Goose's Big Adventure
Chapter III
As Gustav was walking to his car, a nudge in his back made him turn around. He saw Niklas standing behind him with a grin on his face. “Hey Gus? You wanna come over and meet my sister, Natalie? She’s a good kid,” he said. The young forward nodded, excitement flooding his face. He was looking forward to having another friend here in Detroit and he couldn’t wait to meet her.
“I’d love to meet her,” he said. Niklas ruffled his hair, grinning.
“She loves Taylor Swift,” he said, a slight groan in his voice. Gustav only laughed at his friend. He knew how popular the 18-year-old singer was among girls-his sister, Caroline, was one of those girls. Taylor wasn’t Gustav’s first choice of singer, but he had borne it for his sister’s sake. The memories of her dancing around the family room singing along with the singer made him smile.
“I don’t mind Taylor actually. My little sister always listened to her. She loves her,” Gustav replied. Niklas shook his head, raising his eyebrows.
“It seems like most girls love her. I like her alright, but it doesn’t bother me when Natalie plays her. It makes her happy, so I go along with it,” he said. Gustav grinned at his friend’s answer, for it echoed his own thoughts about his sister.
“Does your sister play hockey,” he asked. Niklas placed his bag in the trunk and, closing it, turned to lean on it.
“She does. She’s a defenseman like me, but she’s torn between being a singer and being a hockey player. She’s good at both.”
“Does she have a good voice,” Gustav asked, overcome with curiosity about Izzy. Niklas laughed and ran a hand through his dark brown hair.
“She has a beautiful voice, Gus. When she sings, she sounds like the angels, not joking.” Gustav looked thoughtful for a long minute, thinking about the complement the older man had just paid his sister. He certainly didn’t know what angels sounded like, but he could only assume it sounded beautiful.
“Well, I really wanna meet your sister now. You think she’d sing for me,” he asked. Niklas chuckled as he got his keys from his pocket and unlocked his car.
“Gus, she’ll sing for anyone. She sings for us all the time, sometimes even before games if she has a mind to. Come on, follow me home since you don’t know where it is,” he replied. Gustav accordingly went off to his car and placed his stuff in the back of it before slamming the door shut and got into the driver’s seat. He couldn’t help but smile at the way his day was going so far. His teammates were the nicest people he could ask for and now he was making a new friend. Meeting people had never been his forte, but when it came to hockey he was perfect. He had made friends on every team he had been on. Shaking his head, he put his red sports car into drive and followed Niklas. He was surprised when only a few minutes later, they had reached the older man’s house. He hadn’t thought of anyone living that close to the arena, but he sure knew that now. Putting his car into a parking spot, he got out and was greeted by Niklas.
“Not that bad of a drive, is it,” the defenseman asked as the two made their way to the house. Gustav shook his head.
“No, it wasn’t. You’re lucky to live this close to the arena,” he commented, a bit of jealousy creeping up in his voice. Niklas stopped short in surprise and looked at his new teammate with shocked eyes.
“How far away do you live,” he asked in amazement. Gustav blushed, silently cursing himself for saying any type of complaint.
“Hm, about a half an hour,” he replied quickly, hoping Niklas would drop the subject. Niklas, not wanting to embarrass his friend any farther, did not say another word about it. Instead, he continued towards the front steps, talking about his sister all the while.
“She’s a very smart kid, even if she doesn’t go to school. She graduated from high school early and is still waiting for an acceptance letter from the University of Michigan. She wants to go there because of the hockey program they have there, even if she is disappointed about their music program,” Niklas remarked with a chuckled. Gustav laughed as he stood on the third step, waiting patiently for Niklas to unlock the door.
“I guess you gotta take what you get,” was his comment. Niklas unlocked the door and the two of them made their way inside. Soon, the sound of a beautiful voice hit their ears. Niklas’s face broke out into a grin.
“That, my friend, is my sister,” he said as he placed his car keys onto the counter and carelessly threw his jacket on the kitchen chair. Gustav stood transfixed; the only thing he could focus on was that voice. Niklas was right: she did sound like angels. Niklas laughed at the look on his friend’s face and, making his way to the open living room doorway, tapped on the wall. Instantly the singing stopped and Gustav watched, in amusement, as Natalie threw herself into Niklas’s arms, nearly knocking him down.
“NICKY! You’re home! How was practice? How are my boys,” she asked all in one breath. Niklas let out a laugh as he gave his sister a tight squeeze.
“Practice was great and the boys are good. Hank wants to see you soon.” As brother and sister bantered back and forth, Gustav had a little bit of time to study her. Natalie was a tall girl of medium weight with bright blue eyes and a headful of long brown curls. When she smiled, she smiled with her whole face and her eyes lit up as if she was about to let you in on a secret. She was very much vexed by the seven red freckles that were on her nose, but other people never seemed to notice them. Like her brother, she had very sweet, loving personality, but if anyone insulted the people she loved, she flew into a temper that would leave the bravest of men in terror. She was always helping her friends who were in trouble and, like her brother, had joined a group that helped autistic children. She felt that child with autism were geniuses and nothing anyone could say would sway her any other way.
