I watched as the truck backed up into position, feeling more than fatigued. It had been a long and tiring two weeks. I rubbed my eyes trying to keep myself from falling asleep on my feet until I heard the sound of the door opening. I watched along with the other zookeepers as the young male polar bear timidly made his way out of the truck and into his new home. There were some cheers and claps around me, but I was too exhausted to take part in it.
Two weeks ago I had flown up to Toronto to pick up our new member of the zoo. Tuck was old enough to leave the zoo there and come into Pittsburgh’s to hopefully eventually breed with the females we currently had. We’d had to quarantine him for a while to make sure he wasn’t sick before we could introduce him to our bears. That meant two weeks of round the clock observation and care.
I hadn’t gotten much sleep, and it didn’t look like I was going to be getting much in the next couple of days either. There had to now be round the clock observation to make sure that Tuck was accepted by our females and make sure that there were no fights. As exhausted as I was, I couldn’t hold back the smile as I observed the newest member of our family. Sleep would come.
“Tanner, can you come back here a minute?” Zach called over to me. I nodded and followed him back into the offices wondering what he wanted to talk to me about. A grin grew on my face when I saw why I was being called back.
“I thought you might want some lunch,” Sidney said, holding up a bag, a smile on his face as well. I ran into his arms, causing the bag to fall to the floor in a thud.
“What are you doing here?!” I exclaimed when I finally pulled away.
“I haven’t seen you in two weeks and I know you’ll be busy the next couple of days, so I wanted to stop by now when you would actually be awake.” I planted a big kiss on his lips and picked up the bag of food.
“That’s so sweet. I’m starved,” I told him, leading him to where my desk was.
I knew I had some time. We were going to let Tuck get adjusted to his new home before introducing him to the females. Sid and I ate and caught up on the last two weeks. We’d hardly had time to talk with our busy schedules while I was away. I didn’t even know the outcome of his last three games.
Another year had gone by since the wedding, and everything had gone perfectly in that time. We no longer had any fights about busy schedules and lack of support. We each saw that the others job made them happy and therefore we were supportive of each other, even if we didn’t always get to see each other.
The next few days passed by quickly despite the exhaustion I was feeling. When I finally had time off I literally collapsed into bed and slept for an entire day. When I woke up I had a terrible headache and still felt tired. I figured that was to be expected after getting next to no sleep for almost three weeks and then sleeping close to 18 hours.
“You don’t look well,” Sidney commented when I finally made my way out of the bedroom and into the living room where he had NHL Network on.
“Gee, thanks, Babe,” I replied sarcastically. He leaned over and placed a kiss on my forehead before pulling me into him.
My headache faded as the day continued on, but the fatigue stayed. Even so, I tried to force myself to stay awake until my normal bed time to try to get myself back on track. When the alarm went off the next morning I felt like I was going to die. The headache was back and it felt like it brought some friends. I guess that’s the price you pay for doing what I do.
Sid and I ate breakfast together as I fought through the throbbing in my head. Worried about me driving after he realized he couldn’t convince me to stay home, he dropped me off at work before heading in to practice. I noticed that red balloons had been put up at the entrance to announce the arrival of our new polar bear to the public.
“What are there, 99 of them?” Sidney asked. I rolled my eyes at the fact that he was laughing at his own joke.
“Thank you, very much. Now I’m going to have that stupid song stuck in my head all day,” I shot at him. He laughed again before giving me a kiss and driving off. I walked into the zoo singing the song in my head.
I went about my typical morning, checked in on Tuck, and got some paperwork done. Soon it was feeding time and along with a couple of coworkers, I began to get the food ready. As I slapped a raw piece of meat into a bowl I suddenly felt nauseous by the sight and smell of it. I got into the bathroom just in time.
“Are you okay?” I heard one of my coworkers ask.
“Yeah, I’m alright. I’ve just had a killer migraine all morning. I think it’s making me sick,” I told her.
“Call Sid and have him pick you up when he leaves the rink. You probably should have had another day or two off. All that lack of sleep the last few weeks has definitely caught up to you.” I agreed and hid in a dark office until Sidney arrived to take me home.
I went straight to bed when I got home. I woke up after a couple of hours and found that the migraine was all but gone, and I no longer felt nauseous. I made my way downstairs and Sidney asked if I wanted dinner. I declined, not wanting to push my luck. The smell of the take-out he got started to bring the nausea back, and I retreated back into the bedroom for the night.
The next morning went exactly the same way. My head was killing me and I just was not feeling well because of it and called off of work. I had to skip Sidney’s game that night because I still wasn’t feeling up to getting out of bed despite the migraine fading again. I was just tired, and not being able to stomach anything for two days left me feeling weak.
When I felt exactly the same the following morning, I decided that I’d been sleeping far too much and just needed to get myself back into a normal routine. I lied to Sid and told him I felt a lot better before driving myself in to work. Again, just being around the raw meat that day caused me to rush off to the bathroom. Thankfully no one was around to witness it that time.
As the morning wore on, my headache began to fade and I congratulated myself on the good diagnosis I had given myself. I had been sleeping far too much after being so exhausted and getting back into the swing of things was starting to help.
I made a phone call and reached for a pencil to take down a contact number. That’s when I knocked over the entire canister of writing utensils I had on my desk. I shook my head at my clumsiness, and took the number down before cleaning up the mess. As I pushed a cart of greens for another animal a little later I began to sing that damned song I’d had stuck in my head for days since Sidney had made that comment about there being 99 red balloons.
You and I in a little toy shop
Buy a bag of balloons with the money we've got
Set them free at the break of dawn
'Til one by one, they were gone
Back at base, bugs in the software
Flash the message, Something's out there
Floating in the summer sky
99 red balloons go by
As I sang along, I tripped over my own feet. I threw my hands out to catch my fall and watched in horror as the entire cart I was pushing tipped over, spilling its contents all over the floor. I chastised myself for my uncharacteristic clumsiness for the second time that day as I began to clean it up.
99 red balloons
floating in the summer sky
Panic bells, it's red alert
There's something here from somewhere else
The war machine springs to life
Opens up one eager eye
Focusing it on the sky
Where 99 red balloons go by
I froze in place, a piece of green in my hand after singing the second verse of the song. My diagnosis had been wrong. It couldn’t have been more wrong. I vaguely heard someone ask if I was okay, but I couldn’t respond. Instead I turned and bolted out of there, to my desk to grab my car keys, and then out to my car.
99 Decision Street
99 ministers meet
To worry, worry, super-scurry
Call the troops out in a hurry
This is what we've waited for
This is it boys, this is war
The president is on the line
As 99 red balloons go by
I pulled into the parking lot of the rink a little while later. I didn’t hesitate to get out of the car and walk straight to the back door. The security guard greeted me, but I blindly walked by him and into the underbelly of the rink. I checked my watch, saw that there was still quite a bit of time before Sidney would be off the ice and sat down on the cold cement floor in the hallway.
