Down By the Lake
The Here and Now Just Fade to Black
2005
“Marc, where are you taking me?” my girlfriend Madison of three years questioned as she tried to remove the blindfold I had placed on her head so she wouldn’t know where we were going.
“Don’t you even dare try to take the blindfold off,” I blatantly told her. Her lips formed into a downward pout. I let out a small chuckle.
“Why are you laughing? You are being plain mean!”
“You’re cute when you pout.”
“I wouldn’t know. I always have this stupid blindfold on when I pout.”
“Not always,” I teased. She stuck her tongue out at me and I stopped the truck at our destination. Since she still had her tongue out, I decided to plant a sloppy kiss on her lips.
“Marc,” she squealed as she wiped off my saliva.
“Oops, we’re here. But you can’t take the blindfold off just yet.”
“Come on already,” she impatiently replied. I grabbed the bag I had in the backseat and got out of the truck to help Madison out. I opened her door and took her waist in my arms and hoisted her out. She giggled and squealed until I put her down. I connected our hands before starting to walk towards the area I had set up earlier today. “Are we there yet?”
“Not quite, babe,” I replied as I set a kiss on her cheek. I carefully hoisted her up on my back so we could safely get to the next part of the land.
“Marc!” she groaned.
“We are here, give me one minute and I’ll take it off,” I put her down on the ground and hurried to make sure everything was how I left it this morning. When I found it was exactly the same, I went back to her side and took off the blindfold.
In front of us were the symbols of all NHL teams spray painted into the snow. Today is my eighteen birthday and I found out that I was being entered into the draft just two days ago.
“The NHL teams, oh my god, you are being entered in the draft!” she quickly deducted and jumped into my open arms. I kissed her and set her back on the snow.
Seventeen years old running on dumb luck
Spent the whole damn summer living in that truck
Them old tires still covered in all that mud
Like it sticks with me in my blood
2009
“Welcome home, Marc, we missed you,” my mom welcomed me into the house. It was summer 2009. My team, the New York Rangers, had recently lost in the Stanley Cup playoffs in the quarterfinals, 3-4 in the series.
“You guys haven’t changed anything,” I told Mom.
“We like to pretend we have all our boys home with us, so of course we haven’t changed anything.”
“I just can’t believe all three of us made the playoffs and than Jordan wins out of all of us,” I responded.
“Well, the team deserved it. They beat Eric’s team.”
“That’s going to be some great family bonding.”
“Eric’s already over it, Marc. Now, I think there’s some one you really want to visit, am I right?”
“Yeah, the truck out back still?” I asked in reference to my old pickup I used to drive when I was seventeen.
“Yep, keys are on the counter. I figured you’d drive that old thing.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I kissed her cheek, grabbed the keys, and than went outside to the truck. I looked at it; there was still mud on the tires from that last day I was there last year. Madison and I went mudding down by the lake.
I got in the truck and started the old thing up. I drove down the dirt lane that went from our house to the McHugh’s, Madison’s. I honked the horn before getting out. I saw a flurry of pink at the bedroom window I used to sneak in and out of when we were teens and than the next thing I knew, she was down and in my arms.
“I missed you,” she said to me. I just replied by planting a sweet kiss on her lips.
“You can’t even believe how much I missed you,” I told her after our short kiss while our foreheads were touching and I just looked deep in her eyes.
“Come on, I have something to show you,” she took my hand and we got in my truck. She drove and I got to admire her. She really hadn’t changed, sure she had lost a few pounds, but she was still my perfect Madison. Her hair was curly today and dark, like usual.
She drove us down to the lake that I told her I first loved her at, where we shared our first kiss, where we share our last kiss at the end of every summer, and where I told her about the NHL draft.
“The lake?” I asked.
“Yep,” she replied and parked in the usual spot and got out. I followed suit and got out of the truck. She took my hand and we headed to our spot. “Marc, welcome home,” she said as we finally reached our destination. Madison had set up a picnic for us with blankets and a picnic basket, even a bottle of wine.
“Madison, you didn’t have to do this. But I love it,” I told her as I saw her eyes drop. They lit up once more and I kissed her as I wrapped my arms around her. We stayed like that for a few minutes.
“I love you, Marc Staal.”
“I love you too, Madison McHugh. Come live with me in New York next season.”
“Really?” she squealed.
“Yes, really, only if you want to,” I stressed the want part.
“I’d love to!”
When life was nothing more than living for the night
Just trying to steal a kiss on a tailgate of that ride
Good ‘ole days don’t wash away
Just like that Georgia Clay
2011
“Momma Staal, I don’t know when the best time is to tell Marc. I mean, he could be very excited or disappointed. I just don’t know.”
