Higher Than Hope
Chapter 4
Nail was still a bit upset over the events of last night as him and Ryan drove towards Rexall, the radio still tuned to the country station that was now playing How Long Gone by Brooks and Dunn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEKGxI0gSWw
I keep thinkin' any minute you'll be comin' home honey
I ain't seen nothin' of you in a month of Sundays
Tell me how long gone are you gonna be
All you said was you had to get goin'
Oh but baby I wouldn't mind knowin' just
How long gone are you gonna be
How am I supposed to make any plans
When I still don't even understand
If you're ever gonna come back home to me
How long gone are you gonna be
Maybe I didn't pay enough attention
But I do believe you forgot to mention
Just how long gone are you gonna be
The phone ain't ringin', cause you still ain't callin'
I ain't been hearin' your footsteps fallin'
Tell me how long gone are you gonna be
How am I supposed to make any plans
When I still don't even understand
If you're ever gonna come back home to me
Tell me please
How long gone are you gonna be
"I still can't believe this crap, I should've told you about their dad. This is starting to turn into a mess", said Ryan, shaking his head.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Ryan. But I do not give up easily", he mused aloud.
"I hope you're all right, dude. I still don't have a good feeling about their dad, he gave off a bad vibe the moment I met him. Just be careful", he warned.
Ryan parked the truck in the player's lot and pocketed the keys, the security guard letting them pass. "Don't look too awestruck, dude. Otherwise everyone's going to think you're some stupid rookie", he teased as Nail flipped him off.
Ryan just laughed and led him inside, walking down a long hallway with framed pictures of older Oilers players and teams, many of them from the team's heyday in the 80's and early 90's when they won five Stanley Cups. Nail paused in front of several of the pictures, trying not to gape when he recognized all the star players and legends. "I know, I felt the same way when I first saw all the pictures. We got a lot to live up to", said Ryan dryly.
Ryan led them further down the hall towards a huge metal door with an Oilers logo painted on the front and a Personnel Only sign out front, reaching out and turning the massive handle. Several players were dressing in their practice uniforms and they turned to face the duo, curious and welcome looks on their faces. "Hey guys, let's all be nice to the new guy, we've all been in that situation before", he joked as everyone had a good chuckle. "Very funny, Nuge. I'm Taylor Hall and welcome to the Edmonton Oilers", he said as him and Nail shook hands.
"Bro, don't hog the noob's attention. I'm Jordan Eberle, glad to have you on the team", he said as Taylor tried to tackle him but quickly getting out of the way.
"Don't mind those too, they have, what do you call it, a bromance", said Magnus Paajarvi with a chuckle in his melodic Swedish accent and an amused look in his light brown eyes.
Nail bit his lip to keep from laughing, shaking his hand. "I have heard that term before, but I don't think we have the term in Russian", he replied.
"Da, ya panyemat. I know a bit of Russian from school, my grandfather was Finnish and I can curse in both", said Magnus dryly.
"That's two more languages than any of us, bro. I flunked French in high school", laughed Jordan.
"Then again, French isn't very useful here, we're not in Montreal", said Taylor with a shrug.
"I suppose Russian would be a lot more practical here", Magnus mused aloud as he started changing into his practice uniform.
"This is your locker and your stuff", said Ryan.
Nail nodded in thanks as he examined his uniform, a wide smile of delight on his face when he saw the blue, orange and white home uniform with his name and number 17 on the back, now feeling as though he was part of the team. "I felt the same way when I first saw my uniform, it's something you never forget", said Ryan in understanding.
Nail changed into his white practice uniform with the underarmor, lacing on his skates as he followed his teammates to the rink. Their skates with the skate blocks clattered on the hard concrete floor, the rink empty except for the coaches and goalies. Everyone turned to face the coaches, the scene not unlike students meeting with the principal on the first day of school. Nail sighed in relief when the team started off with a bit of stretching and then some skating, feeling his legs gradually warm up as he skated just a bit faster. He had to smile when he saw Taylor and Magnus skate the fastest of them all, both of them looking as effortless as though they were being pulled along by a massive string. His own skating gradually picked up speed as the choppiness at the beginning gave way to smoother strokes, the coaches looking apprvoingly.
