A Different World

I looked at my phone, and then look at Elisabeth sleep in my bed. She was really tired today, but I couldn’t sleep.

I couldn’t lose her. She meant too much to me for me to just give up on her like that. There had to be something I could do to get her to stay here.

“Elisabeth, I’ll be back. Kaner called me.” I said kissing her cheek as she was sleeping. I walked out of the condo and started to text everyone. I needed help on this one.

I texted the closer friends on the team. Sharpy, Seabs, Duncs, and even Kaner. Kaner was an idiot, but he had bright ideas sometimes. We decided to meet up at Kaner’s condo. We all met up and they looked at me.

“So are we gonna harbour an illegal or we just gonna get here to stay legally?” Duncan asked.

“I don’t care just get her to stay here.” I said thinking.

“What if we just say she is back in Poland and she stays with you?” Kaner said.

“So I can get deported too?” I asked him. “I’m Canadian.”

“Well fuck man you two mind as well be two illegals in America then!” Kaner said.

“What if she applies for an immigration visa in Canada? Canada isn’t as strict as the US?” Seabs said.

“She’d be in Canada with not knowing anyone there.” I said.

“She’d still be on the same continent. That is something.” Sharpy said.

“What if she marries Kaner? She can stay in America then.” Duncs said.

“OH YEAH THAT WOULD GO OVER REALLY GREAT WITH EVERYONE!” Kaner said. “I already have twenty cent above my head. Then people are gonna think I do mail order brides next! REAL GOOD FOR MY REP.”

Then it sparked in my head. I must have got a look when it popped into my head, because everyone was looking at me.

“What are you thinking Toes?” Sharpy said.

“When is the next time we are going to Canada?” I asked.

“In January for the Sens.” Kaner said. “What are you thinking Tazer?”

“When is her visa up?” I looked at Sharpy.

“The end of January.” Sharpy said.

“I got it!” I said.

“What?” Everyone said collectively looking at me.

“She’ll go back to Poland until the Olympics. She’ll go the Olympics and during some downtime there I’ll marry here. Then she’ll be safe to stay in Canada, because she’ll be recognised as an immigrant. Then she could get a visa to stay in America via from a Canadian stand point. So she can stay with me all the season and then we go back to Winnipeg during off season.” I said.

“Ma ma ma MARRY? TAZER ARE YOU ON CRAZY PILLS?!” Kaner asked me.

“Patrick the only way she is staying anywhere in North America is if she marries someone.”

“Tazer you’ve gone crazy. I know you like her, and all but marrying her after knowing her for what? Two months the most. That is crazy.” Sharpy said.

“I’m not letting her go back to Poland. She doesn’t need that there. She needs to see life the way we see it. She needs to be a normal twenty-one year old.” I said.

“What if she wants to go back?” Kaner asked me.

“I’ll make her change her mind.” I said.

“Jonathan you have to think she would be leaving everything behind to stay here. She is always confused as if why throw more shit her way?” Kaner said.

“Why do you insist on treating her like she is stupid?” You know how lost you idiots were when we went to Finland. Maximise that by a thousand for her. Everything is new to her. Needs to see the world and not some small town where her mom won’t her do shit, because she thinks her daughter’s heart is gonna get broken. Are you guys in or not?” I asked them.

“As long as what we are doing is legal, yeah.” Kaner said.

“Yeah.” Duncs said.

“Katey is in too.” Sharpy said.

“I guess so.” Seabs said. We talked about it a bit more, and then we parted ways. I got home that night, and I saw Elisabeth sleeping in my bed looking so calm and peaceful. I loved her, and I think I figured it out the first week I started to talk to her.

I crawled into bed right next to her and put my arm around her, and I went to sleep pretty quick. I knew a few things in life. I knew I was good at hockey. I knew that the girl next to me was sleeping next to me was the girl I was loved. That I wasn’t gonna be rational when it came to her, because I would do just about anything to keep her safe with me. If that meant marrying her to keep her here, I’ll do it.