99 Knights of the air
Ride super-high-tech jet fighters
Everyone's a superhero
Everyone's a Captain Kirk
With orders to identify
To clarify and classify
Scramble in the summer sky
As 99 red balloons go by
I couldn’t get that damn song out of my head. Tears began to fill my eyes at the frustration of it just replaying in my mind over and over again. I didn’t want to sing it. I didn’t want those lyrics in my head. I didn’t like what they meant to me right now. I didn’t want to hear it ever again.
99 dreams I have had
In every one a red balloon
It's all over and I'm standing pretty
In this dust that was a city
If I could find a souvenier
Just to prove the world was here
And here is a red balloon
I think of you and let it go
“Tanner, what are you doing here?” I heard someone ask. I picked my head up off of my knees where I’d been resting it to see Mario standing there.
“I came to see Sid,” I told him. He looked at me with concern in his eyes.
“Is everything okay?”
I felt the tears continue to build, and felt one slide down my cheek as I shook my head no. He opened his mouth to say something else when I threw my hand over my mouth and fought back the wave of nausea that hit me out of nowhere. Once it passed I glanced back up at Mario, who looked alarmed, and like he understood.
“I’ll get Sid off the ice right now.” With that he rushed off towards the ice and I rested my head back on my knees. A short time later I felt hands on my shoulders.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” I heard Sidney question. I looked up into his worried eyes and saw that he was out of the equipment, but unshowered and still in his underarmour.
“I don’t feel well,” I told him. I could see him struggling to figure out why I was sitting in the hallway of the rink disrupting his practice just because I didn’t feel well.
“I don’t understand,” he said, his hands moving up to my face to wipe away the tears.
“Sidney, it’s back.”
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Ugh.....
So sorry I haven't posted anything in forever. I am not done with this story, I'm just ridiculously busy. It's been very difficult in the last month to find time to write any chapters for any of my stories. Hopefully in the next two weeks I'll get a couple done at least. At the end of the month I'm heading to Mexico on a much needed vacation and there will absolutely be no time to write while I'm there, so I'm hoping to get some done before then. Thanks for everyone who's sticking around and waiting patiently!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Chapter 60
Sorry that it's been so long, but life has gotten in the way. I'm going to be really busy for the next little while, but I'll try to update all of my stories when I can. Thanks for the patience! And no, this isn't the end of this story. There are a few more chapters left, but it is coming to an end soon. Thanks for following this and all the support!
I stared at the checklist in front of me and felt my stomach knotting up. Seriously? There were this many things that had to be done just so someone could get married? This was ridiculous. No wonder I’d never fantasized about what my wedding would be like. What a joke.
“Everything okay?” Grace asked from her seat on the armchair. She continued to flip through the bridal magazine even as she looked up at me.
“Can you explain to me why for my own wedding I have to do so much? Why can’t people just show up someplace, have someone announce Sidney and I husband and wife, and we can all be done with it?” I asked.
“Are you kidding, Tanner? Planning your wedding should be fun!” she argued.
I looked back down at the checklist. Well, it was more like five checklists all on one page. I mean, how could a category like flowers have 12 different things that needed to be checked off before complete? Didn’t you just order a bunch of them and have them show up to the right location on time?
“I don’t even know where to begin,” I groaned, letting my head fall onto my knees.
“Most people start with a date,” Grace suggested. Oh yeah. That might be a good idea.
“Well, it has to be the summer sometime because of hockey. And if we want a honeymoon, it has to be fairly early in the summer. End of June or beginning of July? A weekend obviously,” I thought out loud.
“See, you’re already getting the hang of this.” I rolled my eyes at Grace’s sarcasm. Could someone please explain to me why I thought she’d be a good maid of honor?
“Obviously I have to confer with my fiancé on the date,” I shot back. She just shrugged and looked back down at her magazine.
“What kind of dress are you thinking of?” she asked.
“Dress?” She nearly dropped the magazine as her jaw fell almost to the floor at my response. I let out a loud whine and fell back on the sofa.
“How do you not have a clue what you want your dress to look like?!” she exclaimed.
“I don’t know. I just never thought about it.”
Now that she’d brought it up though, I began to think about it. Unfortunately my brain had little to reference and all I could think of was poufy prom dresses in white. What had I gotten myself into? Two weeks later the girls, my mom, and Delia all gathered in my hotel room in Manhattan and we headed out to go wedding dress shopping.
They chatted away excitedly while I fought a migraine. I didn’t have the slightest clue what I wanted my dress to look like. Everyone kept telling me not to worry, because when I tried the right dress on I would just know. What exactly did that mean? Was I going to hear wedding bells and birds chirping when I saw my reflection in the mirror or would I just realize that no other dress had looked as good and I was too tired to try anything else on?
“And your fiancé’s name?” the woman at the store asked. I hesitated slightly, but at the reassuring nods from everyone, I responded.
“Sidney Crosby,” I answered. The woman’s head jerked up in surprise. Obviously she knew who he was.
“Okay, follow me,” she told me with an enormous smile.
We all followed her back to a private room where we were given flutes of champagne. I’d noticed other groups of girls on the way back and not one of them had a flute of any kind of drink with them. While slightly uncomfortable with the obvious special treatment, I downed my glass happily.
I talked with a consultant for a while and once she realized I had absolutely no idea what I was looking for and everyone else had an opinion, she went off on her own to search for some dresses. I tried on the first few and there were no bells or whistles or birds chirping. They were beautiful dresses, but nothing really made me feel like it was the one.
On my sixth dress I was frustrated and wondered how anyone could possibly have any fun doing this. Every dress had been amazing in its own way, but nothing stood out. My group argued amongst themselves on what had looked best on me so far. I was on the verge of losing it and just calling it quits.
“That’s it, I’m eloping!” I exclaimed as I listened to the critiques of the seventh dress.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” my mother responded.
“Oh, I’m not. I’m serious. I’m getting married in jeans and a t-shirt in a drive-thru chapel in Vegas,” I announced.
The six of them looked at me blankly for a moment before jumping right back into their debate on what dress they’d liked best so far. I let out a growl before turning to head back into the dressing room. I didn’t even want to try on the ninth dress that was brought out to me, but I did, just to humor my friends and family. Even so, I was drawing the line at 10 dresses. After the tenth one, we were out of here.
The consultant zipped the dress up in the back and I turned to look at my reflection in the mirror expecting to see more of the same. Instead I nearly lost my breath. I froze in place as my eyes gazed up and down at my reflection, taking in every detail of the dress I had on. I caught sight of the consultant’s smile in the mirror.
I walked out of the dressing room, biting my lip nervously, and into the area where everyone was waiting. All conversation stopped the second I turned the corner. I heard someone gasp and watched as my mother put a hand to her mouth. That reaction was enough for me. They hadn’t shut up all day until now. I glanced at myself in the mirror again, unnecessarily. This was the one.
As I looked at myself, tears filled my eyes. Suddenly all these feelings rushed into my brain. I now understood what people meant when they said you just knew when you had on the right dress. I also now understood what it was like to be so excited to plan a wedding.
Seeing myself in that dress jump started the wedding planning. I pulled out the checklist for the first time since that day I’d talked to Grace about how overwhelming it all seemed. Every free moment I had was spent planning the wedding, and I loved every moment of it. Of course it was stressful, but it was fun at the same time. I became that girl.
