The Cocky Hockey Captain

Chapter 26 ● Kiss Cam

A week went by and signaled the start of December. I noticed that dad was happy. Even though it suddenly seemed like we were living in the North Pole, with biting winds that brought snow and ice and blanketed the whole town in the white stuff, and even though I was back at playing hockey with the Bears, my dad still seemed to be pleased as punch with life.

I was not used to that and it weirded me out.

Finally one night while making some arepas for dinner, I decided that I would confront him. I was elbow deep into kneading the dough when dad took the bull by the horns all by himself. He strutted into the kitchen with a shit eating grin and threw an envelop on the counter before sitting across from me.

In my characteristically tactful tone when it came to dealing with him, I asked him, "Are you getting laid or something?"

He jumped in his seat and his eyes opened wide like saucers. "Carlota! Where have you learned that language?"

"May I remind you I'll be 18 soon?" I told him as I tried to get rid of the lumps in the dough with my fingers. "I know all about the flowers and the bees, and you have the look of a bee who has met a flower."

Dad frowned but let it go. "No. It's even better than that. I've had a breakthrough."

"Oh yeah?" I asked as I popped a ball of dough into my mouth. I chewed it as I asked, "Let's hear it, then."

The smile made a comeback and it made me lift my eyebrows.

"I've contacted the board of directors of Bernal Oil with a new proposal." He made a pause to also snag a little ball of dough and pop it into his mouth. "I suggested we go from Bernal Oil to Bernal Energies."

"I don't get it," I said as I grabbed a bigger ball and slapped it around until it became a thin disc. Then I let it slide into the piping hot oil in the sauce pan. The sizzling sound filled the kitchen.

"Basically, this would be a means for expanding the company from a focus on only oil, to other energy sources. For example, renewable energies." Since he saw that I still didn't compute, he went on. "This is what I've been trying to negotiate with the union in Silver Grove. The oil business is on the decline in the area, but wind is getting stronger. I want to form a partnership with some wind companies to expand the company in that direction, and the first beneficiaries would be in the town of Silver Grove."

I gasped. The next arepa I'd been molding in my hand fell back in the bowl with the rest of the dough.

"That sounds amazing," I exclaimed. "That would solve everything, wouldn't it?"

He nodded. "Provided the board approves. And I think they will. This proposal would pave the road for an expansion in the company. It would completely save it from the doubling direction it's in right now."

I blinked back the sudden prickling in my eyes and took a couple of swallows before I said something I'd never told my dad before. "Good job, dad."

This time his entire face lit up.

"Thank you, Carlota. This is what I came here to do and, well, there have been some snags, but the local union finally got on board with the proposal." He folded his arms on the counter and leaned forward. "Once this is approved, we can go back to Orlando."

That caught me in the act of sliding another two arepas into the oil. I turned back to my dad with a frown. He was so happy. He was fulfilling his promise, months earlier, that we'd go back home.

Home.

I missed my brother and our house. I missed going to the gym and giving Paco trouble in training. I missed riding the Hogwarts Express back and forth for hours, and drinking frozen butter beer until I got a brain freeze. And yet...