“So, Nicky, who did you bring with you today,” she asked, bringing Gustav out of his thoughts. Niklas laughed.
“My new teammate, Gustav Nyquist. He’d love to hear you sing,” was her brother’s reply. Natalie looked over at him with a curious look. Gustav blushed under her gaze, which made me laugh. A laugh that sent warm shivers up the young forward’s spine.
“Nice to meet you, Gus. My name is Natalie,” the girl said, holding her hand out for Gustav to shake. Gustav grinned at her manners and, taking her hand, kissed it instead.
“Pleased to meet you too, Ms. Natalie,” he said as politely as he could. He was really impatient to hear more of her singing, but he wasn’t about to be rude. Natalie blushed at the kiss on her hand, but she was pleased by the gesture. His parents, whoever they were, had taught him right.
“Well, Gustav I hear you want to hear me sing,” she said, eyes shining brightly. The Swedish forward nodded in delight.
“Yes, I’d love to hear you sing Natalie. I heard you a little bit when we came in and it was lovely, but I want to hear more,” he replied, blushing instantly because he felt her was being too forward. He was taken by surprise when she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the family room, sitting him down on the couch. Niklas laughed in amusement at the look of surprise on his friend’s face.
“Like I said, she loves to sing,” he remarked. Gustav rolled his eyes, but had no chance of a reply as Natalie came back in, wearing what she called “her singing outfit”. This particular outfit was a flowered white skirt with a Swedish flagged tank top with cowboy boots. Her hair was tied back in a French braid and swung over one shoulder. In her hand was a real microphone she had gotten for Christmas from her mother three years ago.
“What song are you gonna sing today, sis,” Niklas asked as he took his spot on the couch. Natalie shook her head mysteriously, her blue eyes twinkling.
“I’m not telling you what I’m gonna sing. It’s a surprise,” she added.
I said oh my, what a marvelous tune
It was the best night never would forget how we moved
The whole place was dressed to the nines and we were dancing, dancing
Like we’re made of starlight, like we’re made of starlight
I meet Bobby on the boardwalk summer of ‘45
Picked me up late one night at the window we were 17 and crazy running wild, wild
Can’t remember what song it was playing when we walked in
The night we snuck into a yotclub party pretending to be a duchess and a prince
And I said oh my, what a marvelous tune
It was the best night never would forget how we moved
The whole place was dressed to the nines and we were dancing, dancing
Like we’re made of starlight starlight, like we’re made of starlight starlight
He said look at you, worrying so much about things you can’t change
You’ll spend the whole life singing the blues if you keep thinking that way
He was trying to skip rocks on the ocean, saying to me
Don’t you see the starlight, starlight? Don’t you dream impossible things?
Like oh my, what a marvelous tune
It was the best night never would forget how we moved
The whole place was dressed to the nines and we were dancing, dancing
Like we’re made of starlight starlight, like we’re made of starlight starlight
Oh, oh he’s talking crazy, oh oh dancing with me
Oh, oh we could get married have ten kids and teach em how to dream
oh my, what a marvelous tune
It was the best night never would forget how we moved
The whole place was dressed to the nines and we were dancing, dancing
Like we’re made of starlight starlight, like we’re made of starlight starlight
Like we’re made of starlight starlight, like we dream impossible dreams
Like starlight, starlight like we dream impossible dreams
Don’t you see the starlight, starlight? Don’t you dream impossible things?
“Well sis, that was a pretty performance you put on for us,” Niklas said, his head resting on the arm of the couch. Natalie laughed at her brother’s antics.
“Thank you bro. that song happens to be my favorite,” she added. She turned to look in Gustav,
who was sitting there with a look of admiration on his face. He blushed when he noticed her staring at him, but he hid his embarrassment and smiled.
“I loved that so much. Your voice is just so captivating,” he told her honestly. It was now Natalie’s turn to blush and Gustav thought she couldn’t look any cuter. Not that he would say that out loud, of course.
“I…I appreciate your kind words, Gus. Thank you for listening to me,” she said.
“How did you get into singing,” Gustav asked suddenly. Natalie’s eyes instantly lit up, but before she could reply, Niklas interrupted.
“Natalie, it’s time for us to go to the arena for the game tonight. Go get your jersey on,” he said in a teasing tone. Natalie took a quick glance at the clock and saw that it was indeed almost five o’clock. Had time really past that quickly? Natalie shrugged and raced up to her room, her thoughts turning from the clock to the game. Watching her brother play hockey was the best thing on the planet to her. She quickly changed and raced back downstairs.
