Tempting me

Senior night

"Natalie." Sure enough, my dad was standing there. And he was holding flowers. And wearing a suit.

"What are you- I mean you've never-" I furrowed my eyebrows, "What are you doing here?"

"It's your senior night. And I figured, you know, your mom would want me here." He looked at the flowers, "I don't know your favorite flower and that made me upset so I thought really hard and I remembered when we were in the car, on the way to the lake, we bought you some pansies and I was hoping you still liked them."

Who is this man?

"Yeah. I like pansies, Dad." I looked at the yellow and purple flowers in the small but beautiful bouquet. My favorite flowers are pansies. And he did know that.

"Natalie Wilson!" I put my arm around his and we slowly walked onto the ice, "Being escorted on by her father, Julius Wilson. Natalie is attending the University of Minnesota to continue her hockey career. She wants to study business and open her own company. Give it up for our captain, number 13!"

Dad walked me off the ice and I pulled him under the bleachers, "What the hell is going on?"

"I just wanted to come to your game." He shrugged as if this was a normal thing.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but you haven't been to any of my hockey games since I was, like, 13." I shook my head, "So what made you come today? What made you think 'Oh, I've been the world's shittiest father. Let me come to one game, walk her out, and things will go back to the way they used to be. News flash, Dad, you're an asshole. And I have been holding this in for so long but you have finally set me over that edge. Thanks for the flowers, thanks for letting the school believe that my home life is fine, but I don't want you here."

He nodded a few times, a calm look on his face. Then he cleared his throat, "I see her in you everyday. You both look more like her than me. And it hurts me so much because I love my children, but I miss my wife. And I had a dream last night and realized how much of an asshole I really am. So I bought you your favorite flower. I dragged Melly all the way here. I talked to Sydney." He looked at his watch, "I want to talk to you and apologize and explain but you have to go play your game."

"Dad-"

"Look, it takes a lot for a grown man to say stuff like this. I love you, kid. I'm so sorry for everything I said that made you feel small or weak or unimportant. Because I am those things to you. I'm a man who took out his grief on his kids and I want you to forgive me after this game."

I felt a tear roll down my face, "Thank you."

He put his arm on my shoulder, "Malachi and I are in the front row of the family section."

"I'll look for you."

He squeezed my shoulder and I walked back to our bench.

"You okay?" Kitty looked up at me as she stretched her right leg out in front of her, reaching for her toes.

"Great, actually." I sat next to her and started stretches.

"You notice how fucking big the student section is this year?" Izzie nodded behind me to the bleachers.

So I looked.

And it looks two times bigger than last year. And that's saying something because, again, people like us because we win.

I scanned the crowd and found Mobius, Yoda, and Sydney. All wearing Warriors merchandise. Supporting the girls hockey team.

But Scarlett was there too. Her whole cheer squad was there.

And she was wearing my hoodie.

________

The last few minutes of the game are always fun. We are up by two goals but you never know what can happen.