Several hours later, Coach Krueger blew his whistle as everyone turned to face him. "Okay, see you guys tomorrow morning. And then we got the exhibition games in three weeks", he said.
"I'm so excited about the games, we're playing several exhibition games with the Avalanche in Sweden and Finland", said Magnus eagerly.
"Yeah, you can show us around, bro. Just don't make us try reindeer or that lutefisk stuff", teased Jordan.
"Hey, reindeer is actually pretty good. And lutefisk is a great hangover cure", said Magnus, laughing at the horrified looks on their faces.
"What is lutefisk?", asked Nail.
"Dude, lutefisk is the worst food ever, if you could call it that. It's cod boiled in lye until it looks and tastes like dirty Jello", said Taylor.
Nail grimaced, a disgusted look on his face. "Da, that sounds horrible. It sounds like something a drunk person would like", he said with a shudder.
"That's the point, if you're drunk you can't taste it", said Magnus as they headed to the showers.
"Nail, I'm going to go and pick up Jonesy from his physical therapy, you want to come along?", asked Magnus once they got out of the shower.
"Da, okay. And who is Jonesy?", he asked as he walked over to his locker.
"That is Ryan Jones, our teammate and my roommate. He's in physical therapy because he fractured his ankle and he cannot come with us for the games in Sweden and Finland, he was really looking forward to that. I have to pick him up because he can't drive yet, he's a really good guy. And we are going out to lunch, since Nuge is going with his girlfriend I thought you would want to join us", said Magnus.
"Okay, I don't want to be, uh, third wheel", said Nail as he changed into jeans and a black and yellow Sarnia Sting t-shirt and slicked back his hair with a generous amount of gel.
"I understand, Jonesy and I live together because we are both single, he is divorced and my girlfriend wouldn't come out to live with me in Edmonton, it turns out she was cheating on me with a guy we went to high school with who was a big football player. I am not looking for a girlfriend now, Jonesy and I are just too busy with the Oilers and playing Call of Duty", said Magnus with a shrug, just a touch of bitterness in his voice.
They finished getting dressed as Magnus led them towards the player's lot, getting the keys out of his pocket and opening the doors to a large dark blue Ford pick up truck. "Everyone on the team has one of these, the team does promotions for a local dealership and we all get deals on the trucks. You ought to get one if you have a Canadian license, it gets cold in Edmonton during the winters and a truck is really useful", he said.
Nail nodded in understanding as he got in the passenger's side while Magnus turned on the engine, the radio tuned to a satellite station in Swedish. "Oh, is that okay? It's a Swedish station from my hometown of Malmo, there is this satellite radio app that allows you have to radio stations from all over the world", he said as the radio played Miami 2 Ibiza by Swedish House Mafia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqe_9wkUQQY
She says she likes my watch, but she wants Steve's AP
And she stay up all hours watching QVC
She said she loves my songs, she bought my mp3
And so I put her number in my Bold BB
I got a black BM, She got a white TT
She wanna see what's hiding in my CK briefs
I tell her wear suspenders and some PVC
And then I'll film it all up on my JVC
Uhh, scene one. Everybody get in your positions.
Pay attention, and listen.
We're tryna get this in one take, so lets try and
make that happen.
Take one, action!
She pose for FHM, She like my Black LV
We spinnin' LPR, up on my APC
I'm in my PRPS and my Nike SB's
Ravin' with SHM, London to NYC
I got my Visa and My Visa
A diva and her dealer
B***h I'm up on the guest list with the Swedish House
Mafia
You can find me on a table full of vodka and tequila
Surrounded by some bunnies, and it aint f***ing easter
I wake up in the morning with a mild case of amnesia
With a girl that like a girl like Lindsey Lohan, Queen
Latifah
A few n****z are pullin, Yeah guetta must be fever
And that's standard procedure from Miami 2 Ibiza
"When Jonesy gets here, he is going to want to hear country music so I am going to play this until he gets here", said Magnus dryly.