“Come on boys. Let’s go,” she pleaded, tugging on Niklas’s hand. As the three made their way out doors, Gustav thought he had never been more nervous in his entire life.
“I’d love to meet her,” he said. Niklas ruffled his hair, grinning.
“She loves Taylor Swift,” he said, a slight groan in his voice. Gustav only laughed at his friend. He knew how popular the 18-year-old singer was among girls-his sister, Caroline, was one of those girls. Taylor wasn’t Gustav’s first choice of singer, but he had borne it for his sister’s sake. The memories of her dancing around the family room singing along with the singer made him smile.
“I don’t mind Taylor actually. My little sister always listened to her. She loves her,” Gustav replied. Niklas shook his head, raising his eyebrows.
“It seems like most girls love her. I like her alright, but it doesn’t bother me when Natalie plays her. It makes her happy, so I go along with it,” he said. Gustav grinned at his friend’s answer, for it echoed his own thoughts about his sister.
“Does your sister play hockey,” he asked. Niklas placed his bag in the trunk and, closing it, turned to lean on it.
“She does. She’s a defenseman like me, but she’s torn between being a singer and being a hockey player. She’s good at both.”
“Does she have a good voice,” Gustav asked, overcome with curiosity about Izzy. Niklas laughed and ran a hand through his dark brown hair.
“She has a beautiful voice, Gus. When she sings, she sounds like the angels, not joking.” Gustav looked thoughtful for a long minute, thinking about the complement the older man had just paid his sister. He certainly didn’t know what angels sounded like, but he could only assume it sounded beautiful.
“Well, I really wanna meet your sister now. You think she’d sing for me,” he asked. Niklas chuckled as he got his keys from his pocket and unlocked his car.
“Gus, she’ll sing for anyone. She sings for us all the time, sometimes even before games if she has a mind to. Come on, follow me home since you don’t know where it is,” he replied. Gustav accordingly went off to his car and placed his stuff in the back of it before slamming the door shut and got into the driver’s seat. He couldn’t help but smile at the way his day was going so far. His teammates were the nicest people he could ask for and now he was making a new friend. Meeting people had never been his forte, but when it came to hockey he was perfect. He had made friends on every team he had been on. Shaking his head, he put his red sports car into drive and followed Niklas. He was surprised when only a few minutes later, they had reached the older man’s house. He hadn’t thought of anyone living that close to the arena, but he sure knew that now. Putting his car into a parking spot, he got out and was greeted by Niklas.
“Not that bad of a drive, is it,” the defenseman asked as the two made their way to the house. Gustav shook his head.
“No, it wasn’t. You’re lucky to live this close to the arena,” he commented, a bit of jealousy creeping up in his voice. Niklas stopped short in surprise and looked at his new teammate with shocked eyes.
“How far away do you live,” he asked in amazement. Gustav blushed, silently cursing himself for saying any type of complaint.
“Hm, about a half an hour,” he replied quickly, hoping Niklas would drop the subject. Niklas, not wanting to embarrass his friend any farther, did not say another word about it. Instead, he continued towards the front steps, talking about his sister all the while.
“She’s a very smart kid, even if she doesn’t go to school. She graduated from high school early and is still waiting for an acceptance letter from the University of Michigan. She wants to go there because of the hockey program they have there, even if she is disappointed about their music program,” Niklas remarked with a chuckled. Gustav laughed as he stood on the third step, waiting patiently for Niklas to unlock the door.
“I guess you gotta take what you get,” was his comment. Niklas unlocked the door and the two of them made their way inside. Soon, the sound of a beautiful voice hit their ears. Niklas’s face broke out into a grin.
“That, my friend, is my sister,” he said as he placed his car keys onto the counter and carelessly threw his jacket on the kitchen chair. Gustav stood transfixed; the only thing he could focus on was that voice. Niklas was right: she did sound like angels. Niklas laughed at the look on his friend’s face and, making his way to the open living room doorway, tapped on the wall. Instantly the singing stopped and Gustav watched, in amusement, as Natalie threw herself into Niklas’s arms, nearly knocking him down.
“NICKY! You’re home! How was practice? How are my boys,” she asked all in one breath. Niklas let out a laugh as he gave his sister a tight squeeze.
“Practice was great and the boys are good. Hank wants to see you soon.” As brother and sister bantered back and forth, Gustav had a little bit of time to study her. Natalie was a tall girl of medium weight with bright blue eyes and a headful of long brown curls. When she smiled, she smiled with her whole face and her eyes lit up as if she was about to let you in on a secret. She was very much vexed by the seven red freckles that were on her nose, but other people never seemed to notice them. Like her brother, she had very sweet, loving personality, but if anyone insulted the people she loved, she flew into a temper that would leave the bravest of men in terror. She was always helping her friends who were in trouble and, like her brother, had joined a group that helped autistic children. She felt that child with autism were geniuses and nothing anyone could say would sway her any other way.
