how Maddy had stopped working.
For this relationship to work, they needed to make compromises, so compromises they would make. Reluctantly, Ben agreed to keep the physical aspect of the relationship to a minimum until the emotional part of the relationship was intact.
“Ben, man, your phone’s ringing,” Dave said as he walked out of the bathroom in his sleep pants.
Ben turned and picked up his ringing phone, “Hello?”
“Ben?” A quiet voice asked.
“Hi baby,” Ben said, a smile sliding onto his features.
“How was your flight?” Madeline asked, twisting the phone cord in her fingers as she heard Ben call her ‘baby’.
“It was fine, pretty smooth. How was your day?” Ben asked, sitting up in his bed.
He could hear Matthew in the background asking his mother for cookies and the sound of a cupboard opening.
“It was good. I took Matt to Gymboree today. I really hate other mothers. They just … stare at me like I’m a different breed,” she complained, sitting back down on the kitchen chair.
Ben quietly ‘tutted’, “They’re just jealous of the fact that you’re a mother and you’re still sexy.”
Madeline let out a small laugh, “Yeah, sure.”
“I’m serious Mads; you’re the most gorgeous woman in the world and they know it,” Ben said quietly.
It was silent on both ends of the phone for a few seconds until he heard Madeline sniff quietly into the phone, “Don’t cry Maddy, please don’t cry.”
Madeline let out a small sob into the phone as she rubbed her eyes with her fist, “Why are you so sweet sometimes?”
Ben gave a hearty chuckle, “Sometimes? I’m sweet all of the time.”
“You really are.”
Ben smiled and looked over at Dave who was lying in his bed with his phone over his face, typing away on the QWERTY keyboard.
“You’re better. I’m sorry though hon, I’m really tired and I need to let you go,” he said.
“Of course, call me tomorrow. I love you,” Madeline said, whispering the last part into the phone.
“I love you too,” Ben whispered back, smiling as he heard the ‘click’ of the receiver.
Ben placed his phone onto his nightstand and stood up, walking towards his bag and then towards the bathroom. He quickly pulled off his shirt and sweatpants, pulling on his sleep pants instead, and splashed some water onto his face. He peed quickly, flushed, and opened the door.
All of the lights except for the lamp on the side table were off, and Bolly was under his covers, one arm behind his head and his eyes resting on the television.
“Everything better between you and Madeline?” Dave asked, turning his attention to Ben.
Ben climbed into his bed, “It’s getting better. We’re not perfect yet, but we’re getting there.”
Dave nodded, “That’s good. No offence man, but when you were living with Kaner you were bitchy and dirty.”
Rolling his eyes, Ben snorted, “Thanks Bolly, that means a lot.”
“No problem, man.”
---
“Tazer and I went to this bar last night and I met this girl; god she was so fucking hot. Blonde hair, big blue eyes, pink pouty lips. God, those lips felt good,” Pat described.
Ben laughed and continued shoveling the scrambled eggs into his mouth, “Thanks for the description. Did you fuck her?”
Pat smiled and nodded, his blue eyes wide, “It was amazing. She walked into my room and started stripping. Her tits were amazing – fake – but amazing either way.”
Ben gave him a thumbs up, “Fake tits; hooray.”
Patrick scoffed as he pushed a piece of melon into his mouth, “Just because you’re girlfriend’s tits are amazing doesn’t mean every girl’s got amazing tits.”
Ben placed his fork down and stared at Patrick, “What the fuck? Don’t talk about Maddy’s tits!”
Shrugging, Patrick shoved another piece of fruit into his mouth, “Sorry Ben, but seriously, this girl had so much energy.”
Pat leaned in close, “Four times last night before she said she had to leave; four fucking times man!”
Ben just laughed and smiled at the young 21 year old, “I was like you once.”
“Good looking?” Jonathan Toews butted in, causing Ben to look over at him and frown.
“A 21 year old with an appetite for food and sex,” Ben said, flipping off his captain.
Patrick snorted and shook his head, “You don’t get it Ben. You’ve got a steady girlfriend and I’ve got every other girl in the world.”
Johnny laughed and high fived one of his best friends on the team.
“One day you’ll wish you had a steady girlfriend, Kaner.”
Ben cleared his throat, “Hey Mads. We just got to the hotel in San Jose. I don’t know what time it is there but I figured I’d give you a ring. Call me back when you get this.”
Hanging up his cell phone, Ben sighed and slipped off his shoes, leaning back on his bed. He could hear Dave in the bathroom rummaging around, and turned to the side table to get the television remote. He turned the television on, leaving it on Sports Net, and folded his arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.
The hawks had been on the road for 11 days out of their 14 day road trip. Out of six games they had won 4, and were hoping on two more wins before they all headed home. The Olympics were starting in just a few weeks and everyone, besides the Olympians, were looking forward to the two week break.