“Madison, hunny, my son loves you and I’m pretty sure he will love you forever. There’s nothing that can change that. You are the only thing that comes before hockey, do you understand? He’ll be ecstatic. The sooner you tell him, the better you will feel. You are a lucky girl to have snatched up one of my boys.”
“I know, thanks, Momma.” I gave her a hug.
“You are more than welcome, now I suggest you hop on that flight back to New York and tell him. Just tell him how much you love him and than break the news, you’ll be perfectly fine. I promise.”
“Say goodbye to Henry for me,” I told her as I grabbed my carry on suitcase and headed towards the terminal.
“I will, be safe.” The flight from Thunder Bay back to New York was quick as I was asleep and dreaming of Marc and our family. Being back in Thunder Bay for the holiday’s had been great and I knew that I’d be back in the summer, but I just hated to leave. It was home.
Marc met me at the airport in New York. I hugged him and let him take my carry on suitcase while also taking my little hand in his and giving it a little kiss. It made me smile and we headed to our small apartment.
“How are Mom and Dad?” he asked as he parked in the lot of our building.
“They are good, they said to say hello and sorry you couldn’t stay longer, but obviously they understand.”
“I wish I could’ve stayed longer, we could’ve done a lot more around Thunder Bay.”
“I know, now, Marc, we have to talk.” I mentioned the news I had been dreading telling him since I found out two days ago. We were now in the apartment and I went to sit on the couch. He followed me and took my hands in his as he awaited my statement. “You know I love you, right?”
“Of course I do,” he responded quickly.
“Okay, I’m, uh, I’m pregnant,” I told him. I looked down at our hands; he disconnected one of his and used it to point my chin up so I was looking into his eyes.
“I love you,” he kissed me and let his hands rest on my non-existent baby bump. “When did you find out?” he questioned.
“The day after you left,” I told him.
“A baby, that’s great. Maybe that means it’s time to move out of here, huh?” we looked around the tiny apartment. It was the only thing he could afford after his rookie season on the Rangers and he just hasn’t had a good reason to move ever since.
“I think so, you and I have a hard time in this place, and add a baby to the mix, yeah, we need a new place.” He kissed me again.
“We can start looking whenever you’re ready,” he told me before he kissed me.
Only one of my friends with a fake ID
It made me the hometown celebrity
Used to put her in park in a vacant lock
Still can’t believe we never got caught
2012
“Look Max, it’s Grandma,” I told my son, he was now five months old.
“Lily, Max, aren’t you too adorable,” my mother said to the twins. They were in matching parkas, one for a boy and the other for a girl. She wrapped them both in hugs along with Madison and me since we were holding them on our hips. “Come in, come in. I don’t want my grandbabies to get sick,” she welcomed us in the house for Christmas vacation and I smelled the cookies in the oven.
“You are making cookies, aren’t you?” I asked Mom. She sheepishly nodded. She knew that it was my one downfall, homemade cookies. I hated store bought cookies, only the homemade ones.
“They smell delicious, Momma,” Madison said as she started to unzip Lily’s parka. I did the same for Max and then handed him off to Mom who wanted to hold him. Dad took Lily from Madison and I helped my girlfriend get her coat off. Once our jackets were hung up, I joined everyone in the kitchen. I saw that everyone was there; Eric with Tanya and Parker, Jordan with Mel, and Jared with Lindsay.
“I see everyone’s here,” I also noticed that Madison’s parents were hiding in the back, close to the stove. I wrapped one arm around my girlfriend’s waist. “And we have an announcement,” I told everyone.
“Marc proposed,” Madison let everyone know and than showed off her ring to all the ladies in the room who wanted to see. Everyone congratulated us and than it was time to get ready to go out for dinner. I took the twins upstairs to my old room where the four of us were going to stay while we were here. I got them changed and than Madison quickly fed them. We were than ready to go and we zipped them up in their parkas and we were headed to join everyone at dinner in town.
Ain’t if funny how some things take you back
When life was nothing more than living for the night
Just trying to steal a kiss on a tailgate of that ride
Good ‘ole days don’t wash away
There’s some things that they just don’t change
Just like that Georgia Clay
2012
Madison left a note on her pillow this morning telling me to meet her at the lake, so I got into the pickup and followed the road, after asking Mom to watch the twins. I saw her in her pink parka by the lake. I parked and got out.
There in the snow behind my fiancé was a picture of a baby snow angel, I figured she brought Parker out here to do it and than sent him inside.
“You’re pregnant?” she just nodded and I wrapped her in my arms. I kissed her and we laughed as I let us fall back onto the snow covered grass. “I love you, Madison.
“I love you more, Marc.”
