BAD GETAWAY

[SamTwoSix 51]

BAD GETAWAY

 

Should I have expected it? Should I have expected to suck this bad? I'm not sure. I knew my rookie season was going to be rough... but 1 point? In 13 games played? It just didn't make sense to me. And it still doesn't. I'm working my ass off, day in and day out. And yet I'm garbage. There's no other way of putting it. I'm not going to say I'm "In a bad slump" or "In a bad stretch" or anything like that. I'm garbage. 

 

My life has been filled with these moments. Emotional peaks and valleys. When I feel good... I feel good. I feel like I could climb Mount Everest without a rope, and swan dive off the top. I can't sustain those emotional highs for long though. Because sometimes... I just fly too high into the sun. And like Icarus, I have to fall down back to Earth.

 

Now, this isn't a pity party for me. It's more of a... Pissed Off Party, I guess. I'm not sure. But I need a way to clear my head. Yeah, I know. Hockey is a physical game. But if your head isn't in the right place, then maybe that's why you're failing. You could have the best skills in the world, but without confidence, you can't do jack shit. So maybe the secret to success is just to calm down. I know for a fact that I haven't been myself for the past few days. 

 

I decided to take a walk around my new home, Halifax. It's a nice city, close to the water and very relaxing. Unfortunately... it was also a pretty ugly day. Sporadic showers and an overcast day kinda ruined my chance of walking. So instead, I decided to give one of my teammates a text. The one, the only... Hadrian.

 

Hadrian is a man of few words, but when you get to know him, he's actually a pretty sage person. Now, I'm going to be honest- I don't really know Hadrian all that well. But, he's the captain of the team... so clearly he knows what he's doing.

 

~

 

We talked for a little on the phone before deciding to meet at a Bar later that night. When the time came, we sat down and had a few drinks. By we... I mean Hadrian downed some 2 gallons of whiskey and I watched in awe, fear, and amazement. I'm 18 so... just water for me.

 

Anyways, after it seemed that Hadrian was done downing whiskey, he was ready to talk.

 

"So, Brock, how you do today?" Hadrian boomed.

 

I laughed nervously. "Pretty bad, Hadrian. Pretty bad."

 

Hadrian's eyebrows raised. "Did someone hurt you? Did they steal from you?"

 

I answered. "Yeah, I hurt me. And the only thing I stole from myself is my confidence."

 

Hadrian said, "Do you want me to punch you in the face so that you give yourself your confidence back?"

 

I shook my head furiously. "Never mind, Hadrian. All I know is that we ain't good, especially me."

 

Hadrian nodded his head. "Hokkíguðinn is not fond of us."

 

"Hokki-who?"

 

Hadrian laughed. "Hokkíguðinn! The God of Hockey! He no like Halifax, I guess."

 

"You worship an Icelandic god?"

 

"Yes?" Hadrian replied.

 

"But... you're Briti-"

 

"SILENCE!"

 

 I promptly shut up. 

 

"Anyways, I wanted to ask you a question. When you feel like shit and just can't perform, what do you do?"

 

Hadrian nodded his head. "I see. You play like stinky shit, you feel like stinky shit."

 

True, I thought. Hurtful, but true.

 

Hadrian continued. "What I do when I feel this way, is go home. See sights of familiarity. Home is comforting to me. Maybe it will be comforting to you."

 

Lightbulb. 

 

"Thanks, Hadrian. That helped a lot. I'll try and go home tommorrow."

 

"You welcome, Brock. But remember, no matter what..."

 

"WE WIN CUP!" We said in unison. "Cheers, Hadrian!"

 

We clinked our glasses together. Of course, mine was filled with water. His... his was filled with more whiskey.

 

~

 

Before making the flight, though, I had to talk with Rory. The GM.

 

I gave him a call, and he responded pretty damn quickly. "Hey, Brock!" he said.

 

"Rory!" I replied. "Can I come into your office for a sec? There's something I need to talk about with you.

 

"Absolutely," he responded. "Whatever you need."

 

I drove to Rory's office in the shitty Halifax weather. It seemed like a bad omen, If I was being honest. I mean, it was another crappy day. Rain, clouds, and zero boats on the sea. But I tried to convince myself that this wasn't a bad omen. It was just happenstance. 

 

We talked for a while, and he decided that it was best for me to head home. "As long as you're back by our next practice," he said. "I don't see an issue. Good luck, Brock."

 

~

 

With that, I went back home to Corpus Christi. The place I grew up. And, naturally, I surprised my parents with a visit. We talked for a while, before the inevitable question came up. 

 

"Son," my mom said. "Why did you come home, exactly?"

 

I told her the story. She nodded her head. "Well, tommorrow, the ice rink is having a clinic. I have the number of the guy who runs the rink. Maybe we could arrange for you to teach some kids how to play hockey. Maybe that'll help you get your confidence back!"

 

My eyes lightened up. I instantly said yes. 

 

The next day, I taught those kids everything I knew. I wanted to prove to them that even though you might be in a tough situation like I was back when I was their age... you can get through it. You can get out. I decided to fly back home 2 days later, to be back in time for the next practice. After saying goodbye to the town and my parents... I felt a lot better. I felt more confident in myself.

 

I walked back into the Halifax Practice Facility and ran into Hadrian.

 

"How was it?" Hadrian asked.

 

"Great." I responded.

 

"Do you feel better?" Hadrian asked, once again.

 

"Absolutely."

 

"Awesome!" Hadrian yelled. "Are you ready to win cup?"

 

"You know it!"

 

-BH

 

(1,041 Words)

 

 

 

 

 

[bluesfan55 103]

we win cup