Status: Complete
Past Lives
6
After Jamie left for the game, I sat back, took off my reading glasses, and rubbed my temples.
It’s been six years since I saw a hockey game. Did I miss the sport? Fuck yes. But any mention of the sport brings me back to thinking about Brooks.
Why couldn’t I just get over him?
After we broke up, I threw myself into work and focused on obtaining my nursing degree, mostly just to forget about the game of hockey. I swore it off after “The Confrontation” as Jamie likes to call it.
Soon after we graduated and moved into our own house, I started work at Massachusetts General Hospital as a Pediatric nurse. I loved my job, but it seemed like I couldn’t get away from memories of Brooks.
Then came 2004, when I received a phone call from the Hospital Chief of UPMC down in Pittsburgh offering me the job as head Pediatric nurse. I would have been stupid to turn it down, so I took the job and brought Jamie with me. She needed to get away from a psycho ex and I would need a sense of normalcy in a new city.
Since ‘The Confrontation’, I have been on several dates, most of which Jamie never approved of, saying they were either losers or douche bags. And even during every date, in the back of my mind I would always compare them to Brooks.
Damn him.
I made myself some dinner and settled into reading my book until my phone went off with a text message from my co-worker Noelle.
‘Hey you wanna go out for a few drinks?’
I texted her back to give me a few minutes and I went to go get ready. Before I left, I called Jamie.
“Hello?” I heard her answer over the loud music.
“Hey I’m going out with Noelle for a few drinks at Excuses, you wanna meet up with us?”
I heard her mumble something and then quiet. “Ads I don’t think Excuses is a good idea.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why not?”
“Well, um…. It’s after a pens game and that means-“
I cut her off. “Yeah, I know what that means. Fine, we will find somewhere else to go. I thought the game ended at like 10:30?”
“I met some Bruins fans at the game and we decided to go grab some late dinner.”
“Okay, well when we decide where we are going, I will text you.”
After we hung up, I called Noelle and decided on going to the Town Tavern.
Twenty minutes later, we were walking down Carson Street when we past quite a few drunk fans. We turned to walk into Town Tavern as a guy stumbled and fell into me.
“Sorry m’am.”
As he walked away, I turned around and saw the name on the back of his jersey.
‘Orpik’
Brooks played here in Pittsburgh?
No. It couldn’t be.
It’s been six years since I saw a hockey game. Did I miss the sport? Fuck yes. But any mention of the sport brings me back to thinking about Brooks.
Why couldn’t I just get over him?
After we broke up, I threw myself into work and focused on obtaining my nursing degree, mostly just to forget about the game of hockey. I swore it off after “The Confrontation” as Jamie likes to call it.
Soon after we graduated and moved into our own house, I started work at Massachusetts General Hospital as a Pediatric nurse. I loved my job, but it seemed like I couldn’t get away from memories of Brooks.
Then came 2004, when I received a phone call from the Hospital Chief of UPMC down in Pittsburgh offering me the job as head Pediatric nurse. I would have been stupid to turn it down, so I took the job and brought Jamie with me. She needed to get away from a psycho ex and I would need a sense of normalcy in a new city.
Since ‘The Confrontation’, I have been on several dates, most of which Jamie never approved of, saying they were either losers or douche bags. And even during every date, in the back of my mind I would always compare them to Brooks.
Damn him.
I made myself some dinner and settled into reading my book until my phone went off with a text message from my co-worker Noelle.
‘Hey you wanna go out for a few drinks?’
I texted her back to give me a few minutes and I went to go get ready. Before I left, I called Jamie.
“Hello?” I heard her answer over the loud music.
“Hey I’m going out with Noelle for a few drinks at Excuses, you wanna meet up with us?”
I heard her mumble something and then quiet. “Ads I don’t think Excuses is a good idea.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why not?”
“Well, um…. It’s after a pens game and that means-“
I cut her off. “Yeah, I know what that means. Fine, we will find somewhere else to go. I thought the game ended at like 10:30?”
“I met some Bruins fans at the game and we decided to go grab some late dinner.”
“Okay, well when we decide where we are going, I will text you.”
After we hung up, I called Noelle and decided on going to the Town Tavern.
Twenty minutes later, we were walking down Carson Street when we past quite a few drunk fans. We turned to walk into Town Tavern as a guy stumbled and fell into me.
“Sorry m’am.”
As he walked away, I turned around and saw the name on the back of his jersey.
‘Orpik’
Brooks played here in Pittsburgh?
No. It couldn’t be.