“Marc, where are you taking me?” my girlfriend Madison of three years questioned as she tried to remove the blindfold I had placed on her head so she wouldn’t know where we were going.
“Don’t you even dare try to take the blindfold off,” I blatantly told her. Her lips formed into a downward pout. I let out a small chuckle.
“Why are you laughing? You are being plain mean!”
“You’re cute when you pout.”
“I wouldn’t know. I always have this stupid blindfold on when I pout.”
“Not always,” I teased. She stuck her tongue out at me and I stopped the truck at our destination. Since she still had her tongue out, I decided to plant a sloppy kiss on her lips.
“Marc,” she squealed as she wiped off my saliva.
“Oops, we’re here. But you can’t take the blindfold off just yet.”
“Come on already,” she impatiently replied. I grabbed the bag I had in the backseat and got out of the truck to help Madison out. I opened her door and took her waist in my arms and hoisted her out. She giggled and squealed until I put her down. I connected our hands before starting to walk towards the area I had set up earlier today. “Are we there yet?”
“Not quite, babe,” I replied as I set a kiss on her cheek. I carefully hoisted her up on my back so we could safely get to the next part of the land.
“Marc!” she groaned.
“We are here, give me one minute and I’ll take it off,” I put her down on the ground and hurried to make sure everything was how I left it this morning. When I found it was exactly the same, I went back to her side and took off the blindfold.
In front of us were the symbols of all NHL teams spray painted into the snow. Today is my eighteen birthday and I found out that I was being entered into the draft just two days ago.
“The NHL teams, oh my god, you are being entered in the draft!” she quickly deducted and jumped into my open arms. I kissed her and set her back on the snow.
Seventeen years old running on dumb luck
Spent the whole damn summer living in that truck
Them old tires still covered in all that mud
Like it sticks with me in my blood
2009
“Welcome home, Marc, we missed you,” my mom welcomed me into the house. It was summer 2009. My team, the New York Rangers, had recently lost in the Stanley Cup playoffs in the quarterfinals, 3-4 in the series.
“You guys haven’t changed anything,” I told Mom.
“We like to pretend we have all our boys home with us, so of course we haven’t changed anything.”
“I just can’t believe all three of us made the playoffs and than Jordan wins out of all of us,” I responded.
“Well, the team deserved it. They beat Eric’s team.”
“That’s going to be some great family bonding.”
“Eric’s already over it, Marc. Now, I think there’s some one you really want to visit, am I right?”
“Yeah, the truck out back still?” I asked in reference to my old pickup I used to drive when I was seventeen.
“Yep, keys are on the counter. I figured you’d drive that old thing.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I kissed her cheek, grabbed the keys, and than went outside to the truck. I looked at it; there was still mud on the tires from that last day I was there last year. Madison and I went mudding down by the lake.
I got in the truck and started the old thing up. I drove down the dirt lane that went from our house to the McHugh’s, Madison’s. I honked the horn before getting out. I saw a flurry of pink at the bedroom window I used to sneak in and out of when we were teens and than the next thing I knew, she was down and in my arms.
“I missed you,” she said to me. I just replied by planting a sweet kiss on her lips.
“You can’t even believe how much I missed you,” I told her after our short kiss while our foreheads were touching and I just looked deep in her eyes.
“Come on, I have something to show you,” she took my hand and we got in my truck. She drove and I got to admire her. She really hadn’t changed, sure she had lost a few pounds, but she was still my perfect Madison. Her hair was curly today and dark, like usual.
She drove us down to the lake that I told her I first loved her at, where we shared our first kiss, where we share our last kiss at the end of every summer, and where I told her about the NHL draft.
“The lake?” I asked.
“Yep,” she replied and parked in the usual spot and got out. I followed suit and got out of the truck. She took my hand and we headed to our spot. “Marc, welcome home,” she said as we finally reached our destination. Madison had set up a picnic for us with blankets and a picnic basket, even a bottle of wine.
“Madison, you didn’t have to do this. But I love it,” I told her as I saw her eyes drop. They lit up once more and I kissed her as I wrapped my arms around her. We stayed like that for a few minutes.
“I love you, Marc Staal.”
“I love you too, Madison McHugh. Come live with me in New York next season.”
“Really?” she squealed.
“Yes, really, only if you want to,” I stressed the want part.
“I’d love to!”
When life was nothing more than living for the night
Just trying to steal a kiss on a tailgate of that ride
Good ‘ole days don’t wash away
Just like that Georgia Clay
2011
“Momma Staal, I don’t know when the best time is to tell Marc. I mean, he could be very excited or disappointed. I just don’t know.”