Sidney was involved to an extent in the planning, but he just wanted me to be happy. Only once did he veto an idea I had, and I realized he was right when he told me that the ice sculptures were a little over the top. Every time I checked something off my list I felt a sense of accomplishment.
The media went crazy with the news that Sidney Crosby was getting married. Most were congratulatory, but some questioned it. He was too young, he had too much on his shoulders to be worrying about a marriage, I wasn’t the right person. It didn’t matter to us. We knew that it was the right thing.
Before I knew it, it was the night before the wedding and the rehearsal dinner was just ending. I’d never known I was a traditionalist until it came to this wedding. There was absolutely no way I could be convinced to spend the night with Sidney, or even see him after the dinner was over until I was walking down the aisle.
“Are you nervous?” he asked me as we walked out of dinner holding hands.
“A little bit,” I replied. He lifted his eyebrows.
“Really?” I nodded.
“A lot of people are going to be staring at me tomorrow. What if I trip? What if I forget my vows? What if I’m just a sobbing mess?” He laughed and pulled me into a hug.
“I know exactly what you mean,” he whispered.
“Tanner, the car’s here!” Grace called out. I pulled back from Sidney a little and looked up into his face.
“I guess it’s time to go,” I said.
“I guess so.” He placed a kiss on my forehead, and then on the tip of my nose, and then on my lips.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” I asked, backing away from him, our hands slowly sliding apart.
“Count on it. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
We both walked in different directions, but kept looking back at each other with goofy grins on our faces until we were in the cars. Sidney was off to his parents’ house while I headed to our house. I lay awake in bed that night, unable to fall right to sleep. Images of the next day kept flashing through my brain as I rehearsed my vows over and over again in my head. I eventually fell asleep for a couple of hours until the alarm woke me up the next morning.
The girls made sure I had everything I needed, including the traditional something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Butterflies took over my stomach as Hailey did my hair, Kelly did my make-up, Lisa helped me into my dress, and Grace made sure everything was ready to go.
When it was time my father came and got me. He walked me down the aisle and gave me a kiss on the cheek before handing me off to Sidney. I’m sure the lake in the background with the sun shining brightly on it was a beautiful sight, but I couldn’t honestly tell you. I was too busy looking at Sidney to notice anything else.
My heart thundered in my chest throughout the entire ceremony. I managed to keep the tears at bay up until the moment Sidney said his vows. His words brought them forward no matter how much I tried to hold them back. Nothing would ever sound so amazing to my ears for the rest of my life.
My smile somehow managed to grow even bigger when we were pronounced husband and wife. His lips met mine and when we pulled apart he rested his forehead against mine, my hands still in his. Our eyes locked and more tears fell when I saw that his eyes were filling with them as well.
“I’m lucky to have you as my wife,” he whispered.
“I’m lucky to have you as my husband,” I returned.
We turned and beamed out at the guests who were clapping for us. The rest of the night felt like a blur as we waited to thank everyone who stopped to congratulate us. We were then whisked off for the wedding photos. The reception was next and we had the time of our lives. It was a night I'd never forget.
I stared at the checklist in front of me and felt my stomach knotting up. Seriously? There were this many things that had to be done just so someone could get married? This was ridiculous. No wonder I’d never fantasized about what my wedding would be like. What a joke.
“Everything okay?” Grace asked from her seat on the armchair. She continued to flip through the bridal magazine even as she looked up at me.
“Can you explain to me why for my own wedding I have to do so much? Why can’t people just show up someplace, have someone announce Sidney and I husband and wife, and we can all be done with it?” I asked.
“Are you kidding, Tanner? Planning your wedding should be fun!” she argued.
I looked back down at the checklist. Well, it was more like five checklists all on one page. I mean, how could a category like flowers have 12 different things that needed to be checked off before complete? Didn’t you just order a bunch of them and have them show up to the right location on time?
“I don’t even know where to begin,” I groaned, letting my head fall onto my knees.
“Most people start with a date,” Grace suggested. Oh yeah. That might be a good idea.
“Well, it has to be the summer sometime because of hockey. And if we want a honeymoon, it has to be fairly early in the summer. End of June or beginning of July? A weekend obviously,” I thought out loud.
“See, you’re already getting the hang of this.” I rolled my eyes at Grace’s sarcasm. Could someone please explain to me why I thought she’d be a good maid of honor?
“Obviously I have to confer with my fiancé on the date,” I shot back. She just shrugged and looked back down at her magazine.
“What kind of dress are you thinking of?” she asked.
“Dress?” She nearly dropped the magazine as her jaw fell almost to the floor at my response. I let out a loud whine and fell back on the sofa.
“How do you not have a clue what you want your dress to look like?!” she exclaimed.
“I don’t know. I just never thought about it.”
Now that she’d brought it up though, I began to think about it. Unfortunately my brain had little to reference and all I could think of was poufy prom dresses in white. What had I gotten myself into? Two weeks later the girls, my mom, and Delia all gathered in my hotel room in Manhattan and we headed out to go wedding dress shopping.
They chatted away excitedly while I fought a migraine. I didn’t have the slightest clue what I wanted my dress to look like. Everyone kept telling me not to worry, because when I tried the right dress on I would just know. What exactly did that mean? Was I going to hear wedding bells and birds chirping when I saw my reflection in the mirror or would I just realize that no other dress had looked as good and I was too tired to try anything else on?
“And your fiancé’s name?” the woman at the store asked. I hesitated slightly, but at the reassuring nods from everyone, I responded.
“Sidney Crosby,” I answered. The woman’s head jerked up in surprise. Obviously she knew who he was.
“Okay, follow me,” she told me with an enormous smile.
We all followed her back to a private room where we were given flutes of champagne. I’d noticed other groups of girls on the way back and not one of them had a flute of any kind of drink with them. While slightly uncomfortable with the obvious special treatment, I downed my glass happily.
I talked with a consultant for a while and once she realized I had absolutely no idea what I was looking for and everyone else had an opinion, she went off on her own to search for some dresses. I tried on the first few and there were no bells or whistles or birds chirping. They were beautiful dresses, but nothing really made me feel like it was the one.
On my sixth dress I was frustrated and wondered how anyone could possibly have any fun doing this. Every dress had been amazing in its own way, but nothing stood out. My group argued amongst themselves on what had looked best on me so far. I was on the verge of losing it and just calling it quits.
“That’s it, I’m eloping!” I exclaimed as I listened to the critiques of the seventh dress.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” my mother responded.
“Oh, I’m not. I’m serious. I’m getting married in jeans and a t-shirt in a drive-thru chapel in Vegas,” I announced.
The six of them looked at me blankly for a moment before jumping right back into their debate on what dress they’d liked best so far. I let out a growl before turning to head back into the dressing room. I didn’t even want to try on the ninth dress that was brought out to me, but I did, just to humor my friends and family. Even so, I was drawing the line at 10 dresses. After the tenth one, we were out of here.
The consultant zipped the dress up in the back and I turned to look at my reflection in the mirror expecting to see more of the same. Instead I nearly lost my breath. I froze in place as my eyes gazed up and down at my reflection, taking in every detail of the dress I had on. I caught sight of the consultant’s smile in the mirror.
