Days of Black and Gold
Box of Sunshine, Bottle of Rain
“Look who’s here,” I cooed to the little girls in my arms. “Uncle Geno and Daddy.”
“You know they too young.”
“Shut up, Geno,” I scowled, as the two men walked over.
“You are certainly cheerier than earlier,” Sidney muttered, carefully taking one of the children from me.
“Did you two have a good practice?”
“Sid go on about his daughters,” Evgeni gagged. “He so annoying.”
I raised my brows at Sidney, and chuckled. “Thanks for coming back.”
“Kris said Cath had gone home, so I thought it would be safe,” he shrugged, staring down at his daughter.
“Are you scared of Cath?”
“Just some things she said earlier,” he mumbled.
“Ignore her,” I said, handing the second child to Evgeni.
“Sid say no names,” Evgeni changed the subject quickly.
“Haven’t picked any yet.”
“I help.”
“What names could you possibly have?” Sidney asked.
“Evgenia?”
“I am not naming my daughter after you,” Sidney said, shaking his head.
“You have better idea?” Evgeni pushed, winking at me.
“I was thinking something like Rose or Destiny,” Sidney suggested.
“Destiny Rose used to be a stripper in Calgary,” I told them.
“Did you say stripper?” Sidney questioned.
“Uh, yeah,” I nodded, trying to push any feelings of shame from my mind. “I used to frequent one of the clubs in my undergrad.”
“Of course you did,” the Canadian breathed.
“You so unexpected,” Evgeni laughed. “You like stripper. You like women. You like men. You very mysterious.”
My eyes darted to Sidney, taking in his angered expression. “Yeah, well, I was just saying, that’s all I’m going to think of if we use Rose or Destiny.”
“You really are classy.”
“And to think, you fell in love with me,” I scoffed, countering his sarcastic tones.
“Woah,” Evgeni stepped forward. “No fighting until babies have names.”
“Then you can finally get out of here,” I mumbled, rolling my eyes.
“Margot,” Evgeni warned. “You two act like children.”
“How do you feel about Nichole?”
I cocked my head in thought, and nodded. “I like Nichole. I also really like the name Georgie.”
“Georgie?”
“Georgie, short for Georgina.”
“I’m happy with Georgina.”
“Finally!” Evgeni exclaimed, handing me my child.
“Do we want them to have second names?” I posed.
“Isn’t it weird if they don’t have one?”
“Loads of people don’t.”
“I take it you have a couple in mind?” He asked.
“My day was pretty boring when the girls were sleeping.”
“Let’s hear them, then.”
“I’ve always like Jordan, but I don’t know how you feel about unisex names.”
“My name is unisex,” Sidney said. “I also know a few Jordan’s. They are good people. I don’t think we can match Jordan with Georgina, though.”
“You don’t like Georgina Jordan?” I joked.
“Nichole Jordan is much better.” His eyes seemed to glaze over as he stared down at the girl in his arms. “Nichole Jordan.”
I winked at Evgeni before returning my eyes to Sidney. “So, for Georgina, how do you like Dallon?”
“Dallon?” He frowned. “I don’t know, Margot.”
“Georgina Dallon,” Evgeni said, thoughtfully. “I like.”
“You would,” I chuckled, shaking my head at the Russian. “What do you think, Sidney?”
He sighed, and removed his eyes from the tiny human. “I don’t know. Dallon is so unusual.”
“You work in the world of sports,” I reminded him. “Unusual names are all over the place.”
“That’s true,” he agreed. “Dallon isn’t that bad, I guess.”
“It would be her second name,” I tried. “Obviously, it would be ridiculous to try to convince you of Dallon Georgina. That even sounds strange to me.”
“Georgina Dallon,” Sidney repeated, thoughtfully.
“So, how does Georgina Dallon Crosby and Nichole Jordan Crosby sound to you?”
“You don’t want them to have your last name?”
“Do you not want them to have yours?” I countered.
“Don’t start that shit, Margot. I was just asking a question.”
“I don’t want them to have too many names,” I sighed. “Besides, there isn’t really a great way to arrange Fayne and Crosby. Plus, if the girls really want to, we can change it when they are older.”
“Okay,” Sidney nodded. “We should probably get going.”
“Right,” I nodded, taking Nichole from Sidney.
“I call later,” Evgeni told me, before turning to the door.
“I’ll try to make it back,” Sidney grumbled, following Evgeni out of the room as a nurse walked in.
“Did you just have a visit from a couple of Penguins?”
“You must be new tonight.”
“Why would you think that?”
“They’ve been visiting since the girls were born, well, Geno has.”
“You’re so lucky, knowing them, I mean.”
“I guess you could say that.”
“How do you know them?” She asked, picking up one of the girls. “Oh, wait, you’re Sidney Crosby’s girlfriend! I knew your name looked familiar.”
“Yeah, but could you please keep it professional? We really want to keep our relationship on the down low.”
“Sure,” she agreed. “I’m going to bring the girls to the nursery for a bit. Is there anything I can get you?”
“I just need the forms to be completed to register their names, and then I’ll likely have a nap. I’m completely bushed.”
“I’ll get those for you right away,” she grinned, taking the children out of the room.
