We walked into the store and a salesman approached us right away. He was in his mid 20’s and pretty good looking.
“Hello, ladies,” he said smiling. “What can I do for you two lovely ladies this afternoon?”
“My boyfriend and I just rented a three bedroom home, and I need to rent furnishings top to bottom. I am looking for simple furnishing nothing extravagant.” I explained to him.
“How long will you be renting it for?” He asked.
“I don’t really know. We are both hockey players and travel a lot. We have set down roots here for now, but that could change at anytime. I suppose we need some sort of agreement that would support this kind of lifestyle.” I explained.
“I thought I recognized you.” He acknowledged. “You’re Christine Matthews, you played on the USA World Junior Team. You’re a great player. So the rumors are true then?” He smirked “You and Reddrick?”
“Yes, I suppose the rumors are true then. And thanks.” I affirmed.
He showed me many different packages, and I chose the Stratford Collection. It was classic and simple. That would furnish most of the house. They would also supply all the kitchen items. They informed me that they could have it all delivered within 48 hours. I was grateful. Before leaving the salesman asked to take a picture with me and get my autograph. I obliged him.
I decided that I would go back to Alex’s apartment and pack up our things. I loaded them into the truck myself, and drove back to our new home. That sounded so odd. “OUR NEW HOME”. I said it a few times out loud. I made a bed on the floor out of the new blankets and pillows I had purchased that day and curled up in front of the fire place and fell asleep.
I woke up to my cell phone vibrating along the floor next to my head. I answered it. It was the furniture place. They would be able to deliver the home furnishings by noon. I got up quickly and cleaned up the area on the floor. I hopped into the shower and got dressed. The movers did everything. I was told to relax while they worked. I sat outside on the deck enjoying the view. I text Alex to tell him the furniture had arrived.
After everything was moved into the house. I decided to go do some groceries. I googled the closest grocery store. I didn’t know what to buy once I started walking up and down the aisles. We needed everything. I had Alex’s credit card with me. I knew this was going to end up being a big bill. I filled the cart and was shocked when the cashier told me the total. It had come to $343.94. I would never have spent so much, but we needed condiments as well as food. That’s what ended up running up the bill; that and all the cleaning supplies and laundry items.
I went home and unloaded all the items. It took me over two hours to find a place for everything. I decided to pour myself a glass of wine. I had taken six of the bottles that were in Alex’s kitchen when I was packing. I hoped they weren’t his roommate’s. I grabbed a blanket out of the closet and went outside and sat on the deck to enjoy my wine. It was dark and the glow from the city lights out over the water was spectacular.
Lonely
Alex had been gone over two weeks. I tried to keep myself busy. I went running every day. I worked out on the gym equipment I had rented. I went shopping a few times with Sarabella and Megan. I also joined them out for lunch a couple of times. I talked to Alex every day. It didn’t seem to be enough. I was starting to feel lonely. I missed him. I missed my family and friends.
I got a phone call from Moose. He was heading back up to Canada and thought he would stop by Providence on his way back home. I welcomed the visit. I missed Moose tons. He was one of my closest friends and he and Alex had known each for years. I told Alex and he seemed alright with the idea. He, Moose and I were all very good friends.
When I answered the door I almost didn’t recognize Moose. “What are they feeding you down there in South Carolina? You’re huge Kyle.” I giggled. I was trying to wrap my arms around him to give him a big hug.
“Yeah, I’m up to 230 lbs now, had to. I’m playing with a rough bunch of guys now.” He smirked.
“Holy you’re a monster now. I missed you. So come in and I’ll give you the tour of the homestead.” I laughed.
“I can’t believe you and him set up house. What are you going to do when the season starts again, or better yet what if you get drafted to the other side of the country?” He asked.
“Well, Alex and I agreed to take it one day at a time. Everything you see here is rented. If need be we just have them come pick it up. I really don’t want to think about what would happen if I got drafted to L.A. or Colorado, or somewhere else on the west coast. With my luck that’s exactly what will happen.” I sighed.
