Over Spring Break

I was up at nine to shower and have breakfast. I made sure my sisters were up and Jenny had texted me saying she had to work. I decided the girls could just come with me since my brother had hockey practice. After letting Mom know of our plans, the girls got dressed and we headed downtown. The girls couldn’t contain their excitement to one, see David again; and two, go to a Blackhawks game.
I used the pass Jon gave me to park in his garage and we headed upstairs to the pent house. I let us in, seeing as the door was unlocked, and I settled the girls in front of the TV in the family room before going to join David.

I cuddled close to him and he pulled me closer. His alarm went off a half an hour later and he reluctantly got up. I told him I brought the girls and he said we would just sit in the WAGS box instead of the stands.

I took his jersey from the closet that was his Hawks’ one since he was getting a new one tonight anyways for throwback night. He smiled and gave me a kiss as Jon joined the four of us in the family room.

“Did you cover them for seats?” he asked.

“WAGS box,” David replied, nonchalantly.

“No, no, they can’t. Only the evil wives and girlfriends go there!”

“There’s evil girlfriends?” Jessica asked.

“No so much girlfriends, sweetie, but people who like the players for their money.” Jon tried to explain the concept of a puck bunny to my ten year old sister.

“Jon, let it go.” He nodded and claimed he would get us tickets in the stands. He disappeared and returned five minutes later to say we were about twenty rows off ice.

We piled into the car and Jon drove us all to the UC. He sent me to get our tickets from will call while the girls went with them to the locker room. I found myself in the locker room, twenty minutes later, exhausted.

“Long walk?” Jon questioned as I gave him the finger. I collapsed on the bench in front of David’s stall. The girls were with other teammates kids on the other side of the room and David was nowhere to be found. I gave Jon a quizzical look and he shrugged.

David returned, looking more confused than I was, when we were being ushered into the arena. I wished him luck and gave him a quick kiss before joining the girls in the hall with their new friends.

“You must be Harper. I’m Joanna Brunette. These are my boys, Andrew and Zane. You are David’s girlfriend, right?” I saw the woman to be about David’s height, just a little taller than me, and a little older than myself with straight, black hair. Her complexion was rather fair and it matched that of her son’s. But they had lighter hair than she did.

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you. I’m sure you’ve met Jessica and Jordan, my sisters.”

“I have. They are such nice girls. It’s kind of you to bring them to the game.”

“Thank you and they missed David. I thought it would be nice for them all to be reunited for a few hours.”

“Where are your seats?” I looked at the tickets and told her. She said we were in the same row. With that comment, the kids got all excited and we headed towards them and away from the locker room. We got situated and the team got on the ice for warm-ups. I pictured some keepsake moments with my Olympus SLR camera and Joanna asked to see them when the guys left the ice for a little break before game time.

“They aren’t that good,” I told her but showed them nonetheless.

“Are you kidding me? These are amazing. And you say you’re not a photographer. You should be,” she exclaimed.

“Thank you, but I really only do it for the enjoyment. But my pictures from the other night’s game are much better. They were David’s first game pictures.”

“Are they on your camera?” I showed them to her as well. “You have to show these to Rocky. He’ll hire you as a photographer in a second.”

“I’m not exactly photographer material, especially for a professional hockey team. Besides, I still have to go to school. I’m only a freshman in college.”

“Really, I would’ve thought you were a little older. Maybe David’s age or a little younger, not 18 or 19,” she responded.

“My family hosted him in Rockford when I headed to college.”

“Where do you go?”

“Ashford University, it’s in Iowa.”

“Private, I assume seeing as I’ve never heard of it,” she stated. I nodded and than they announced for everyone to rise for the anthem.

Since we played Montreal tonight, we sang O Canada first and than the Star Spangled Banner. By the time the puck dropped, I was standing, waiting for it, to capture it perfectly. Once the game heated up, I took my seat to try to get a new angle. Joanna kept telling me how focused I looked and I just shrugged it off.

I volunteered to go buy food for the kids, but Joanna waved me off. She took our orders and took one of the boys with her to help carry it all. The girls and Zane talked softly as I rested my feet which began to hurt about halfway through the first.

Surprisingly enough, Joanna and Andy, as he likes to be called, returned with everything before the second started. They passed it all out and we ate a bit before the second began. I didn’t shoot pictures this time, just enjoyed the deliciously warm nachos and cool lemonade.

Once fed, I took more photos and than took the girls to the Hawks store to buy them something. They squealed like the little girls they are and ran around the store for a good fifteen minutes before coming to me with little pink hoodies.

“We want these, please!” Jordan announced. I took one and looked it over for little mishaps or snags. When I found none, it dawned on me that Jordan’s read D. Toews on the back.

“Who’s on yours?” I asked Jess. She turned it around and I found Jonathan’s name on it. “You two are adorable. I will certainly buy these for you. Maybe you can even have them signed?” I shrugged.

They grinned and we got in line. I silently wondered how David’s name and number got printed so quickly to be in the shop for tonight, but than, I didn’t question the Hawks organization for being able to make it happen in less than 48 hours. We slid the sweatshirts on, as I had to get one with David’s number on it as well, but in black, and headed back to our seats after paying the costly amount for the three. Joanna and the boys laughed at us in our hoodies.

“Cute,” Joanna mumbled at us. I just smiled and pulled the camera back out in just enough time to catch David’s goal on film. He glanced in our direction and smiled. Just 30 seconds later, Jon is breaking away from everyone to the net, but gets tripped into the goalie by the Habs. A penalty shot was called and I got in position to capture ever morsel of movement Jon and the puck made.

Miraculously, it hits the back of the net as the goalie doesn’t do well with butterfly saves.
Everyone, including Jon, is roaring as his goal is the one to break the tie that David has equalized. There was ten seconds left in the game now. The last faceoff ended the game as Jon won it and we played keep away, waiting for the final buzzer to sound.