No Soul

“Trick or treat!” Sidney grinned upon opening his front door to the Letang family for the get together at his house on Halloween night. Brianna smiled widely, dressed as a gardener as she held her little flower – Arianna dressed up as a daisy – while Kris stood with a limp smile dressed as the sun.

“Well you look just… great!” He laughed, taking Arianna from Brianna’s arms and cradling her to his chest as she happily sucked on a frozen pacifier.

“Speak for yourself.” Kris grumbled, watching as the giant scarecrow that held his child ushered them further into the house that had been completely decked out in Halloween decorations. Sidney, Emma, and Noah spent the entire week preparing for the party, hanging up cobwebs, fake bats, and creepy crawly spiders and carving their first pumpkins.

Sidney was sweaty under his hay-padded costume but was happy to see his kids happy after Nathalie had suggested their costume. Soon enough, a little Dorothy was jumping to get in Kris’ arms while Brianna was coddling a mini cowardly lion. Nathalie, Mario, and their group of kids were all in attendance, searching the house for hidden treasures and bobbing for apples. Jordan and Phoebe, dressed in their farm best, were in the corner of the basement game room, already having posed for photos. Many of the other friends and teammates were slowly filtering in and Emma was especially excited to see Max roll up in his overly padded Superman costume – with a Superwoman in tow.

“Who is she?” Emma asked from Max’s arms, making the Frenchman laugh at the tiny scowl on her precious face adorned with fake freckles and a hint of red lipstick – Nathalie’s idea not Sidney’s.

“This is my friend Kara, ma princesse, can you say hello to her?” He asked, Emma’s frown deepened and she hid her face in Max’s neck, effectively rubbing red lipstick against his skin. Max laughed, bouncing her up and down softly as Kara went to the kitchen to grab them a drink.

“I want Daddy.” Emma huffed, wiggling out of Max’s arms and stomping into the family room to throw herself against Mario’s legs instead. “Grandpa.” She sniffled, huddling into his chest.

“What’s the matter, Emma-girl?” Mario asked as Sidney watched from across the room on the sofa with Brianna and Kris. His eyebrows knit in worry as he got up to check on her.

“Max dudn’t lub me.” She sniffled out as her throat clogged with tears, rubbing at her eyes and smudging her freckles.

“Emma, what are you talking about? Of course Max loves you!” Mario insisted, hoisting her little body into her lap. “Just because Max has a new lady friend doesn’t mean that he loves you any less, Emma, understand?” Emma calmed down but continued to sniffle into Mario’s chest. Sidney frowned but placed his hand on her head for a split moment, dropping a kiss on her hair before walking to the front door to open it again. Duper and his entire family arrived after having spent the last several hours trick or treating as well as Matt Cooke with his family and Geno with his fiancé, Alisa. The party was in full swing – people being dressed up as mummies in toilet paper and the kids were having a great time finding the hidden candy throughout the main level of the Crosby home. Even Tank had gotten into the spirit, trotting around the house in a Capitals #8 jersey.

A few hours had passed and Sidney was feeling pretty proud about how well his party had turned out. Guests were winding down but the bash was still going strong. Most of the kids were downstairs watching a DVD of R.L Stine’s Goosebumps while the adults sat outside and drank. Noah, however, was having a great time serving as a dead weight in Bylsma’s lap – the cowardly lion all tuckered out. Dan didn’t seem to mind one bit as he bounced his knee, softly bouncing Noah’s tiny body and rubbing a hand up and down his back as he whispered softly to his wife Mary who had a wide smile stretched across her face.

Emma’s loud giggles could be heard from downstairs undoubtedly from being wrapped in toilet paper to the point she was dizzy.

“Great party, babe.” Vero smiled, sitting down on the couch beside him dressed as a Grecian Goddess with the little Letang flower in her arms.

“Thanks.” Sidney felt rather accomplished.