“This is a great little place you have here. Love the view. I’m starving, what do you say I take you out for dinner?” He suggested.
“That sounds great. I’m pretty hungry myself and I still haven’t mastered cooking yet. So it’s much better to eat out. Let me just go change and I’ll be ready in ten minutes.” I encouraged him to look around the house some more and to freshen up, while I was getting ready.
I didn’t know what to wear. It was a nice warm evening for April. Maybe I should put on a cute dress?
I slid on my black caviar beaded halter dress. It had a multicolor beaded embellished neck, with cut-in shoulders. It had a high banded waist and pleated, two-tier skirt with a back zip. As for shoes I decided to go with my licorice point toe suede heels. They had tonal top stitching and dipped sides with a four inch stiletto heel. I could get away with wearing them beside Moose since he was almost 6’4.
I put a few curls in my hair with the curling iron, that had been heating up while I got dressed. Then pinned part of it up with a hair clip and let the rest fall. I put on a little make up and lip gloss. I was ready to go. It felt good to dress up. Moose was already in a nice new pair of designer jeans and a nice dress shirt. When I walked out of the bedroom he whistled.
“Wow, Chris you look stunning,” he complimented. “Alex is one lucky guy. Have to admit it makes me envious of him.”
“Thanks Moose. I was thinking that maybe we could go to this great restaurant down on the water that Alex and I sometimes like to go to.”
“Sure.” He said as he took my hand to escort me out to his car that was parked in the driveway behind Alex’s truck. He was driving a brand new Honda Civic. It was a sharp looking car. I wouldn’t mind getting myself one of those. I could afford those payments.
I took him to The Boathouse restaurant. The Boathouse was just inside the gates of the Villages in Mount Hope Bay Condominiums. It has a wonderful view of the Sakonnet River. It was a nice quiet place where Moose and I could talk and catch up. I wasn’t expecting to run into anyone I knew there.
Megan was there with her sister. She kept looking over at our table. I smiled and nodded hello to her. I saw her take out her cell phone and start texting away. I chuckled.
“What’s so amusing Chris?” He asked curious.
“Megan just took out her phone and is texting someone. Probably the latest gossip on how I’m out for dinner with some strange handsome guy, while Alex is out of town playing.” I mused.
He laughed “Maybe we should give her something to text about.” He took my hand lightly into his and smiled up at me batting his eyes.
I couldn’t help but laugh, which must have looked like flirting. Adding fuel to the fire and to Moose’s childish facade. “Grow up Moose.” Just then my cell phone vibrated. It was Alex. I laughed at the text I saw. I had to read it out loud to Moose.
Hey Baby,
I heard you were out on a date at The Boathouse with some really big, ugly guy and you look smashing. Give Moose a great big kiss for me. Relay a message to him - Who do you think you are Jimmy Dangles, more like Timmy Tangles.
Love and miss you Hun
Alex.
“Wow, that didn’t take her long to tell him, did it.” He was not impressed at how fast gossip got around.
“Nope,” I replied.
“Who is she?” He asked still angr
y.
“She’s the girlfriend of one of Alex’s teammates here in Providence. His name is Brian.” I explained. “Right now, my life is a day by day experiment. I don’t know what is going to happen from one day to the next.”
“You seem sad Chris. What’s wrong?” He asked sincerely.
“I guess I am just feeling lonely right now. I miss Alex when he’s away. I miss my family and friends. It’s hard being in a new city. I have a few friends here.” I pointed to Megan. ”As you can see they are just people I socialize with, not real friends.”
We ate our lobster dinners, drank two bottles of wine during dinner. I probably drank most of the wine. It amused me that everyone knew who I was, which meant they also knew my age; but no one ever I.D.’d me when I ordered at dinner. The drinking age in the United States is twenty-one; unlike Canada where it’s eighteen in some places and nineteen everywhere else.