Just before the road trip, Ben had moved back into the house he shared with his girlfriend and son. He was still sleeping in the guest room, but at least he was in the house. Madeline and he had dropped Matthew off at Colin and Carli’s house and went out on a date.
It was their first date since they found out that Madeline was pregnant.
Ben took Maddy to the small Italian restaurant that they’d been to a few times before, and spent the entire evening talking. They talked mainly about what went wrong in their relationship; how fast they moved after Matthew was born and how Maddy had stopped working.
For this relationship to work, they needed to make compromises, so compromises they would make. Reluctantly, Ben agreed to keep the physical aspect of the relationship to a minimum until the emotional part of the relationship was intact.
“Ben, man, your phone’s ringing,” Dave said as he walked out of the bathroom in his sleep pants.
Ben turned and picked up his ringing phone, “Hello?”
“Ben?” A quiet voice asked.
“Hi baby,” Ben said, a smile sliding onto his features.
“How was your flight?” Madeline asked, twisting the phone cord in her fingers as she heard Ben call her ‘baby’.
“It was fine, pretty smooth. How was your day?” Ben asked, sitting up in his bed.
He could hear Matthew in the background asking his mother for cookies and the sound of a cupboard opening.
“It was good. I took Matt to Gymboree today. I really hate other mothers. They just … stare at me like I’m a different breed,” she complained, sitting back down on the kitchen chair.
Ben quietly ‘tutted’, “They’re just jealous of the fact that you’re a mother and you’re still sexy.”
Madeline let out a small laugh, “Yeah, sure.”
“I’m serious Mads; you’re the most gorgeous woman in the world and they know it,” Ben said quietly.
It was silent on both ends of the phone for a few seconds until he heard Madeline sniff quietly into the phone, “Don’t cry Maddy, please don’t cry.”
Madeline let out a small sob into the phone as she rubbed her eyes with her fist, “Why are you so sweet sometimes?”
Ben gave a hearty chuckle, “Sometimes? I’m sweet all of the time.”
“You really are.”
Ben smiled and looked over at Dave who was lying in his bed with his phone over his face, typing away on the QWERTY keyboard.
“You’re better. I’m sorry though hon, I’m really tired and I need to let you go,” he said.
“Of course, call me tomorrow. I love you,” Madeline said, whispering the last part into the phone.
“I love you too,” Ben whispered back, smiling as he heard the ‘click’ of the receiver.
Ben placed his phone onto his nightstand and stood up, walking towards his bag and then towards the bathroom. He quickly pulled off his shirt and sweatpants, pulling on his sleep pants instead, and splashed some water onto his face. He peed quickly, flushed, and opened the door.
All of the lights except for the lamp on the side table were off, and Bolly was under his covers, one arm behind his head and his eyes resting on the television.
“Everything better between you and Madeline?” Dave asked, turning his attention to Ben.
Ben climbed into his bed, “It’s getting better. We’re not perfect yet, but we’re getting there.”
Dave nodded, “That’s good. No offence man, but when you were living with Kaner you were bitchy and dirty.”
Rolling his eyes, Ben snorted, “Thanks Bolly, that means a lot.”
“No problem, man.”
---
“Tazer and I went to this bar last night and I met this girl; god she was so fucking hot. Blonde hair, big blue eyes, pink pouty lips. God, those lips felt good,” Pat described.
Ben laughed and continued shoveling the scrambled eggs into his mouth, “Thanks for the description. Did you fuck her?”
Pat smiled and nodded, his blue eyes wide, “It was amazing. She walked into my room and started stripping. Her tits were amazing – fake – but amazing either way.”
Ben gave him a thumbs up, “Fake tits; hooray.”
Patrick scoffed as he pushed a piece of melon into his mouth, “Just because you’re girlfriend’s tits are amazing doesn’t mean every girl’s got amazing tits.”
Ben placed his fork down and stared at Patrick, “What the fuck? Don’t talk about Maddy’s tits!”
Shrugging, Patrick shoved another piece of fruit into his mouth, “Sorry Ben, but seriously, this girl had so much energy.”
Pat leaned in close, “Four times last night before she said she had to leave; four fucking times man!”
Ben just laughed and smiled at the young 21 year old, “I was like you once.”
“Good looking?” Jonathan Toews butted in, causing Ben to look over at him and frown.
“A 21 year old with an appetite for food and sex,” Ben said, flipping off his captain.
Patrick snorted and shook his head, “You don’t get it Ben. You’ve got a steady girlfriend and I’ve got every other girl in the world.”
Johnny laughed and high fived one of his best friends on the team.
“One day you’ll wish you had a steady girlfriend, Kaner.”