“Finally, a moment alone.” I leaned back and closed my eyes, ready to doze off into a deep sleep.
“Margot?”
“You know they too young.”
“Shut up, Geno,” I scowled, as the two men walked over.
“You are certainly cheerier than earlier,” Sidney muttered, carefully taking one of the children from me.
“Did you two have a good practice?”
“Sid go on about his daughters,” Evgeni gagged. “He so annoying.”
I raised my brows at Sidney, and chuckled. “Thanks for coming back.”
“Kris said Cath had gone home, so I thought it would be safe,” he shrugged, staring down at his daughter.
“Are you scared of Cath?”
“Just some things she said earlier,” he mumbled.
“Ignore her,” I said, handing the second child to Evgeni.
“Sid say no names,” Evgeni changed the subject quickly.
“Haven’t picked any yet.”
“I help.”
“What names could you possibly have?” Sidney asked.
“Evgenia?”
“I am not naming my daughter after you,” Sidney said, shaking his head.
“You have better idea?” Evgeni pushed, winking at me.
“I was thinking something like Rose or Destiny,” Sidney suggested.
“Destiny Rose used to be a stripper in Calgary,” I told them.
“Did you say stripper?” Sidney questioned.
“Uh, yeah,” I nodded, trying to push any feelings of shame from my mind. “I used to frequent one of the clubs in my undergrad.”
“Of course you did,” the Canadian breathed.
“You so unexpected,” Evgeni laughed. “You like stripper. You like women. You like men. You very mysterious.”
My eyes darted to Sidney, taking in his angered expression. “Yeah, well, I was just saying, that’s all I’m going to think of if we use Rose or Destiny.”
“You really are classy.”
“And to think, you fell in love with me,” I scoffed, countering his sarcastic tones.
“Woah,” Evgeni stepped forward. “No fighting until babies have names.”
“Then you can finally get out of here,” I mumbled, rolling my eyes.
“Margot,” Evgeni warned. “You two act like children.”
“How do you feel about Nichole?”
I cocked my head in thought, and nodded. “I like Nichole. I also really like the name Georgie.”
“Georgie?”
“Georgie, short for Georgina.”
“I’m happy with Georgina.”
“Finally!” Evgeni exclaimed, handing me my child.
“Do we want them to have second names?” I posed.
“Isn’t it weird if they don’t have one?”
“Loads of people don’t.”
“I take it you have a couple in mind?” He asked.
“My day was pretty boring when the girls were sleeping.”
“Let’s hear them, then.”
“I’ve always like Jordan, but I don’t know how you feel about unisex names.”
“My name is unisex,” Sidney said. “I also know a few Jordan’s. They are good people. I don’t think we can match Jordan with Georgina, though.”
“You don’t like Georgina Jordan?” I joked.
“Nichole Jordan is much better.” His eyes seemed to glaze over as he stared down at the girl in his arms. “Nichole Jordan.”
I winked at Evgeni before returning my eyes to Sidney. “So, for Georgina, how do you like Dallon?”
“Dallon?” He frowned. “I don’t know, Margot.”
“Georgina Dallon,” Evgeni said, thoughtfully. “I like.”
“You would,” I chuckled, shaking my head at the Russian. “What do you think, Sidney?”
He sighed, and removed his eyes from the tiny human. “I don’t know. Dallon is so unusual.”
“You work in the world of sports,” I reminded him. “Unusual names are all over the place.”
“That’s true,” he agreed. “Dallon isn’t that bad, I guess.”
“It would be her second name,” I tried. “Obviously, it would be ridiculous to try to convince you of Dallon Georgina. That even sounds strange to me.”
“Georgina Dallon,” Sidney repeated, thoughtfully.
“So, how does Georgina Dallon Crosby and Nichole Jordan Crosby sound to you?”
“You don’t want them to have your last name?”
“Do you not want them to have yours?” I countered.
“Don’t start that shit, Margot. I was just asking a question.”
“I don’t want them to have too many names,” I sighed. “Besides, there isn’t really a great way to arrange Fayne and Crosby. Plus, if the girls really want to, we can change it when they are older.”
“Okay,” Sidney nodded. “We should probably get going.”
“Right,” I nodded, taking Nichole from Sidney.
“I call later,” Evgeni told me, before turning to the door.
“I’ll try to make it back,” Sidney grumbled, following Evgeni out of the room as a nurse walked in.
“Did you just have a visit from a couple of Penguins?”
“You must be new tonight.”
“Why would you think that?”
“They’ve been visiting since the girls were born, well, Geno has.”
“You’re so lucky, knowing them, I mean.”
“I guess you could say that.”
“How do you know them?” She asked, picking up one of the girls. “Oh, wait, you’re Sidney Crosby’s girlfriend! I knew your name looked familiar.”
“Yeah, but could you please keep it professional? We really want to keep our relationship on the down low.”
“Sure,” she agreed. “I’m going to bring the girls to the nursery for a bit. Is there anything I can get you?”
“I just need the forms to be completed to register their names, and then I’ll likely have a nap. I’m completely bushed.”
“I’ll get those for you right away,” she grinned, taking the children out of the room.
“Finally, a moment alone.” I leaned back and closed my eyes, ready to doze off into a deep sleep.
“Margot?”