Moose was driving, I didn’t notice him drinking much at all. I however, was extremely giddy. He paid for the meal and escorted me out to the car. Megan waited until we were in the car before she came out to hers. I noticed her following us on the way home. I burst out laughing.
“Moose, she’s actually following us home.” I shook my head. I couldn’t believe it.
“Nice friends! Her poor boyfriend. I bet he can’t do shit around Mrs. Sherlock Holmes, over there.” He sneered.
She stopped half a block from my house to watch. Moose helped me out of the car and into the house. I deliberately closed all the front curtains in the house so she couldn’t see in from the street.
I texted Alex to tell him what she was doing and added that before tonight I didn’t realize she was actually insane. I had always gotten a strange vibe from her but this was ridiculous.
Moose had enough. He went to the fridge and poured a glass of lemonade. He walked outside the front door with it. I peaked out the window. It was open so I could hear everything. She had moved her car right in front of the house once we had come inside. He walked up to the window of her car and knocked on it.
“Can I help you?” She asked him stunned.
“I just thought I would bring you a glass of lemonade. I figured you might get thirsty on your little stake out here,” he managed to say with a straight face.
I was on the floor in the corner by the window laughing. She just glared at him and sped away. I laughed harder. I could just imagine what was going through her head at this moment. Moose came back into the house and helped me up from the floor.
“Now you have female stalkers?” He accused. “Hope she doesn’t crawl through the window tonight. I don’t have my baseball bat with me.” He jeered.
I started a fire in the living room and opened another bottle of wine. I pulled the blanket over my legs and snuggled up to Moose on the couch. We talked about everything going on in his life.
He and Lena had broken up. She was living down in South Carolina. She had gotten a job with a marketing company, who had sponsored her. She had a full year left on her contract. She liked South Carolina. She was trying to immigrate there. He said they were still friends, but that neither of them were feeling the love in their relationship any more. It had been a mutual split. We talked about everything else that we had both been doing over the last year. I must have fallen asleep.
The next thing I knew I was being carried into the bedroom and placed on the bed. Moose turned to leave the room. I stopped him.
“Don’t leave, sleep here with me tonight.” I invited him into the bed.
“Like the old days eh?” He laughed. “You must really be lonely Chris.” He crawled into the far side of the bed and snuggled up to me. We both fell asleep. It was innocent, but I suppose if one didn’t understand our friendship they might be inclined to think more of what it was then people who knew us.
The next morning I did my best to fix Moose an eatable breakfast. He pretended to enjoy it. He was heading out this afternoon. He wanted to be back home for his best friend’s birthday bash.
“You know Chris, I have to confess something to you,” he smirked.
“Oh yeah, what’s that Moose?”.
“I wanted to date you real bad back when you first joined the Gophers. My better judgment stopped me from making any moves. And then, well, you and Alex hooked up and I wasn’t about to step on his toes. It’s clear to me now that things sometimes happen for a reason. You and Alex make a great couple.”
“Awe, Moose,” I went over to him sitting on the chair and gave him a big hug and kiss.
“I think you are an amazing guy Moose. You are handsome, smart and have so much to offer a woman. It won’t be long and you’ll meet the prefect woman for you.”
I gave Moose a bag of snacks I had packed for his drive back up to Canada, then I walked him out to his car. I noticed Megan reading a magazine in her car. She now had with a friend of hers with her, and she was parked two doors away. Her friend nudged her suddenly. I chuckled. Moose didn’t see her. I couldn’t believe that she had come back to sit outside my house and spy on me.
I gave Moose and big hug and a kiss goodbye. He got into his car and drove away. I turned and started walking back towards the house. Megan bolted out of her car and ran up to me.
“What the hell are you doing?” She demanded. “How could you cheat on Alex like that?”
