Ryder is finally cleared to go back to hockey which means it is time to pack up and move to New York. Francesca is thrilled about living with Ryder for the summer and has already made a ton of plans for them. Both want nothing more than a perfect su...
Ουπς! Αυτή η εικόνα δεν ακολουθεί τους κανόνες περιεχομένου. Για να συνεχίσεις με την δημοσίευση, παρακαλώ αφαίρεσε την ή ανέβασε διαφορετική εικόνα.
I don't make it a habit of sneaking around and being a complete creep but today I decided to make an exception. The Islanders are only on the ice for another 30 minutes so I dipped out of lunch with my cousins early and used my employee ID card to get in even though the facility is locked when they're practicing.
I have to be back here anyways; it is not like I am going out of my way, I justify in my own head. I have a lesson to teach 30 minutes after their practice ends. It is the little girl's first lesson ever so I want to be here early and make sure I am prepared. Yeah that is what I will say to anyone who catches me, since technically I know I am not supposed to be here even as an employee of the rink. I am sure it isn't exclusive to the Islanders but they keep their practices pretty secretive so information doesn't leak to other teams.
I dart around a corner trying to suppress a giggle as some woman carrying equipment wearing an Islanders shirt almost catches me. Why is this so thrilling? Like stealing the ladies except with higher stakes.
I finally make it through the back halls of the rink that I have been running through since the first time I put on skates as a little girl. I was 3 the first time I was on the ice here. All three of my brothers played on a peewee hockey team. I cried their whole practice. I wanted to play too; always wanting to be just like my big brothers at that age.
After their practice an older woman came over and took my hand and walked me down to the bench next to the ice. She had little skates that she slipped onto my feet before picking me up and bringing me onto the ice after the hockey players got off. She set me down and tried to let me hold onto a skating aid but I was too stubborn. I went down on my butt a few times but managed to get the hang of it pretty quickly. She let me skate around alone for a while and then took my hand and tried to help me improve my form.
That woman became my coach for 15 years being severely underpaid for my lessons because as she always said 'natural talent shouldn't be hindered by evil greed'. I owe everything to her and the day she retired right before I left for college was the hardest I thought I would ever cry in my life. Until I saw him laying on the ice, no pain would ever compare to that.
I crawl under the bleachers as the team skates across the ice. I see Ryder instantly, the bright smile on his face as his eyebrows pulled together in concentration on the drill he was running.
He looks happier lately, since we arrived in New York. Practices are going great and it isn't just his own words that make me believe that. I watch as Barry smiles at Ryder who scores a beautiful goal. A few guys cheer him on and pat his back. He is excelling at this higher level just as I knew he would. I can already tell from the little trick he does that totally disorents the goalie as the entire team erupts into pandemonium at his second goal that his list of accomplishments in the NHL will rack up quickly.
"That should make them happy," I mumble bitterly. The bile rising up my throat just thinking about them is harder to swallow by the day.
Watching Ryder with my family has been amazing. Just Nonna buying him ice cream had him choking back emotions. The simplest displays of affection and love are so foreign to him after years of not even getting crumbs. He will never have to beg for love again, not if I have any say in his future.
