Serendipity Strikes

31

Shawn

I finished my world tour and spent a couple weeks decompressing. As much as I loved performing, it was exhausting on so many levels. I gave everything I had on stage which was exhilarating and rewarding, but it also took its toll. When I got home I was 10 lbs lighter and had a pulled muscle in my shoulder.

Things with Kennedy were still going well. We were content, and when we were both in Toronto, we were together 24/7. My girlfriend still traveled constantly for her job, so we'd sometimes go days without seeing each other. Having some time alone definitely helped me unwind post-tour, though I felt kind of guilty about enjoying the solitude so much.

She was a really good cook and joked frequently that food was her love language. I was spoiled by all the amazing meals she made me, and I grew to understand the cliché saying that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach. There was something very satisfying about sitting at the counter and watching her prepare a meal in my kitchen, probably because it reminded me of watching my mom and dad cook when I was a child. Occasionally she'd give me a task, like chopping carrots, but in general she liked doing it all herself. We'd eat the food she made with a glass of wine, served at the perfect temperature since she'd surprised me with a dual zone wine refrigerator for my birthday. After dinner we'd listen to music or watch a movie while curled up in the couch. It was nice.

When I got home mid-December, Ken insisted that we decorate my place for Christmas immediately. She went way overboard with the lights, and most nights I had to turn them off because the relentless twinkling gave me a headache. They were literally strewn over every surface possible. It was almost like a dog marking its territory, except instead of peeing everywhere, she'd put up lights.

As we trimmed the tree, there'd been a rough moment for me when Kennedy found the four ornaments that Em and I had been gifted the year before. She hung them up not knowing their significance, and I considered leaving them there. It was too much of a reminder of Mike, Em, and Jax, who were no longer in my life, so I took them down and put them back in the box they'd been stored in.

"You don't like those?" Ken asked.

"I like them. I just don't want them on the tree."

She picked them up and looked at each one closely. "Is this about Emmaline and Jax?"

I nodded. "They were given to us last year."

"Joint gifts can be so problematic. Break-ups are kind of like divorce that way. I remember when my mom and dad split up, my mom couldn't stand to have anything in the house that had been theirs. The fox and the baby ornaments are very specific to Emmaline and Jax, so maybe she'd like to have them. We could bring them to the game next week."

"I guess that's a good solution," I said, though I hated the thought of splitting up the set.

We'd forgotten them at Mike's jersey retirement ceremony, but Kennedy still brought them up to Em. That was so fucking painful for me, and I was surprised that it seemed to upset Emmaline, too. Maybe that wasn't about me, though; it could have been all about Mike, since that night had been the last time we'd all been together. I was pissed at Ken for ruining what could have been a pleasant interaction. Em stayed away from me the rest of the game, which meant I didn't get any more time with Jax.

Ken and I spent Christmas apart. She went to her mom's in Windsor first and then visited her dad in Barrie. I was in Pickering for 4 days which was where I decompressed best. It was blissful to be immersed in family time as we watched movies, played games, and ate amazing food prepared by my parents. In no time I was back to my healthy weight and felt restored.

She was back in time for New Year's Eve, because she couldn't miss the party I was throwing. Other than last year, this had been an annual tradition for me. This time it was at Wildflower, which was in the basement of the Thompson Hotel. I'd rented out the whole club and had invited a hundred of my closest (and not so closest) friends. Brian and Jordyn came, but I hadn't buoyed the nerve to invite Em. I knew she'd say no, so what was the point? We were strictly in acquaintance territory these days.