Give A Damn

Every night since I first moved to Tampa, Florida to play for the Lightning I’ve gone to the same bar. There were plenty of other good bars in Tampa, but this one bar had something special. I was just drawn to it. The people there are nice, the food and drinks are great, there’s always good music. What’s not to love about the place?

Some people have a favorite restaurant.
And some people have a favorite bar.

If you asked me why I liked the bar so much, I wouldn’t be able to tell you.
If you asked my good friend Vincent Lecavalier why I liked it so much, he would say it was because of a girl.

Taylor Henderson would be the girl he’d be referring to. She might have a little to do with why I spent so much time at the bar. There was something about her that was different. Actually there was a lot about her that’s different from most girls.

She like the taste of Captain Morgan
Cigarettes, oh she adores them
She can get a little crazy sometimes
Tight shirts and mini skirts
Her family's rich so she'll never work
And she's always on my mind

“Dude, how can you like her?” Vincent asked me as we sat at the bar drinking. “Most girls like to drink margaritas. But she drinks Captain Morgan. Most girls don’t like cigarettes. But she loves them. I just don’t get it.”

He was right. Taylor was the opposite of most girls, for the most part. But, I still couldn’t stop thinking about her. She was just so different. On very few occasions, when I was close enough to look her in the eyes, I could see love. I didn’t judge her for the way she acted and how she dressed. When I look her in the eyes, I see a girl that’s wanting to be loved.

I can see the love when I look into her eyes
If everyone could see what I see inside
But she lives at night and sleeps all day
She'll dance and drink her life away
But she doesn't know who I am
She gets what she wants and doesn't quit
She might as well get paid for it
But she doesn't know who I am, and she doesn't give a damn

Sometimes Vincent and I come to the bar during the day for a few drinks with some guys from the drink. Anytime we’ve ever been here during the day, she’s never once showed up.

“I bet she’s like an owl. She probably gets wasted and shit faced during the night, and sleeps all day.” It was obvious that Vincent had a problem with Taylor. He was always pointing out her flaws. I’ve never once heard him talk about how hot she is. Or how she’s probably a really nice girl when she isn’t drunk.

If I was smart, I would realize everything Vincent has said to me in the last few months is true. I’m too good for Taylor. Her parents are rich, and if she’s ever been in a real relationship, it was probably only for the money. She practically drinks her life away. Anybody that’s seen her in the bar before knows that. She doesn’t know who I am, and as hard as I try to change that, it’s probably never going to change.

There are girls that are willing to marry me, even though they’ve never held a conversation with me. I can walk into St. Pete Times Forum on a game night and get any girl to go out with me. But, the one girl I want doesn’t know who I am, and she doesn’t give a damn.

I can sit right next to her at the bar, but she won’t notice me.
I can buy her a drink, but she won’t notice me.
I can dance right next to her, but she won’t notice me.
After a while a guy has to give up, and my time was coming.
A hockey player can only do so much to get a girl to like him.

“She’s different,” I said with a shrug of my shoulders, answering Vincent’s question. “You don’t see her like I see her.”

I took a long drink of my beer and watched Taylor dance with a guy. His hair was long, about to his shoulders, and he had tattoos all over his arms and legs. It was obvious he didn’t care too much for Taylor. Chances are he didn’t care what she thought of him. He probably thought she would be easy to get in bed. Something told me that although Taylor had the look of easy and acted like it, she was anything but easy. She liked that guy because he thought she was easy and hung out in the same crowd as her. At least that’s what I was hoping.

She doesn't kiss under rain clouds,
Only boys in the same crowd
Guess I'm outta luck now

“You’re right, I see her as a girl that uses guys for sex and money. You see her for some little princess.” Vincent’s opinion usually meant a lot to me, especially when it came to hockey. But, when it came to Taylor, I truly didn’t care what his opinion was.

I can see the love when I look into her eyes
If everyone could see what I see inside

She isn’t into hockey. Everybody in Tampa knows who Vincent and I are. People in the bar are always asking for autographs, but she doesn’t recognize us. The only people that don’t know who we are don’t watch hockey. Chances are that if she were to ever come to a game, I would spot her in the crowd. Her long, layered bleach blonde hair would definitely stand out. Those mesmerizing green eyes of hers would be impossible to not look at. And she would probably be one of the few girls wearing a miniskirt and skin tight shirt.

“Why don’t you walk right up to her, say ‘I’m Steven Stamkos, I play for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and I’m almost as awesome as Sidney Crosby. Now let’s go back to my place and have hot sex’?”

I raised my eyebrow at him and chuckled to myself. “I’m not almost as awesome as Sidney Crosby; I am as awesome as Sidney Crosby.” Vincent and I liked to joke around about Crosby. He was a nice guy, and definitely very talented when it came to hockey, but pretty much everyone loved to make jokes about the guy.

“See, you need to put that confidence to use and go talk to Taylor,” He pointed his beer bottle at me and gave me a strange look. The look probably had more to do with the six beers he’s had instead of him giving me a pep talk. “I don’t like the girl, but if you talk to her and realize she’s the bitch I think she is, maybe you’ll stop obsessing over her.”

“You’re right. I was first overall pick in the 2008 draft. Why am I sitting here talking to you when I can be talking to some hot girl?” I set my beer down on the counter and stood up. Vincent stood up with me and steadied himself; he was getting a little tipsy. “You should stay here.” I pushed him back down onto the barstool he was originally sitting on.

“But she has hot friends. I want to have hot sex too.” Though his tone was stern, he continued to sit on the stool looking like a little boy in timeout.

I rolled my eyes at him and finished off my third beer. Once the bottle was empty I set it back down on the counter and started making my way towards Taylor. She was standing in the middle of the dance floor with some friends. They were swaying to the song that was playing, but there were no tattoo covered guys grinding up against them. The tattoo covered guys Taylor hangs out with are intimidating. I might have more muscle and be more experienced in fighting, but there was always that fear of a fight breaking out due to something that was said.

When I stopped a few feet away from Taylor my confidence started to disappear. Suddenly her tiny frame, the tight clothes, the manicured nails, and blonde hair were very intimidating. She could probably scratch my eyes out with those long nails of hers.

Something told me tonight was not going to be my night.

Someday she'll know that she loves me
That she loves me
Someday she'll know that she loves me
That she loves me

I smiled at one of her friends that waved at me and turned around to head back to Vincent. On my way back I felt eyes watching me. I looked back over my shoulder to see Taylor smiling at me. The first time she ever notices me and all I can get is a nice smile. But for the time being, I’ll take it.

But she lives at night and sleeps all day
She'll dance and drink her life away
But she doesn't know who I am
She gets what she wants and doesn't quit
She might as well get paid for it
But she doesn't know who I am, and she doesn't give damn.

But someday she'll know who I am
Then maybe she'll give a damn