“So what’s new in the life of Sidney Crosby – father extraordinaire?” She asked, crossing her legs and patting Arianna’s little behind before dropping a kiss on her head. Sidney knew that she and Marc must have had a chat about children now that she was surrounded by babies and toddlers all the time.

“Not much, I got some new corner covers for the coffee table, so I’m pretty glad about that.” He grinned, making Vero giggle. “And not that it’s any of your business, but I have a date Friday.” He added, making her eyes grow wide. Vero’s long, unyielding squeal caught the attention of not only Arianna but also most of the guests in the family room.

“A date?!” She screeched, making Sidney wince before nodding slowly. “Oh my God, it’s with Jasmine, isn’t it?” She asked, suddenly very attentive and sitting on the edge of the couch.

“Yes, it’s with Jasmine.” He couldn’t help but blush.

“How did this happen?” She asked, subconsciously leaning in to hear more from Sidney.

“Uh, well, it just kind of happened. I brought Emma to dance, and watched class then we talked a little bit after, she was glad she came to the dinner a few weeks ago. She said that she didn’t get out much since she had been busy with teaching and taking class so… I asked her out to dinner.” He couldn’t help but grin, followed by an awkward, excited giggle.

“So it’s for sure like a date, not like a friend thing, right? She knows that it’s more than just friendly?” She asked.

“Um, I don’t know.” Sidney shrugged. “I mean, she asked me if it was a date and I said yes.” He added. “Do you think that will let her know I’m interested in her as more than a friend?” He wasn’t worried before but now he was a little worried.

“No, no, no that should be fine!” She insisted, not wanting to make him nervous. “So where are you going to take her?” She asked, crossing her legs. “Do you need Marc and I to babysit, because we will!”

“Jordan and Phoebe already beat you to it.” He grinned. “And I guess I haven’t decided where to go yet. I want to go somewhere nice but not so nice that she feels she has to dress up, but I also would like some privacy.” He weighed his options. “What do you think?” He asked.

“Oh, oh, you know where you should take her? Take her to Legume in Regent Square! Marc and I went there the other day. It’s so small and charming and still very nice.” She insisted. Sidney nodded, agreeing with her suggestion. “I can call and make a reservation for you under one condition.” She held up her finger, making Sidney giggle again. “Bring me home a piece of their chocolate truffle cake.”

“I can do that.” Sidney smiled, feeling more excited about his dinner date.

•••

“Hi Sidney.” Jasmine, tucked her hair behind her ear as she stood in her doorway. Sidney grinned widely as he held out the bouquet of roses in his hand, pink, which the street vendor told him was a symbol of blooming love.

“Hi Jasmine.” His smile was contagious and caused her to let out a tiny, airy laugh. “These are for you.” He insisted, holding out the bouquet even further.

“Oh, thank you!” She smiled, taking them into her dainty hands and bringing the flowers up to her nose, taking in a deep inhale. “They’re beautiful.” She blushed. “Here, come in, let me put these in water.” She ushered him into the home. Sidney’s form filled her entryway; the house was a small-cottage style home, one level with dark hardwood floors. His shoulders filled the archway of the kitchen as she moved about the kitchen with obvious grace, filling a tall vase with water before placing the roses in the water. When the flowers were tucked away, she turned back to face him and he got to take in her outfit. Her hair was swept off her shoulders in a loose knot with a few wisps framing her face. She was wearing dark blue – almost black skinny jeans that made her legs look a mile long as well as a flowy tunic top, belted to show off her miniscule waist. In a pair of nude heels, she was only about four or five inches shorter than him.

“Where are we going?” She asked, buckling her seatbelt in her Range Rover, stifling a giggle at the sight of two booster seats in the back.

“My friend Vero recommended this really great restaurant.” He added, feeling his palms getting sweaty as he pulled out of the driveway of her home, “it’s not too far of a drive.”

“Great, I’m starving, I’ve been studying all day and just kind of pecking at a few bagels.” She sighed, crossing her legs, catching Sidney’s attention as he felt the skin on the back of his neck raise a few degrees. The ride was short and sweet, a comfortable silence with just a whisper of the music on the radio in the background.