Nail laughed as Magnus backed out of the space and drove away from the parking lot. Several minutes later, he had parked in front of a doctor's office as a young man on crutches slowly made his way outside as Magnus got out and helped him inside. "Thanks bro, can't wait to get rid of these things. You're the noob, right? I'm Ryan Jones but everyone calls me Jonesy, that's what happens when you got three guys on the team named Ryan", he laughed.
Nail found himself immediately liking Jonesy, the other man with a big grin on his face and an amused look in his hazel eyes. He was over six feet tall and muscular with curly brown hair that fell to his shoulders and a face that always seemed to be plotting all sorts of mischief, dressed in jeans and a Toby Keith t-shirt from the last tour. "Glad to meet you, Jonesy. I hope you are feeling better, that sort of injury sucks", he said.
"Thanks, bro. It hurt like a bitch when I broke it and I can't go on the trip with you guys, I was looking forward to being with Nuge and torturing everyone with our music. I play guitar and he sings, we're like the modern-day Brooks and Dunn. We're both huge country fans, I'm from the sticks in Chatham, Ontario and that's all there is out there, that and hunting and shit", he laughed.
"Ja, you showed everyone on Twitter that huge deer you shot this summer", teased Magnus.
"Dude, that was a twelve-point buck. That's no ordinary deer", exclaimed Jonesy.
"A what? Is that a really big deer?", asked Nail.
"Yeah, a buck is a male deer and twelve points is really big, that's over two hundred pounds. I like to hunt during the summer, I grew up hunting with my dad and my grandpa and it's so peaceful. You sit in a tree stand for deer or in the bushes and wait, you're not around other people and just around nature. You ought to try it", said Jonesy.
"Nej, I'm not into that, Jonesy. But what do you feel like having for lunch?", asked Magnus.
"No veggie crap for sure, I'm on these stupid meds and I can't drink yet, apparently the nurse says that they mess up your brain or something", he joked.
"They do and that sucks, Jonesy", agreed Magnus.
"And I can't stand this damn stuff, I'm not a Swede like you, I am just a dumb Canuck hick", he laughed as he changed to a country station.
"By the time the playoffs come around, I am going to know all the country songs", joked Nail as they all laughed.
I keep thinkin' any minute you'll be comin' home honey
I ain't seen nothin' of you in a month of Sundays
Tell me how long gone are you gonna be
All you said was you had to get goin'
Oh but baby I wouldn't mind knowin' just
How long gone are you gonna be
How am I supposed to make any plans
When I still don't even understand
If you're ever gonna come back home to me
How long gone are you gonna be
Maybe I didn't pay enough attention
But I do believe you forgot to mention
Just how long gone are you gonna be
The phone ain't ringin', cause you still ain't callin'
I ain't been hearin' your footsteps fallin'
Tell me how long gone are you gonna be
How am I supposed to make any plans
When I still don't even understand
If you're ever gonna come back home to me
Tell me please
How long gone are you gonna be
"I still can't believe this crap, I should've told you about their dad. This is starting to turn into a mess", said Ryan, shaking his head.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Ryan. But I do not give up easily", he mused aloud.
"I hope you're all right, dude. I still don't have a good feeling about their dad, he gave off a bad vibe the moment I met him. Just be careful", he warned.
Ryan parked the truck in the player's lot and pocketed the keys, the security guard letting them pass. "Don't look too awestruck, dude. Otherwise everyone's going to think you're some stupid rookie", he teased as Nail flipped him off.
Ryan just laughed and led him inside, walking down a long hallway with framed pictures of older Oilers players and teams, many of them from the team's heyday in the 80's and early 90's when they won five Stanley Cups. Nail paused in front of several of the pictures, trying not to gape when he recognized all the star players and legends. "I know, I felt the same way when I first saw all the pictures. We got a lot to live up to", said Ryan dryly.
Ryan led them further down the hall towards a huge metal door with an Oilers logo painted on the front and a Personnel Only sign out front, reaching out and turning the massive handle. Several players were dressing in their practice uniforms and they turned to face the duo, curious and welcome looks on their faces. "Hey guys, let's all be nice to the new guy, we've all been in that situation before", he joked as everyone had a good chuckle. "Very funny, Nuge. I'm Taylor Hall and welcome to the Edmonton Oilers", he said as him and Nail shook hands.