I walked out of the dressing room, biting my lip nervously, and into the area where everyone was waiting. All conversation stopped the second I turned the corner. I heard someone gasp and watched as my mother put a hand to her mouth. That reaction was enough for me. They hadn’t shut up all day until now. I glanced at myself in the mirror again, unnecessarily. This was the one.
As I looked at myself, tears filled my eyes. Suddenly all these feelings rushed into my brain. I now understood what people meant when they said you just knew when you had on the right dress. I also now understood what it was like to be so excited to plan a wedding.
Seeing myself in that dress jump started the wedding planning. I pulled out the checklist for the first time since that day I’d talked to Grace about how overwhelming it all seemed. Every free moment I had was spent planning the wedding, and I loved every moment of it. Of course it was stressful, but it was fun at the same time. I became that girl.
Sidney was involved to an extent in the planning, but he just wanted me to be happy. Only once did he veto an idea I had, and I realized he was right when he told me that the ice sculptures were a little over the top. Every time I checked something off my list I felt a sense of accomplishment.
The media went crazy with the news that Sidney Crosby was getting married. Most were congratulatory, but some questioned it. He was too young, he had too much on his shoulders to be worrying about a marriage, I wasn’t the right person. It didn’t matter to us. We knew that it was the right thing.
Before I knew it, it was the night before the wedding and the rehearsal dinner was just ending. I’d never known I was a traditionalist until it came to this wedding. There was absolutely no way I could be convinced to spend the night with Sidney, or even see him after the dinner was over until I was walking down the aisle.
“Are you nervous?” he asked me as we walked out of dinner holding hands.
“A little bit,” I replied. He lifted his eyebrows.
“Really?” I nodded.
“A lot of people are going to be staring at me tomorrow. What if I trip? What if I forget my vows? What if I’m just a sobbing mess?” He laughed and pulled me into a hug.
“I know exactly what you mean,” he whispered.
“Tanner, the car’s here!” Grace called out. I pulled back from Sidney a little and looked up into his face.
“I guess it’s time to go,” I said.
“I guess so.” He placed a kiss on my forehead, and then on the tip of my nose, and then on my lips.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” I asked, backing away from him, our hands slowly sliding apart.
“Count on it. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
We both walked in different directions, but kept looking back at each other with goofy grins on our faces until we were in the cars. Sidney was off to his parents’ house while I headed to our house. I lay awake in bed that night, unable to fall right to sleep. Images of the next day kept flashing through my brain as I rehearsed my vows over and over again in my head. I eventually fell asleep for a couple of hours until the alarm woke me up the next morning.
The girls made sure I had everything I needed, including the traditional something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Butterflies took over my stomach as Hailey did my hair, Kelly did my make-up, Lisa helped me into my dress, and Grace made sure everything was ready to go.
When it was time my father came and got me. He walked me down the aisle and gave me a kiss on the cheek before handing me off to Sidney. I’m sure the lake in the background with the sun shining brightly on it was a beautiful sight, but I couldn’t honestly tell you. I was too busy looking at Sidney to notice anything else.
My heart thundered in my chest throughout the entire ceremony. I managed to keep the tears at bay up until the moment Sidney said his vows. His words brought them forward no matter how much I tried to hold them back. Nothing would ever sound so amazing to my ears for the rest of my life.
My smile somehow managed to grow even bigger when we were pronounced husband and wife. His lips met mine and when we pulled apart he rested his forehead against mine, my hands still in his. Our eyes locked and more tears fell when I saw that his eyes were filling with them as well.
“I’m lucky to have you as my wife,” he whispered.
“I’m lucky to have you as my husband,” I returned.
We turned and beamed out at the guests who were clapping for us. The rest of the night felt like a blur as we waited to thank everyone who stopped to congratulate us. We were then whisked off for the wedding photos. The reception was next and we had the time of our lives. It was a night I'd never forget.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Chapter 59
Because I'm fast forwarding this, obviously I can't base the rest of this on real life. There's only going to be another 5 chapters or so depending on how I write them. Thanks so much for following this story for this long and all the support! It means so much to me!
I waited impatiently in a pre-designated room at the airport for Sidney’s plane to land. I hadn’t been there all that long, but it felt like eternity. Long enough, at least, for me to reflect back on the last few months. Ever since Sidney had won the gold medal at the Olympics, things had seemed to move at warp speed.
We’d returned home to Pittsburgh and both became very busy. I officially started work at the zoo and it took up a lot of time. It wasn’t just a 9 to 5 job. Sometimes I had to be in very early, sometimes I had to stay very late. Once in a while I had overnights. Not once did I ever complain. I loved what I was doing and wouldn’t have given it up for anything. Thankfully Sidney never once complained, seriously anyway.
As far as he was concerned once the Olympics ended the playoff race was on. Not that he ever wasn’t, but it was time for him to get really serious. They’d played well in the last month and had held on to second in the division and fourth in the conference. Unfortunately things hadn’t gone the way they had the year before and Pittsburgh lost in the second round.
Knowing that it was the off-season was tough. Sidney and I had talked about it and we knew that we were going to be spending a lot of the summer apart. I couldn’t just take the summer off from the zoo to go to Cole Harbour and Sidney never even considered asking me to. Just like I never considered asking him to stay in Pittsburgh instead of going home to see his friends and family. Instead we’d agreed that he would come down for a week each month of the summer and I’d go up for a week in June and again for his birthday.
Despite being apart, the summer had gone by fairly quickly. I had my friends and job to keep me busy just like Sidney had everyone back home. Lulu and Gilligan were angels and I fell in love with them more and more each day. I could tell that they missed Sidney when he was gone, but seeing their reactions each time they saw him again was priceless.
I glanced down at my watch for probably the thousandth time since I’d gotten to the airport and saw that Sidney’s plane should have touched down by now. I got up from my seat and started pacing back and forth across the room, looking towards the door every time I heard any sound come from outside of it. Eventually the door opened and I burst into Sidney’s arms.
“I missed you so much!” I exclaimed after planting a long kiss on his lips. He chuckled.
“I missed you too.”
After the greeting we were led by security out to the car and drove home. It was nice to have him back for the season, knowing he wasn’t going anywhere for a while. He talked about his trip and I talked about work on the drive back from the airport. When we pulled into the driveway and got out of the car, I immediately felt nauseous.
“Sidney, hi!” a sickeningly sweet voice called from next door.
I glared across the car hood at Tamara, who was jogging over across the lawn. After everything that had happened last year we’d basically avoided the neighbors. I hated them and Sidney didn’t exactly have a fondness for them either. Tamara had left Sidney alone since the night I’d ordered her out of our house and I didn’t know why she was coming over here now.
“Hi, Tamara,” Sidney greeted, annoyance in his tone.
“I didn’t realize you were coming back so soon!”
Like she’d done before, she completely ignored the fact that I was standing there in an attempt to exclude me in the conversation. I guess the year of separation had only emboldened her. Instead of standing there while they talked I walked to the front door and opened it. Within seconds Lulu and Gilly had bolted out the front door and over to Sidney. I watched with a grin when Gilly nearly knocked Tamara on her ass when he jumped up on Sidney in greeting.