The restaurant was tiny, less than fifteen tables in the entire place and Sidney was relieved to not be recognized as the hostess seated them right away. White butcher paper was laid over a white tablecloth and a tiny candle in the center of the table. They both looked over the menu and Sidney blushed ten shades of red as Jasmine’s foot bumped his under the table.

“Sorry.” She smiled, hiding behind her menu as the waiter came around to take drink orders.

“Can we share a bottle of Riesling, please?” Sidney asked, closing the wine menu.

“Do you mind if I see some ID for the both of you?” The waiter asked. Sidney was a little surprised, taking his wallet out of his jeans pocket and handing it over to the waiter. His face changed upon seeing Sidney’s ID and quickly gave it back. “Sorry about that, Mr. Crosby.” He whispered, a little embarrassed.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s no problem.” Sidney assured, making a small smile spread across Jasmine’s lips. She put her ID away as the waiter left the table and when they exchanged glances they both started to laugh.

The conversation between them started quite naturally and it was nice to have a real, adult talk with Jasmine. There were no screams for Daddy interrupting the talk, no food flying at them, and no potty breaks. Sidney learned so much about Jasmine, she was a medical student at CMU, but taking her time with her courses, allowing her to teach dance classes for money in her spare time. She was from Denver and left Colorado and her family for school. Her parents were still married and she had two older brothers and loved to snowboard when she could.

“So what about you, Sid, enough about me, tell me about you.” She insisted, placing her hand on top of his as it rested on the table. Sidney smiled, feeling another awkward giggle building in the back of his throat but managed to keep it from coming up.

“Well uh – I have two kids, Emma and Noah.” He began with a laugh, knowing he was stating the obvious. “I play hockey for the Pittsburgh Penguins in my spare time, and I have a sister named Taylor.” He added. “My favorite shows are House, Criminal Minds, and the Backyardigans.” Jasmine giggled as the waiter returned with their dinners – chicken and mashed potatoes for her and steak and ribs for him.

“Um, if you don’t mind me asking – do the twins not spend a lot of time with their mother? I’ve never seen her at dance, only Vero and Brianna.” She asked, taking a bite of her chicken with a bite of her mashed potatoes before taking a sip of her wine.

“Actually – um, Noah and Emma’s mother passed away earlier this year in a car accident.” He cleared his throat. Jasmine’s hand was back on his right away.

“I’m so sorry, Sidney, I had no idea.” Her dark grey eyes were big and sympathetic.

“It’s okay, you didn’t know. Lana and I weren’t in a relationship per se.” He added. “I hadn’t seen her in a while when I found out.” He finished, not quite sure if he was disclosing too much information or not.

“You’re a great Dad, Sid, Emma just adores you to pieces.” She insisted. “She loves to talk about you and I know that she’s excited to make you proud during class knowing that you’re watching.” She finished.

“She is pretty great, huh?” He asked, looking down at his plate, taking his fork in his left hand. No matter ho unnatural it felt, he didn’t want to move his hand from under hers. Her skin was soft and it had been so long since he had someone touch him in a romantic way.

The conversation turned a little more casual again as they finished their meals and Sidney felt a hundred feet tall as he left the restaurant with her hand in his.

“I would have ask you if you wanted to get dessert, but I have to pick up Em and Noah from Jordan’s. That, and I can’t really eat dessert.” He finished rubbing the back of his neck as he stood in her doorway. Jasmine giggled at his last remark and she could feel his heart beat under his chest as she placed her hands on the lapels of his blazer over his white button down.

“Would it be forward of me to ask you if I could see you again?” She bit her lip, looking up at him through her dark, thick lashes.

“Not at all. You can ask me.” He shook his head.

“So, Sidney, can I see you again for a second date?” She asked, making him grin as he scrunched his nose.

“Yes, you can.”