"Bro, don't hog the noob's attention. I'm Jordan Eberle, glad to have you on the team", he said as Taylor tried to tackle him but quickly getting out of the way.
"Don't mind those too, they have, what do you call it, a bromance", said Magnus Paajarvi with a chuckle in his melodic Swedish accent and an amused look in his light brown eyes.
Nail bit his lip to keep from laughing, shaking his hand. "I have heard that term before, but I don't think we have the term in Russian", he replied.
"Da, ya panyemat. I know a bit of Russian from school, my grandfather was Finnish and I can curse in both", said Magnus dryly.
"That's two more languages than any of us, bro. I flunked French in high school", laughed Jordan.
"Then again, French isn't very useful here, we're not in Montreal", said Taylor with a shrug.
"I suppose Russian would be a lot more practical here", Magnus mused aloud as he started changing into his practice uniform.
"This is your locker and your stuff", said Ryan.
Nail nodded in thanks as he examined his uniform, a wide smile of delight on his face when he saw the blue, orange and white home uniform with his name and number 17 on the back, now feeling as though he was part of the team. "I felt the same way when I first saw my uniform, it's something you never forget", said Ryan in understanding.
Nail changed into his white practice uniform with the underarmor, lacing on his skates as he followed his teammates to the rink. Their skates with the skate blocks clattered on the hard concrete floor, the rink empty except for the coaches and goalies. Everyone turned to face the coaches, the scene not unlike students meeting with the principal on the first day of school. Nail sighed in relief when the team started off with a bit of stretching and then some skating, feeling his legs gradually warm up as he skated just a bit faster. He had to smile when he saw Taylor and Magnus skate the fastest of them all, both of them looking as effortless as though they were being pulled along by a massive string. His own skating gradually picked up speed as the choppiness at the beginning gave way to smoother strokes, the coaches looking apprvoingly.
Several hours later, Coach Krueger blew his whistle as everyone turned to face him. "Okay, see you guys tomorrow morning. And then we got the exhibition games in three weeks", he said.
"I'm so excited about the games, we're playing several exhibition games with the Avalanche in Sweden and Finland", said Magnus eagerly.
"Yeah, you can show us around, bro. Just don't make us try reindeer or that lutefisk stuff", teased Jordan.
"Hey, reindeer is actually pretty good. And lutefisk is a great hangover cure", said Magnus, laughing at the horrified looks on their faces.
"What is lutefisk?", asked Nail.
"Dude, lutefisk is the worst food ever, if you could call it that. It's cod boiled in lye until it looks and tastes like dirty Jello", said Taylor.
Nail grimaced, a disgusted look on his face. "Da, that sounds horrible. It sounds like something a drunk person would like", he said with a shudder.
"That's the point, if you're drunk you can't taste it", said Magnus as they headed to the showers.
"Nail, I'm going to go and pick up Jonesy from his physical therapy, you want to come along?", asked Magnus once they got out of the shower.
"Da, okay. And who is Jonesy?", he asked as he walked over to his locker.
"That is Ryan Jones, our teammate and my roommate. He's in physical therapy because he fractured his ankle and he cannot come with us for the games in Sweden and Finland, he was really looking forward to that. I have to pick him up because he can't drive yet, he's a really good guy. And we are going out to lunch, since Nuge is going with his girlfriend I thought you would want to join us", said Magnus.
"Okay, I don't want to be, uh, third wheel", said Nail as he changed into jeans and a black and yellow Sarnia Sting t-shirt and slicked back his hair with a generous amount of gel.
"I understand, Jonesy and I live together because we are both single, he is divorced and my girlfriend wouldn't come out to live with me in Edmonton, it turns out she was cheating on me with a guy we went to high school with who was a big football player. I am not looking for a girlfriend now, Jonesy and I are just too busy with the Oilers and playing Call of Duty", said Magnus with a shrug, just a touch of bitterness in his voice.