“Madison, hunny, my son loves you and I’m pretty sure he will love you forever. There’s nothing that can change that. You are the only thing that comes before hockey, do you understand? He’ll be ecstatic. The sooner you tell him, the better you will feel. You are a lucky girl to have snatched up one of my boys.”
“I know, thanks, Momma.” I gave her a hug.
“You are more than welcome, now I suggest you hop on that flight back to New York and tell him. Just tell him how much you love him and than break the news, you’ll be perfectly fine. I promise.”
“Say goodbye to Henry for me,” I told her as I grabbed my carry on suitcase and headed towards the terminal.
“I will, be safe.” The flight from Thunder Bay back to New York was quick as I was asleep and dreaming of Marc and our family. Being back in Thunder Bay for the holiday’s had been great and I knew that I’d be back in the summer, but I just hated to leave. It was home.
Marc met me at the airport in New York. I hugged him and let him take my carry on suitcase while also taking my little hand in his and giving it a little kiss. It made me smile and we headed to our small apartment.
“How are Mom and Dad?” he asked as he parked in the lot of our building.
“They are good, they said to say hello and sorry you couldn’t stay longer, but obviously they understand.”
“I wish I could’ve stayed longer, we could’ve done a lot more around Thunder Bay.”
“I know, now, Marc, we have to talk.” I mentioned the news I had been dreading telling him since I found out two days ago. We were now in the apartment and I went to sit on the couch. He followed me and took my hands in his as he awaited my statement. “You know I love you, right?”
“Of course I do,” he responded quickly.
“Okay, I’m, uh, I’m pregnant,” I told him. I looked down at our hands; he disconnected one of his and used it to point my chin up so I was looking into his eyes.
“I love you,” he kissed me and let his hands rest on my non-existent baby bump. “When did you find out?” he questioned.
“The day after you left,” I told him.
“A baby, that’s great. Maybe that means it’s time to move out of here, huh?” we looked around the tiny apartment. It was the only thing he could afford after his rookie season on the Rangers and he just hasn’t had a good reason to move ever since.
“I think so, you and I have a hard time in this place, and add a baby to the mix, yeah, we need a new place.” He kissed me again.
“We can start looking whenever you’re ready,” he told me before he kissed me.
Only one of my friends with a fake ID
It made me the hometown celebrity
Used to put her in park in a vacant lock
Still can’t believe we never got caught
2012
“Look Max, it’s Grandma,” I told my son, he was now five months old.
“Lily, Max, aren’t you too adorable,” my mother said to the twins. They were in matching parkas, one for a boy and the other for a girl. She wrapped them both in hugs along with Madison and me since we were holding them on our hips. “Come in, come in. I don’t want my grandbabies to get sick,” she welcomed us in the house for Christmas vacation and I smelled the cookies in the oven.
“You are making cookies, aren’t you?” I asked Mom. She sheepishly nodded. She knew that it was my one downfall, homemade cookies. I hated store bought cookies, only the homemade ones.
“They smell delicious, Momma,” Madison said as she started to unzip Lily’s parka. I did the same for Max and then handed him off to Mom who wanted to hold him. Dad took Lily from Madison and I helped my girlfriend get her coat off. Once our jackets were hung up, I joined everyone in the kitchen. I saw that everyone was there; Eric with Tanya and Parker, Jordan with Mel, and Jared with Lindsay.
“I see everyone’s here,” I also noticed that Madison’s parents were hiding in the back, close to the stove. I wrapped one arm around my girlfriend’s waist. “And we have an announcement,” I told everyone.
“Marc proposed,” Madison let everyone know and than showed off her ring to all the ladies in the room who wanted to see. Everyone congratulated us and than it was time to get ready to go out for dinner. I took the twins upstairs to my old room where the four of us were going to stay while we were here. I got them changed and than Madison quickly fed them. We were than ready to go and we zipped them up in their parkas and we were headed to join everyone at dinner in town.
Ain’t if funny how some things take you back
When life was nothing more than living for the night
Just trying to steal a kiss on a tailgate of that ride
Good ‘ole days don’t wash away
There’s some things that they just don’t change
Just like that Georgia Clay
2012
Madison left a note on her pillow this morning telling me to meet her at the lake, so I got into the pickup and followed the road, after asking Mom to watch the twins. I saw her in her pink parka by the lake. I parked and got out.
There in the snow behind my fiancé was a picture of a baby snow angel, I figured she brought Parker out here to do it and than sent him inside.
“You’re pregnant?” she just nodded and I wrapped her in my arms. I kissed her and we laughed as I let us fall back onto the snow covered grass. “I love you, Madison.
“I love you more, Marc.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Just a fluff story for my contest winner, how I love those Staal's!