“So, Nicky, who did you bring with you today,” she asked, bringing Gustav out of his thoughts. Niklas laughed.
“My new teammate, Gustav Nyquist. He’d love to hear you sing,” was her brother’s reply. Natalie looked over at him with a curious look. Gustav blushed under her gaze, which made me laugh. A laugh that sent warm shivers up the young forward’s spine.
“Nice to meet you, Gus. My name is Natalie,” the girl said, holding her hand out for Gustav to shake. Gustav grinned at her manners and, taking her hand, kissed it instead.
“Pleased to meet you too, Ms. Natalie,” he said as politely as he could. He was really impatient to hear more of her singing, but he wasn’t about to be rude. Natalie blushed at the kiss on her hand, but she was pleased by the gesture. His parents, whoever they were, had taught him right.
“Well, Gustav I hear you want to hear me sing,” she said, eyes shining brightly. The Swedish forward nodded in delight.
“Yes, I’d love to hear you sing Natalie. I heard you a little bit when we came in and it was lovely, but I want to hear more,” he replied, blushing instantly because he felt her was being too forward. He was taken by surprise when she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the family room, sitting him down on the couch. Niklas laughed in amusement at the look of surprise on his friend’s face.
“Like I said, she loves to sing,” he remarked. Gustav rolled his eyes, but had no chance of a reply as Natalie came back in, wearing what she called “her singing outfit”. This particular outfit was a flowered white skirt with a Swedish flagged tank top with cowboy boots. Her hair was tied back in a French braid and swung over one shoulder. In her hand was a real microphone she had gotten for Christmas from her mother three years ago.
“What song are you gonna sing today, sis,” Niklas asked as he took his spot on the couch. Natalie shook her head mysteriously, her blue eyes twinkling.
“I’m not telling you what I’m gonna sing. It’s a surprise,” she added.
I said oh my, what a marvelous tune
It was the best night never would forget how we moved
The whole place was dressed to the nines and we were dancing, dancing
Like we’re made of starlight, like we’re made of starlight
I meet Bobby on the boardwalk summer of ‘45
Picked me up late one night at the window we were 17 and crazy running wild, wild
Can’t remember what song it was playing when we walked in
The night we snuck into a yotclub party pretending to be a duchess and a prince
And I said oh my, what a marvelous tune
It was the best night never would forget how we moved
The whole place was dressed to the nines and we were dancing, dancing
Like we’re made of starlight starlight, like we’re made of starlight starlight
He said look at you, worrying so much about things you can’t change
You’ll spend the whole life singing the blues if you keep thinking that way
He was trying to skip rocks on the ocean, saying to me
Don’t you see the starlight, starlight? Don’t you dream impossible things?
Like oh my, what a marvelous tune
It was the best night never would forget how we moved
The whole place was dressed to the nines and we were dancing, dancing
Like we’re made of starlight starlight, like we’re made of starlight starlight
Oh, oh he’s talking crazy, oh oh dancing with me
Oh, oh we could get married have ten kids and teach em how to dream
oh my, what a marvelous tune
It was the best night never would forget how we moved
The whole place was dressed to the nines and we were dancing, dancing
Like we’re made of starlight starlight, like we’re made of starlight starlight
Like we’re made of starlight starlight, like we dream impossible dreams
Like starlight, starlight like we dream impossible dreams
Don’t you see the starlight, starlight? Don’t you dream impossible things?
“Well sis, that was a pretty performance you put on for us,” Niklas said, his head resting on the arm of the couch. Natalie laughed at her brother’s antics.
“Thank you bro. that song happens to be my favorite,” she added. She turned to look in Gustav,
who was sitting there with a look of admiration on his face. He blushed when he noticed her staring at him, but he hid his embarrassment and smiled.
“I loved that so much. Your voice is just so captivating,” he told her honestly. It was now Natalie’s turn to blush and Gustav thought she couldn’t look any cuter. Not that he would say that out loud, of course.
“I…I appreciate your kind words, Gus. Thank you for listening to me,” she said.
“How did you get into singing,” Gustav asked suddenly. Natalie’s eyes instantly lit up, but before she could reply, Niklas interrupted.
“Natalie, it’s time for us to go to the arena for the game tonight. Go get your jersey on,” he said in a teasing tone. Natalie took a quick glance at the clock and saw that it was indeed almost five o’clock. Had time really past that quickly? Natalie shrugged and raced up to her room, her thoughts turning from the clock to the game. Watching her brother play hockey was the best thing on the planet to her. She quickly changed and raced back downstairs.
“Come on boys. Let’s go,” she pleaded, tugging on Niklas’s hand. As the three made their way out doors, Gustav thought he had never been more nervous in his entire life.