They finished getting dressed as Magnus led them towards the player's lot, getting the keys out of his pocket and opening the doors to a large dark blue Ford pick up truck. "Everyone on the team has one of these, the team does promotions for a local dealership and we all get deals on the trucks. You ought to get one if you have a Canadian license, it gets cold in Edmonton during the winters and a truck is really useful", he said.
Nail nodded in understanding as he got in the passenger's side while Magnus turned on the engine, the radio tuned to a satellite station in Swedish. "Oh, is that okay? It's a Swedish station from my hometown of Malmo, there is this satellite radio app that allows you have to radio stations from all over the world", he said as the radio played Miami 2 Ibiza by Swedish House Mafia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqe_9wkUQQY
She says she likes my watch, but she wants Steve's AP
And she stay up all hours watching QVC
She said she loves my songs, she bought my mp3
And so I put her number in my Bold BB
I got a black BM, She got a white TT
She wanna see what's hiding in my CK briefs
I tell her wear suspenders and some PVC
And then I'll film it all up on my JVC
Uhh, scene one. Everybody get in your positions.
Pay attention, and listen.
We're tryna get this in one take, so lets try and
make that happen.
Take one, action!
She pose for FHM, She like my Black LV
We spinnin' LPR, up on my APC
I'm in my PRPS and my Nike SB's
Ravin' with SHM, London to NYC
I got my Visa and My Visa
A diva and her dealer
B***h I'm up on the guest list with the Swedish House
Mafia
You can find me on a table full of vodka and tequila
Surrounded by some bunnies, and it aint f***ing easter
I wake up in the morning with a mild case of amnesia
With a girl that like a girl like Lindsey Lohan, Queen
Latifah
A few n****z are pullin, Yeah guetta must be fever
And that's standard procedure from Miami 2 Ibiza
"When Jonesy gets here, he is going to want to hear country music so I am going to play this until he gets here", said Magnus dryly.
Nail laughed as Magnus backed out of the space and drove away from the parking lot. Several minutes later, he had parked in front of a doctor's office as a young man on crutches slowly made his way outside as Magnus got out and helped him inside. "Thanks bro, can't wait to get rid of these things. You're the noob, right? I'm Ryan Jones but everyone calls me Jonesy, that's what happens when you got three guys on the team named Ryan", he laughed.
Nail found himself immediately liking Jonesy, the other man with a big grin on his face and an amused look in his hazel eyes. He was over six feet tall and muscular with curly brown hair that fell to his shoulders and a face that always seemed to be plotting all sorts of mischief, dressed in jeans and a Toby Keith t-shirt from the last tour. "Glad to meet you, Jonesy. I hope you are feeling better, that sort of injury sucks", he said.
"Thanks, bro. It hurt like a bitch when I broke it and I can't go on the trip with you guys, I was looking forward to being with Nuge and torturing everyone with our music. I play guitar and he sings, we're like the modern-day Brooks and Dunn. We're both huge country fans, I'm from the sticks in Chatham, Ontario and that's all there is out there, that and hunting and shit", he laughed.
"Ja, you showed everyone on Twitter that huge deer you shot this summer", teased Magnus.
"Dude, that was a twelve-point buck. That's no ordinary deer", exclaimed Jonesy.
"A what? Is that a really big deer?", asked Nail.
"Yeah, a buck is a male deer and twelve points is really big, that's over two hundred pounds. I like to hunt during the summer, I grew up hunting with my dad and my grandpa and it's so peaceful. You sit in a tree stand for deer or in the bushes and wait, you're not around other people and just around nature. You ought to try it", said Jonesy.
"Nej, I'm not into that, Jonesy. But what do you feel like having for lunch?", asked Magnus.
"No veggie crap for sure, I'm on these stupid meds and I can't drink yet, apparently the nurse says that they mess up your brain or something", he joked.
"They do and that sucks, Jonesy", agreed Magnus.
"And I can't stand this damn stuff, I'm not a Swede like you, I am just a dumb Canuck hick", he laughed as he changed to a country station.
"By the time the playoffs come around, I am going to know all the country songs", joked Nail as they all laughed.