“First off Megan, it’s not really any of your business what I do. Second, I didn’t appreciate you texting Alex about what you saw at dinner last night. Thirdly, why the hell are you stalking me? It’s really creepy and fourth, Alex already knew Moose was visiting and staying the night. The three of us are best friends and old teammates.” I scolded her.
“Oh, really. I’m so sorry.” She hung her head in shame.
“You should be. Why would you try to cause shit between Alex and me?” I said with my voice raised almost to a yell.
“I didn’t. I just thought you might be cheating on him. That’s all.” She yelled back at me.
“Next time, don’t think. Next time mind your own business.” I walked passed her into my house and slammed the door.
I called Sarabella to tell her what had just transpired. She started laughing hysterically. However, she did have a warning for me.
“I think Megan has had a thing for Alex for a while now. You might want to watch your back with that one,” she warned.
Great! This was the last thing I needed. Extra stress. I wasn’t about to let Megan and her crush on Alex get to me.
Alex was back two days later. I was happy to see him. I had missed him immensely. We discussed what would happen at the end of the season. Did we want to stay here in Providence or move somewhere else. I told him I wouldn’t mind staying in Providence. I liked it here. I liked it all, except for the incident with Megan.
I warned Alex that I was pretty sure she had a thing for him. He told me he would mention what Megan did to his teammate. The last thing that Brian needed was to have a psycho girlfriend on his hands. Alex did inform me that before Brian started dating Megan she had been with another player that used to play on the team until he was traded.
Pressure
The NHL Entry Draft, it was being held in June, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. My family and Alex were there to support me at the draft. I was nervous. I had dropped down to number nine on the mock draft list. I wondered if I would even get drafted.
I had spent the last several months, being interviewed by various NHL teams. The Atlanta Thrasher had the first pick of the draft. I didn’t get a good vibe off them when I interviewed with them. I could probably forget about being picked first.
The Islanders picked 6th and I left them with a good feeling. I really enjoyed that interview. Colorado was 7th and was also a good interview.
I got along great with everyone in the Boston organization. However, in that interview there was a conflict with Alex already on their team. They had asked me many questions about how Alex and I were prepared to handle several possible situations.
/>
I answered them as honestly as I could. Alex had told me that they had also taken him aside, and talked to him about the same issues. They weren’t picking until 9th.
My dream team to play for of course without a doubt would be the Flyers and they didn’t pick until 24th. Then there was a very big possibility that I wouldn’t get picked at all. It happens all the time at the draft.
I was fidgeting in my seat. Alex grabbed my hand and told me to relax. I couldn’t relax. I was sweating. I was feeling nausiated. I couldn’t focus on any one thing. I was a wreck. I noticed Joe Sim sitting a few rows away from me with his family. I nodded at him. He looked just as nervous as I was. Then my agent came and sat down with us.
“Just letting you know that I have heard some talk and it looks like New Jersey and Vancouver are trying to make some trades to get you as their picks.” Then he got up and walked away before I could remark about it. New Jersey would at least be close to Alex. Vancouver, the West coast - great team, but that would just be my luck.
I looked up at Alex for reassurance. He had been here and done this all before.
“Christine, wherever you go, we will find a way to work it out. Don’t worry about anything.” He soothed me.
I glanced at my father. ”Not another Canadian team. You need to stay in the country this time Chrissy,” he mumbled. “I never get to see you as it is.”
The draft started. Teams 1-4 had made their picks, and I had not been called. It was pick five now, the Minnesota Wild, here where the draft was being held. They picked our goalie Tyler Plouffe. The crowd cheered loudly. I cheered with them. I was happy for Tyler. I waved and gave him the thumbs up as he walked by me.
Then the commissioner stood up and announced a trade between the New York Islanders and the Tampa Bay Lightening. My heart sunk. My interview with Tampa had gone well also. I held my breath and then Tampa announced their pick, Brad Conners, out of the US college program. That was a shock; he was not even listed in the first two rounds of the mock draft. Good for him!