“Hi, guys, I missed you too!” Sidney exclaimed, giving each of them equal attention.
After a few licks, barks, and jumps, Tamara backed away saying goodbye and heading back to her house. Sidney never responded as he rolled around on the ground with our dogs. Lulu and Gilly were the best guard dogs ever. He eventually got up and we both went inside, the dogs leading the way.
We spent the rest of the night in the house wrapped up completely in each other. After spending so much time apart this summer we had a lot of time to make up for. The only time we left bed was when the food we’d ordered arrived or to let the dogs out. God, it was nice to have him back. I easily fell asleep in his arms that night, simply exhausted.
Before I woke up the following morning I found myself in that place just before fully waking when you weren’t completely conscious, but you weren’t quite asleep either. My eyes were still closed and I had a slight uneasy feeling. Something just didn’t feel right. I finally opened my eyes and let out a scream when a pair was looking right back into them.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” I exclaimed to a laughing Sidney.
“I was just watching you sleep,” he told me.
“You had to be inches from my face to do that?” I asked.
“Sorry,” he apologized after chuckling a bit longer.
“I take back everything I said yesterday. I didn’t miss you at all.” He narrowed his eyes at me.
“You don’t mean that.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Take it back,” he warned.
“Or what?” I challenged. He began to tickle me and I started to scream and squirm uncontrollably in his grasp.
“Take it back!” he called out.
“Okay, okay, I take it back! I missed you like crazy!” I yelled. The torture stopped and we both looked at each other and started to laugh.
“I love you,” he told me seriously.
“I love you too.”
I was on my right side so he reached for my left hand under the comforter and began to play with my fingers. We laid there in silence for a while, just enjoying being cuddled up with each other in bed. There was no greater thing in this world than lying next to the person you loved in a content silence. Words didn’t need to be spoken, because they just weren’t necessary.
Sidney shifted a little, but I didn’t pay any attention, keeping my eyes closed. I was too focused on how nice the feeling of being back in his arms again was. He turned back to me and looked straight into my eyes. There was no laughter in them this time, only something I couldn’t quite pick up on. As I stared back at him I felt something cool and smooth slide over the fourth finger on my left hand. My eyes went wide and I tried to pull my hand out from under the covers. Sidney grabbed on and didn’t let me.
“Hold on. Just listen to me for a moment,” he said. My heart started to pound in my chest.
“Sidney, what?” I managed to gasp out.
“We’ve been through a lot in the last two years. More than most people experience in a lifetime. There have been ups and downs, but no matter what came we made it through together. I wouldn’t trade in anything that happened for the world because it showed me your true character. You’re strong, smart, dedicated, compassionate, funny, and beautiful inside and out. I can’t imagine anyone I’d rather spend the rest of my life with. Tanner, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” I choked out through the tears that had started to fall. “Yes.”
He threw his arms around me and I held on tight as he pressed his lips to mine. When we finally broke apart he let me look at the ring on my finger. It was perfect. That was the only way to describe it. I hadn’t been the girl who dreamed of her wedding day and imagined what her ring would look like. I hadn’t even known what cut of diamond I preferred. I found that I preferred whatever the cut on my ring currently was.
I’m not sure I stopped crying the entire day. Every time I glanced down at the ring on my finger, which was a lot, the tears would come again as I remembered everything Sidney had said. The proposal had been simple and private, which is just the way I would have wanted it had I imagined it. I didn’t think I’d ever forget those words or that moment.
I made the obligatory phone calls to my family and then my friends, which only brought on more tears. My father told me that Sidney had flown to New York before Pittsburgh to ask for his permission to marry me. He never ceased to surprise me. Sidney’s parents insisted on talking to me as well. They’d known he was going to propose too and were more than happy for us.
The girls all filed over that night to check out the ring, including Hailey who was in town visiting while Ryan headed out for training camp. It was a whirlwind kind of day and soon our house was full of people. Guys on the team who were back in Pittsburgh early came over. The Lemieux’s came over. We hadn’t expected or planned on the gathering, but neither of us were complaining. There was no better way to celebrate an event like this than spending it with some of the people you were closest to.
I waited impatiently in a pre-designated room at the airport for Sidney’s plane to land. I hadn’t been there all that long, but it felt like eternity. Long enough, at least, for me to reflect back on the last few months. Ever since Sidney had won the gold medal at the Olympics, things had seemed to move at warp speed.
We’d returned home to Pittsburgh and both became very busy. I officially started work at the zoo and it took up a lot of time. It wasn’t just a 9 to 5 job. Sometimes I had to be in very early, sometimes I had to stay very late. Once in a while I had overnights. Not once did I ever complain. I loved what I was doing and wouldn’t have given it up for anything. Thankfully Sidney never once complained, seriously anyway.
As far as he was concerned once the Olympics ended the playoff race was on. Not that he ever wasn’t, but it was time for him to get really serious. They’d played well in the last month and had held on to second in the division and fourth in the conference. Unfortunately things hadn’t gone the way they had the year before and Pittsburgh lost in the second round.
Knowing that it was the off-season was tough. Sidney and I had talked about it and we knew that we were going to be spending a lot of the summer apart. I couldn’t just take the summer off from the zoo to go to Cole Harbour and Sidney never even considered asking me to. Just like I never considered asking him to stay in Pittsburgh instead of going home to see his friends and family. Instead we’d agreed that he would come down for a week each month of the summer and I’d go up for a week in June and again for his birthday.
Despite being apart, the summer had gone by fairly quickly. I had my friends and job to keep me busy just like Sidney had everyone back home. Lulu and Gilligan were angels and I fell in love with them more and more each day. I could tell that they missed Sidney when he was gone, but seeing their reactions each time they saw him again was priceless.
I glanced down at my watch for probably the thousandth time since I’d gotten to the airport and saw that Sidney’s plane should have touched down by now. I got up from my seat and started pacing back and forth across the room, looking towards the door every time I heard any sound come from outside of it. Eventually the door opened and I burst into Sidney’s arms.
“I missed you so much!” I exclaimed after planting a long kiss on his lips. He chuckled.
“I missed you too.”
After the greeting we were led by security out to the car and drove home. It was nice to have him back for the season, knowing he wasn’t going anywhere for a while. He talked about his trip and I talked about work on the drive back from the airport. When we pulled into the driveway and got out of the car, I immediately felt nauseous.
“Sidney, hi!” a sickeningly sweet voice called from next door.
I glared across the car hood at Tamara, who was jogging over across the lawn. After everything that had happened last year we’d basically avoided the neighbors. I hated them and Sidney didn’t exactly have a fondness for them either. Tamara had left Sidney alone since the night I’d ordered her out of our house and I didn’t know why she was coming over here now.
“Hi, Tamara,” Sidney greeted, annoyance in his tone.
“I didn’t realize you were coming back so soon!”
Like she’d done before, she completely ignored the fact that I was standing there in an attempt to exclude me in the conversation. I guess the year of separation had only emboldened her. Instead of standing there while they talked I walked to the front door and opened it. Within seconds Lulu and Gilly had bolted out the front door and over to Sidney. I watched with a grin when Gilly nearly knocked Tamara on her ass when he jumped up on Sidney in greeting.
