‹ Prequel: All-star Weekend
I'm Just a Man
Three
Tyler sat in the locker room after practice just looking around at his teammates. The media had left a few minutes before and most of the guys were getting cleaned up or going about what they needed to do before leaving for the day. He heard Shawn Horcoff on the phone with his wife asking if she needed him to do anything on his way home. Shawn was a father and married for ten years, he knew what it took to keep everything balanced. Ray Whitney was a few stalls down from Tyler getting his things together and checking all his pockets for the grocery list his wife sent him off with.
Getting his skates off Tyler tossed his jersey in the hamper to be washed, left his pads in his stall and headed to the showers. With his head down he let the water just run down. Tyler knew what he wanted, someone to go home to, who was there because of him and not what he could do for them. He wanted someone to grow with and one day, a few years down the road maybe start a family with. What he didn’t know what how to get there, how to get the one person he wanted to see Tyler for Tyler, the older brother, someone’s son and a caring friend. Not for the want to be hot shot kid who was seen with a playboy playmate.
Turning off the water Tyler got dried off and went back to get dressed. He had about half an hour until he needed to go meet up with Mark for lunch. Tyler hoped the wiser man could give him some advice. By the time Tyler was ready almost everyone had left and he just grabbed his keys, wallet and phone heading out himself.
When he got the restaurant Mark had suggested he saw his former teammate standing outside and ending the conversation he was having on the phone.
“I was a little shocked by your message Tyler, is everything okay?”
Tyler looked at Mark; he could see the worry on the older man’s face.
“Can we sit down and order. This might take a while.”
Tyler shoved his hands into his pockets needing a few moments to organize his thoughts. Where does he start the story off? Mark nodded leading the way and holding the door for Tyler. Mark didn’t push him; he knew Tyler would start when he was ready. Tyler was playing with an unopened straw when he looked up.
“I met someone and for once I am ashamed of my past. She is way too good for me and yet I somehow want to prove to her I can be good enough for her.” He looked down at his fingers “I let being 18 and winning the cup turn me into someone at the end I didn’t even know”
“The ones who matter usually are too good for us. We miss more than we are there for but its what you do with the time you are there for that matters.” Mark ran his hands through his hair as the waitress set down their lunch. “I should be telling you to forget about women and just focus on hockey… Who is she?”
“Have you met Benn’s fiancé?” he watched as Mark nodded “Her best friend Riley”
“Tell me about her.”
“The day I meet her she read me the riot act….”
Tyler and Mark sat talking for a couple hours. He never felt like mark was forcing information out of him. Mark knew the little shit head that started in the league, not what he had become. Even though he was in no way closer to knowing what to do Tyler felt better having some of his thoughts at least sorted out and catching up with an old friend. The two men parted ways with a promise of Tyler coming over for dinner before the first road trip of the season. Maybe he would rope Riley into coming.
When Tyler got home we changed into running clothes and grabbed Marshall ignoring the girls laughing in the living room. 3 miles later he returned to Claire sitting on the front porch with a water bottle for him and a bowl for Marshall.
“Jamie told me to let you stew that you have been off all day, I can’t do that”
Tyler chugged the water before he answered.
“I didn’t know until it slapped me in the face or maybe more like a check into the boards by Torres but I want this, all of this.”
Tyler head his arm out indicating towards the house, and everything it symbolized.
Getting his skates off Tyler tossed his jersey in the hamper to be washed, left his pads in his stall and headed to the showers. With his head down he let the water just run down. Tyler knew what he wanted, someone to go home to, who was there because of him and not what he could do for them. He wanted someone to grow with and one day, a few years down the road maybe start a family with. What he didn’t know what how to get there, how to get the one person he wanted to see Tyler for Tyler, the older brother, someone’s son and a caring friend. Not for the want to be hot shot kid who was seen with a playboy playmate.
Turning off the water Tyler got dried off and went back to get dressed. He had about half an hour until he needed to go meet up with Mark for lunch. Tyler hoped the wiser man could give him some advice. By the time Tyler was ready almost everyone had left and he just grabbed his keys, wallet and phone heading out himself.
When he got the restaurant Mark had suggested he saw his former teammate standing outside and ending the conversation he was having on the phone.
“I was a little shocked by your message Tyler, is everything okay?”
Tyler looked at Mark; he could see the worry on the older man’s face.
“Can we sit down and order. This might take a while.”
Tyler shoved his hands into his pockets needing a few moments to organize his thoughts. Where does he start the story off? Mark nodded leading the way and holding the door for Tyler. Mark didn’t push him; he knew Tyler would start when he was ready. Tyler was playing with an unopened straw when he looked up.
“I met someone and for once I am ashamed of my past. She is way too good for me and yet I somehow want to prove to her I can be good enough for her.” He looked down at his fingers “I let being 18 and winning the cup turn me into someone at the end I didn’t even know”
“The ones who matter usually are too good for us. We miss more than we are there for but its what you do with the time you are there for that matters.” Mark ran his hands through his hair as the waitress set down their lunch. “I should be telling you to forget about women and just focus on hockey… Who is she?”
“Have you met Benn’s fiancé?” he watched as Mark nodded “Her best friend Riley”
“Tell me about her.”
“The day I meet her she read me the riot act….”
Tyler and Mark sat talking for a couple hours. He never felt like mark was forcing information out of him. Mark knew the little shit head that started in the league, not what he had become. Even though he was in no way closer to knowing what to do Tyler felt better having some of his thoughts at least sorted out and catching up with an old friend. The two men parted ways with a promise of Tyler coming over for dinner before the first road trip of the season. Maybe he would rope Riley into coming.
When Tyler got home we changed into running clothes and grabbed Marshall ignoring the girls laughing in the living room. 3 miles later he returned to Claire sitting on the front porch with a water bottle for him and a bowl for Marshall.
“Jamie told me to let you stew that you have been off all day, I can’t do that”
Tyler chugged the water before he answered.
“I didn’t know until it slapped me in the face or maybe more like a check into the boards by Torres but I want this, all of this.”
Tyler head his arm out indicating towards the house, and everything it symbolized.