Page 5 of King of the Crease

“The wildfires are in Southern California, and there are mountains where you can ski.”

Leave it to my son to know everything.

“It’s a reach, but my teachers think I have a real shot of getting in. Stanford’s very generous with need-based financial aid, too.”

Brody being across the country would be like an empty nest on steroids. It hurts to only see him for part of the month with the joint custody agreement. With him in California, it’d be a handful of times a year. The loneliness that I don’t let creep in too much could suffocate me.

“What do you think?”

But I can’t let him know any of that. This isn’t about my sadness of watching him go or being alone. This is about what’s best for Brody. And if Stanford is the best, then Stanford it is.

“I support whatever you want to do.”

His face lights up. “Really?”

“Really.”

He pulls me into a hug. “I love you, Dad.”

“Should we sign you up for surf lessons?”

“Again, that’s Southern California. But I haven’t gotten in yet. Stanford rejects most people.”

“Well, you’re not most people. You’re smart, accomplished, and a good person. I don’t know how much that last part counts, but I think it should.”

“Are you going to be okay here? By yourself?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

“You have the Comebacks,” he says of my recreational hockey team. “Maybe you could take up another hobby like woodworking or shuffleboard?”

“Shuffleboard? How old do you think I am?” I once played shuffleboard on a cruise, and honestly? Pretty fun time. “What does your mom think about this?”

“I’m going to tell her when she picks me up. I don’t think she’ll care. She’s focused on the wedding.”

“Wedding?”

“Mom didn’t tell you Oliver finally proposed?”

“She didn’t.” I give a little surprised shake of my head. Not too big. Cathy’s been with her current boyfriend Oliver for four years. And while she’s been through many men since we divorced (and while we were married, too, but let’s not get into that), Oliver’s been her longest relationship. He’s also the most financially successful guy she’s dated, though I don’t know if that’s just a coincidence.

“How are you feeling about it?”

Brody shrugs. “Oliver’s fine. He loves boats. I’ll be glad to be away at college.”

Now Stanford makes a little bit more sense. Brody always seems a little down when he has to go stay with his mom. When we got divorced, Cathy’s main mission was to find a new husband; mine was to make sure our son grew up okay.

“This’ll make her happy. Your mother loves throwing parties and receiving presents.”

He looks up at me with his big, tentative eyes. “It’d be cool if you got remarried, too. I’m just saying…”

A laugh shoots out of me. There’s divorce, and then there’s whatever the hell I went through with Cathy. I felt like Bill Paxton running from an F5 tornado at the end of Twister. We were young and rushed in. She was the most beautiful woman who’d ever shown interest in me. The fact that she noticed me, and not one of my better-looking teammates, was a shock that I didn’t question. After watching all my friends get girls throughout high school, it was finally my turn. Things soured as soon as I put a ring on her finger.

I don’t say any of that out loud. I never speak badly about his mother in front of him—though she doesn’t always return the favor.

“I’m happy with how things are,” I tell him. It’s best to ignore the impending loneliness coming for me this fall.

“Are you sure?”