“Hi, guys, I missed you too!” Sidney exclaimed, giving each of them equal attention.
After a few licks, barks, and jumps, Tamara backed away saying goodbye and heading back to her house. Sidney never responded as he rolled around on the ground with our dogs. Lulu and Gilly were the best guard dogs ever. He eventually got up and we both went inside, the dogs leading the way.
We spent the rest of the night in the house wrapped up completely in each other. After spending so much time apart this summer we had a lot of time to make up for. The only time we left bed was when the food we’d ordered arrived or to let the dogs out. God, it was nice to have him back. I easily fell asleep in his arms that night, simply exhausted.
Before I woke up the following morning I found myself in that place just before fully waking when you weren’t completely conscious, but you weren’t quite asleep either. My eyes were still closed and I had a slight uneasy feeling. Something just didn’t feel right. I finally opened my eyes and let out a scream when a pair was looking right back into them.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” I exclaimed to a laughing Sidney.
“I was just watching you sleep,” he told me.
“You had to be inches from my face to do that?” I asked.
“Sorry,” he apologized after chuckling a bit longer.
“I take back everything I said yesterday. I didn’t miss you at all.” He narrowed his eyes at me.
“You don’t mean that.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Take it back,” he warned.
“Or what?” I challenged. He began to tickle me and I started to scream and squirm uncontrollably in his grasp.
“Take it back!” he called out.
“Okay, okay, I take it back! I missed you like crazy!” I yelled. The torture stopped and we both looked at each other and started to laugh.
“I love you,” he told me seriously.
“I love you too.”
I was on my right side so he reached for my left hand under the comforter and began to play with my fingers. We laid there in silence for a while, just enjoying being cuddled up with each other in bed. There was no greater thing in this world than lying next to the person you loved in a content silence. Words didn’t need to be spoken, because they just weren’t necessary.
Sidney shifted a little, but I didn’t pay any attention, keeping my eyes closed. I was too focused on how nice the feeling of being back in his arms again was. He turned back to me and looked straight into my eyes. There was no laughter in them this time, only something I couldn’t quite pick up on. As I stared back at him I felt something cool and smooth slide over the fourth finger on my left hand. My eyes went wide and I tried to pull my hand out from under the covers. Sidney grabbed on and didn’t let me.
“Hold on. Just listen to me for a moment,” he said. My heart started to pound in my chest.
“Sidney, what?” I managed to gasp out.
“We’ve been through a lot in the last two years. More than most people experience in a lifetime. There have been ups and downs, but no matter what came we made it through together. I wouldn’t trade in anything that happened for the world because it showed me your true character. You’re strong, smart, dedicated, compassionate, funny, and beautiful inside and out. I can’t imagine anyone I’d rather spend the rest of my life with. Tanner, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” I choked out through the tears that had started to fall. “Yes.”
He threw his arms around me and I held on tight as he pressed his lips to mine. When we finally broke apart he let me look at the ring on my finger. It was perfect. That was the only way to describe it. I hadn’t been the girl who dreamed of her wedding day and imagined what her ring would look like. I hadn’t even known what cut of diamond I preferred. I found that I preferred whatever the cut on my ring currently was.
I’m not sure I stopped crying the entire day. Every time I glanced down at the ring on my finger, which was a lot, the tears would come again as I remembered everything Sidney had said. The proposal had been simple and private, which is just the way I would have wanted it had I imagined it. I didn’t think I’d ever forget those words or that moment.
I made the obligatory phone calls to my family and then my friends, which only brought on more tears. My father told me that Sidney had flown to New York before Pittsburgh to ask for his permission to marry me. He never ceased to surprise me. Sidney’s parents insisted on talking to me as well. They’d known he was going to propose too and were more than happy for us.
The girls all filed over that night to check out the ring, including Hailey who was in town visiting while Ryan headed out for training camp. It was a whirlwind kind of day and soon our house was full of people. Guys on the team who were back in Pittsburgh early came over. The Lemieux’s came over. We hadn’t expected or planned on the gathering, but neither of us were complaining. There was no better way to celebrate an event like this than spending it with some of the people you were closest to.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Chapter 58
I walked off of the plane and out into the airport in Vancouver. I glanced around at the crowds around me. There were people everywhere walking around with their country’s colors somewhere on them. I made my way towards a gate in a different terminal. I heard the loud squeal even before I saw her. A smile broke out on my face as Hailey rushed into my arms.
“How are you?!” she exclaimed.
“Amazing. How about you?” I returned.
“Amazing.”
Hailey’s flight into Vancouver had landed only half an hour before mine so we’d decided to meet up before the hectic two weeks began. We walked through the airport talking, laughing, and catching up on each others lives. We picked up our bags at baggage claim and then began to search out our ride.
We found the driver who was waiting for us and got into the car. The car ride was spent admiring the city and the sights of the Olympic craze. The car dropped Hailey off at where she was staying with Ryan first and we parted with plans to meet up the next day. I pulled out my camera and took pictures of everything I could for the rest of the car ride. I was here, really here, to witness the Olympics in person.
The car stopped at my destination and I got out, grabbed my luggage and walked inside. I knew that Sidney wouldn’t be there right now and he’d told me he left my name at the desk so I could get a key. Once I’d done that, with a whole lot of hassle, I made my way to our suite. I walked through the door and immediately stopped in the doorway.
A smile broke out over my face when I saw the enormous bouquet of flowers situated on the table in front of me, a note placed in front of it. I shook my head and closed the door behind me before dropping my stuff off in the bedroom. I walked back out and picked up the note.
Hey babe,
Sorry I couldn’t be here when you got in. I left these in hopes that you’d forgive me. There’s an order in for a Belgian Waffle they’ll fire up as soon as you call down. Have a good rest of the morning and I’ll see you soon!
Love you.
My boyfriend was too sweet. I made the call to the desk and began to unpack my stuff while I waited. Just a short time later room service had brought up the waffle and I found a mimosa accompanying it. My boyfriend wasn’t just sweet, he was perfect. I enjoyed my late breakfast and finished unpacking. Then I sat on the couch, flipped on the Olympics, and waited for him to get back.
I thought about heading out to explore a bit, but Sidney didn’t know when he’d be getting back. I decided to stay in so that I wouldn’t risk being out when he got to the suite. It was a good thing too, because he was there within the hour. His family arrived later that day and we spent the day just relaxing. Tomorrow it all started.
The next morning Sidney left early for a pre-game skate. I met up with Hailey so that I’d be out of Sidney’s way the rest of the afternoon as he prepared for game 1. We walked around Olympic Village a bit until it was time for the US game. I sat with her and Ryan’s family watching the game and cheering on my country.
I waited for Ryan with them after. It had been so long since I’d seen him and it was good to catch up. Team USA had a meeting later that night so instead of just sitting around and waiting for him, Hailey came with me and Sidney’s family to the Canada game that night. She waited around long enough to congratulate Sid before heading back to Ryan.
