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Shit. If Liam moved out, I’d need a new roommate to cover the mortgage payments. Also, and this might be worse than being strapped financially, the only other person who was into all the fandoms that I enjoyed –Star Trek, Star Wars, Marvel Universe, D&D, and all the other fun stuff that we shared—much to the chagrin of the team who had to listen to us argue on the bus about who was the better captain: Janeway, Cisco, Picard, Pike, or Kirk—would move out leaving me with my comic books and no one to share the joy of a good dungeon crawl with.
“I don’t think he does. He never brings it up. I think he likes his life as it is, but…”
“Hey, instead of guessing about what the man is feeling, why not ask him?” I suggested as a gull floated downward to join the others who were probably crapping all over my tiny dock down by the water’s edge. Lobbing old cucumbers at them had not worked at all, despite Greck swearing that was what Henri did to keep his new mega-dock clean.
Yes, let’s give out advice to others that we do not use ourselves. Did you ever ask Starling exactly why he dumped you for other guys?
Nope. Nope. Nope. Was not going there with inner me today, or ever. There was no need to ask Starling anything. Seeing him kissing one of the theater guys outside the library that day was all the information I needed. It was easy to see the people for whom they really were right off. Starling and Marcus were users, cheats, and scum. Okay, I didn’t know if Marcus cheated on his sig others or not, but I suspected so for various reasons.
One reason. One reason years ago. Maybe you should try to exorcise him from your mind and focus on all the other games this year.
“I’m just not sure what his reception will be. If he’s totally happy with things as they are right now, what will happen when I say I want more? Will he feel trapped and bolt?” he confessed.
I saw the fear on his face. “Dude, listen, I’m not the king of long relationships, but I do know that Tarcy is not going anywhere. For serious.” He rolled his eyes. “Liam, I swear on my collection of Wolverine comics that you have zero worries about Tarcy leaving you because you want more from the relationship. Have you seen how he looks at you?”
“Yeah, I know…” His pink cheeks got even redder. “I’m just…frustrated being away from him already and it’s not even regular season. I’m being a whiner. Ignore me.”
“It’s all good. We’re friends. Feel free to tell me anything.” I held out my hand for a fist bump and got one. “So you going to talk to him the next time you see him?”
He nodded as he rose to his elbows, his spine bending nearly in half as his legs were still up the wall. We goalies are bendy. It’s a thing. Be jealous.
“Whenever that will be. He’s racing well into November.” He sighed, glanced skyward, and let out a yelp as an incoming gull turd streaked to the earth. We both rolled out just in time to avoid a splatter on our heads.
“Cucumber time!” I shouted, leapt to my feet, and raced indoors with Liam on my heels. We had two cukes left, both reminding me of limp dicks, but it was ammo. Out we ran to the back porch and then down the stairs leading to the lake, arms cocked and loaded. The gulls saw and heard us coming, obviously, and took to wing before our veggie bombs could get within a mile of their feathery, shitting asses.
“I think we need to use bigger veggies,” Liam said as we stood there staring at the mounds of doodoo all over the dock.
“Pumpkins will be everywhere soon,” I replied as the last gull to leave squawked at us with pure pleasure in its caw.
“Are pumpkin cannons legal in this county?”
“We can only hope.”
Guess the rest of our evening was set. Washing gull poop off weathered boards with old brooms and buckets of lake water. Ah man, the life of a professional athlete was nothing but glamor.
Chapter Two
Marcus
“It’s almost hockey season, and that means you’ll find me and the rest of your Wilkes-Barre Comets spending our down time at Tony and Lila’s Italian Eatery! With beautiful views of the Susquehanna River and the best manicotti in the region, you’ll leave with your belly full and your wallet happy. If you drop by on Tuesdays, it’s two-for-one night on all entrees, a deal that my teammates and I never miss! So bring the family to Tony and Lila’s Italian Eatery located on Riverside Drive right across the street from the Filkes Mortgage Arena, where Comets are seen every night, rain or shine!”
“Cut! Perfect! Oh my God, such perfection!” Lila, the wife of Tony, ran into the frame to hug me. Lila was a big hugger locked in a teensy frame. Tony not so much, but he liked the ads that me and a few other players did for his restaurant, so he put up with his spouse embracing giant dudes in pads. “Look at this face. Tony! Look at this face!”
She cupped my cheeks and twisted my head to face her hubby. Tony nodded and grunted, then returned to discussing the shoot with my agent.
“You got a face!” Lila told me, pinching my cheeks and patting them. “I have some food for the crew. Come and eat. No, do not tell me you’re watching your waist. You boys will burn it all off! I made some lasagna for you with no red meat.”
Aw, she was so sweet. She always remembered that I was a pescatarian.
“Thank you, but I will need to get going soon. Luke, my agent, booked an outdoors event for me in Elmira at five and I want to call home to check on Kyleen.” She nodded up at me, her brown eyes sparkling at the mention of my little girl, and gave my face another firm pat.
“You bring her in soon, okay?” Lila said and released me to go spread her cheer among the others here for the filming. I made my way to the small men’s room off the dining room where we had shot the commercial to change out of my gear. While in there, I hurried to call Aunt Zada to check on my baby girl. There was barely room for my big feet with all my padding lying around, but the AC felt good blowing down on my shoulders. It was hotter than normal in here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and while that was good for my aunt’s vegetable garden, it was not at all good for men in sweaters and heavy pads.
“Hey there, honey,” Aunt Zada said when she picked up. I moved to the left slightly to stare at myself in the mirror over the sink as we talked. “She’s sleeping right now. We had a busy day picking tomatoes and cooking them down for spaghetti sauce. Are you done being a TV star?”
That made me chuckle. “I am far from a TV star, Aunt Zada. Was she good?” I stared at myself. Man a shower would be nice, but that wasn’t on the agenda because I have that show in Elmira. Sometimes I hated all the off-ice travel to this place for this event or that place for that commercial. It took me away from my two best girls when I wanted to eke out every minute with them that I could. So yeah, heading to New York for an expo about campers wasn’t where I wanted to be…at all. Still, cash was important.
I might hate the time spent away from home, but I did like the money. Money that fed my daughter and aunt. Money that paid for a nice place for them to live. Money that paid for utilities, food, clothes, and the pretty pink sneakers that Kyleen had insisted on having to begin kindergarten this year. Imagine having the balls to ask for a hundred bucks for a pair of shoes that the child would outgrow in six months. Highway robbery. But all her neighborhood friends had them, so she felt she had to as well, and since I have trouble saying no to the child, I signed on for more endorsements. It was scary how quickly kids were subjected to peer pressure and commercialism.