The rest of the tournament would go much the same way. I went to all of the US games with her and she went to all the Canadian games with me. It was nice to have one of my closest friends there with me to share in the experience. We were given tickets to some of the other events on the days that our guys didn’t play and thoroughly enjoyed watching those as well.
Things went well until the day of the US vs. Canada game. Suddenly everyone wanted to know who I was rooting for. All I wanted was for the day to be over and done with. I mean really, how do you root against either your country or your boyfriend? I decided that it had to go to a shootout and Canada had to win. That way they’d end up tied for first in the pool, but Canada would get the by due to goal differential. Hey, I had to go home with the boyfriend, not the country that night.
Unfortunately that’s not how things went. I don’t think anyone thought the US would put up much of a fight, let alone win. Internally I couldn’t fight the pride I had in my fellow countryman beating the odds that night, but at the same time I couldn’t quite be happy. It meant that despite his goal and a strong game, Sidney had lost.
I knew that this game would get to Sidney more than any in the preliminary round. His family and I waited quietly for him after. I left the hockey talk to him and his father. If he wanted to talk about it, his father would know best what to say about the game. Instead I waited until we were back in the suite for the night.
He flopped down on the bed and I just curled up next to him. I sensed that he wasn’t in the mood to talk and I didn’t feel nearly qualified enough to try to give him any sort of pep talk or motivational speech. What did I know about losing to a rival country in the Olympics in your home country? We laid there in silence for a long time before he finally turned to me.
“Thank you,” he said. I lifted my head enough to be able to look into his eyes.
“For what?” I asked.
“Knowing exactly what I needed.” I smiled and kissed him lightly before curling back up.
When I realized they’d be playing Russia after they beat Germany I was nervous. This wasn’t supposed to happen this early. They were supposed to be playing for the gold medal. They weren’t supposed to be playing just to make it to the next round. Whoever lost didn’t have a shot at a medal. I felt sick for the entire day before and the day of leading up to puck drop.
It didn’t take long for that feeling to disappear. They jumped on Russia and had basically demolished them after the first period. Canada had sent a message to the rest of the teams still in the tournament. They weren’t going to be easy to beat. Slovakia gave them a scare, but they pulled it out and made it to the gold medal game. It would be a rematch against the US with the gold on the line.
Before I knew it, I was sitting in the rink late Sunday morning, my legs shaking, and my hands fidgeting like crazy. The guys weren’t even on the ice yet and I felt sick. The last team I’d wanted Canada to play in the gold medal game was the US. It just wasn’t fair to pit my country against my boyfriend for a second time this tournament. I was a traitor either way I went.
I sat with Sidney’s family who were eerily silent themselves. Usually Trina or Taylor would be talking away before the game started, and even far into the game, but not today. Today they’d taken up Troy’s quiet demeanor and were sitting and just staring out at the ice. When the teams skated out the rink erupted in cheers from fans of both teams, but it was mostly Canadians.
When Canada scored their first goal I didn’t jump up like the rest of the crowd. I felt a small smile forming when it happened, but I wasn’t going to openly root against my own country. Thankfully Sidney’s family seemed to understand and when they sat down Trina gave my leg a pat and smiled over at me.
Canada scored the second goal and I thought the game was over. It just had that feel to it that Canada was unstoppable at this point. I was proven wrong when the US scored its first goal. While I didn’t cheer I was internally very happy that they were surging back. If my country had to lose, I didn’t want them to be embarrassed. They deserved so much more than that.
As the seconds ticked down in the third I felt a little like I did during game seven of the Cup finals. My heart was racing and I began to feel sick all over again, only it was for both teams. When Parise scored that goal with 24 seconds left, tears filled my eyes. It was an incredibly emotional moment for an American to see that goal go in for a team that everyone had counted out and watch the guys on the ice celebrate the way they were.
That emotion disappeared when I realized I had to sit through another intermission before overtime. I just wanted this game over so this sick feeling could go away. Sidney’s family remained quiet during the intermission obviously nervous for their son and their country. I wasn’t stupid. I knew how much was riding on Canada winning gold in their own country.
Then almost unexpectedly the puck was in the net for Canada and Sidney was racing to the corner, throwing his gear in the air. The crowd at the rink exploded in cheers and I remained cemented in my seat. While everyone around me jumped up, I sat in my seat, tears building and falling, with my hands over my mouth.
Had that just happened? Did Sid really just score the gold winning goal in overtime? I was too stunned to get up until Trina looked down at me. She held out a hand and I took it and rose to watch the celebration like everyone else. It wasn’t until I spotted Sidney being mobbed in the crowd that my shock dissipated being replaced with surging pride. If my country had to lose, there was only one person I would be okay with ending that run.
After watching them hand out the gold medals and listening to the crowd cheer on Sidney when they gave him his we made our way downstairs. We knew Sid was going to be bombarded with reporters for a while so we took our time. I didn’t even realize until he finally came walking out that I was still crying. I stood back and let him go to his parents and sister first. Then he turned to me and smiled before wiping tears off of my cheeks.
“I guess it’s time for you to retire, because what the hell else can you do?” I asked him. He beamed at me and laughed.
“I still don’t have that Conn Smythe,” he joked and I laughed along with him. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me, his gold medal that was still around his neck pressing into my chest.
“I hope you know that you’re the only person that can turn me against my country. I’m not sure how I feel about that,” I told him when the kiss broke off.
“You’re more Canadian than you realize.” I smiled up at him and shook my head. It had been a whirlwind two weeks here in Vancouver, but it was a two weeks I’d never forget.
“How are you?!” she exclaimed.
“Amazing. How about you?” I returned.
“Amazing.”
Hailey’s flight into Vancouver had landed only half an hour before mine so we’d decided to meet up before the hectic two weeks began. We walked through the airport talking, laughing, and catching up on each others lives. We picked up our bags at baggage claim and then began to search out our ride.
We found the driver who was waiting for us and got into the car. The car ride was spent admiring the city and the sights of the Olympic craze. The car dropped Hailey off at where she was staying with Ryan first and we parted with plans to meet up the next day. I pulled out my camera and took pictures of everything I could for the rest of the car ride. I was here, really here, to witness the Olympics in person.
The car stopped at my destination and I got out, grabbed my luggage and walked inside. I knew that Sidney wouldn’t be there right now and he’d told me he left my name at the desk so I could get a key. Once I’d done that, with a whole lot of hassle, I made my way to our suite. I walked through the door and immediately stopped in the doorway.
A smile broke out over my face when I saw the enormous bouquet of flowers situated on the table in front of me, a note placed in front of it. I shook my head and closed the door behind me before dropping my stuff off in the bedroom. I walked back out and picked up the note.
Hey babe,
Sorry I couldn’t be here when you got in. I left these in hopes that you’d forgive me. There’s an order in for a Belgian Waffle they’ll fire up as soon as you call down. Have a good rest of the morning and I’ll see you soon!
Love you.
My boyfriend was too sweet. I made the call to the desk and began to unpack my stuff while I waited. Just a short time later room service had brought up the waffle and I found a mimosa accompanying it. My boyfriend wasn’t just sweet, he was perfect. I enjoyed my late breakfast and finished unpacking. Then I sat on the couch, flipped on the Olympics, and waited for him to get back.
I thought about heading out to explore a bit, but Sidney didn’t know when he’d be getting back. I decided to stay in so that I wouldn’t risk being out when he got to the suite. It was a good thing too, because he was there within the hour. His family arrived later that day and we spent the day just relaxing. Tomorrow it all started.
The next morning Sidney left early for a pre-game skate. I met up with Hailey so that I’d be out of Sidney’s way the rest of the afternoon as he prepared for game 1. We walked around Olympic Village a bit until it was time for the US game. I sat with her and Ryan’s family watching the game and cheering on my country.
I waited for Ryan with them after. It had been so long since I’d seen him and it was good to catch up. Team USA had a meeting later that night so instead of just sitting around and waiting for him, Hailey came with me and Sidney’s family to the Canada game that night. She waited around long enough to congratulate Sid before heading back to Ryan.
The rest of the tournament would go much the same way. I went to all of the US games with her and she went to all the Canadian games with me. It was nice to have one of my closest friends there with me to share in the experience. We were given tickets to some of the other events on the days that our guys didn’t play and thoroughly enjoyed watching those as well.
Things went well until the day of the US vs. Canada game. Suddenly everyone wanted to know who I was rooting for. All I wanted was for the day to be over and done with. I mean really, how do you root against either your country or your boyfriend? I decided that it had to go to a shootout and Canada had to win. That way they’d end up tied for first in the pool, but Canada would get the by due to goal differential. Hey, I had to go home with the boyfriend, not the country that night.
Unfortunately that’s not how things went. I don’t think anyone thought the US would put up much of a fight, let alone win. Internally I couldn’t fight the pride I had in my fellow countryman beating the odds that night, but at the same time I couldn’t quite be happy. It meant that despite his goal and a strong game, Sidney had lost.
I knew that this game would get to Sidney more than any in the preliminary round. His family and I waited quietly for him after. I left the hockey talk to him and his father. If he wanted to talk about it, his father would know best what to say about the game. Instead I waited until we were back in the suite for the night.
He flopped down on the bed and I just curled up next to him. I sensed that he wasn’t in the mood to talk and I didn’t feel nearly qualified enough to try to give him any sort of pep talk or motivational speech. What did I know about losing to a rival country in the Olympics in your home country? We laid there in silence for a long time before he finally turned to me.
“Thank you,” he said. I lifted my head enough to be able to look into his eyes.
“For what?” I asked.
“Knowing exactly what I needed.” I smiled and kissed him lightly before curling back up.
When I realized they’d be playing Russia after they beat Germany I was nervous. This wasn’t supposed to happen this early. They were supposed to be playing for the gold medal. They weren’t supposed to be playing just to make it to the next round. Whoever lost didn’t have a shot at a medal. I felt sick for the entire day before and the day of leading up to puck drop.
It didn’t take long for that feeling to disappear. They jumped on Russia and had basically demolished them after the first period. Canada had sent a message to the rest of the teams still in the tournament. They weren’t going to be easy to beat. Slovakia gave them a scare, but they pulled it out and made it to the gold medal game. It would be a rematch against the US with the gold on the line.
Before I knew it, I was sitting in the rink late Sunday morning, my legs shaking, and my hands fidgeting like crazy. The guys weren’t even on the ice yet and I felt sick. The last team I’d wanted Canada to play in the gold medal game was the US. It just wasn’t fair to pit my country against my boyfriend for a second time this tournament. I was a traitor either way I went.
I sat with Sidney’s family who were eerily silent themselves. Usually Trina or Taylor would be talking away before the game started, and even far into the game, but not today. Today they’d taken up Troy’s quiet demeanor and were sitting and just staring out at the ice. When the teams skated out the rink erupted in cheers from fans of both teams, but it was mostly Canadians.
When Canada scored their first goal I didn’t jump up like the rest of the crowd. I felt a small smile forming when it happened, but I wasn’t going to openly root against my own country. Thankfully Sidney’s family seemed to understand and when they sat down Trina gave my leg a pat and smiled over at me.
Canada scored the second goal and I thought the game was over. It just had that feel to it that Canada was unstoppable at this point. I was proven wrong when the US scored its first goal. While I didn’t cheer I was internally very happy that they were surging back. If my country had to lose, I didn’t want them to be embarrassed. They deserved so much more than that.
As the seconds ticked down in the third I felt a little like I did during game seven of the Cup finals. My heart was racing and I began to feel sick all over again, only it was for both teams. When Parise scored that goal with 24 seconds left, tears filled my eyes. It was an incredibly emotional moment for an American to see that goal go in for a team that everyone had counted out and watch the guys on the ice celebrate the way they were.
That emotion disappeared when I realized I had to sit through another intermission before overtime. I just wanted this game over so this sick feeling could go away. Sidney’s family remained quiet during the intermission obviously nervous for their son and their country. I wasn’t stupid. I knew how much was riding on Canada winning gold in their own country.
Then almost unexpectedly the puck was in the net for Canada and Sidney was racing to the corner, throwing his gear in the air. The crowd at the rink exploded in cheers and I remained cemented in my seat. While everyone around me jumped up, I sat in my seat, tears building and falling, with my hands over my mouth.
Had that just happened? Did Sid really just score the gold winning goal in overtime? I was too stunned to get up until Trina looked down at me. She held out a hand and I took it and rose to watch the celebration like everyone else. It wasn’t until I spotted Sidney being mobbed in the crowd that my shock dissipated being replaced with surging pride. If my country had to lose, there was only one person I would be okay with ending that run.
After watching them hand out the gold medals and listening to the crowd cheer on Sidney when they gave him his we made our way downstairs. We knew Sid was going to be bombarded with reporters for a while so we took our time. I didn’t even realize until he finally came walking out that I was still crying. I stood back and let him go to his parents and sister first. Then he turned to me and smiled before wiping tears off of my cheeks.
“I guess it’s time for you to retire, because what the hell else can you do?” I asked him. He beamed at me and laughed.
“I still don’t have that Conn Smythe,” he joked and I laughed along with him. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me, his gold medal that was still around his neck pressing into my chest.
“I hope you know that you’re the only person that can turn me against my country. I’m not sure how I feel about that,” I told him when the kiss broke off.
“You’re more Canadian than you realize.” I smiled up at him and shook my head. It had been a whirlwind two weeks here in Vancouver, but it was a two weeks I’d never forget.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Chapter 57
So this is kind of a short chapter. Like I said last post, it's more filler than anything. It's also going to be the last for this story until after the Olympics. I have to see how they go before I can write the next one.
“You look great. Very professional,” Sidney told me, walking up behind me and catching my gaze in the mirror.
“Are you sure? I’m not too casual?” I asked. He grinned at me and chuckled as he looked at the crisp white shirt, black pants, and flats.
“If you get the job, you’re going to be wearing khakis the rest of your career. You think this is too casual?” he joked. I returned his smile and nodded.
“I can always count on you to put things into perspective. Thank you.” He placed a kiss on the top of my head and turned me around to face him.
“Don’t worry. They’re going to love you. Zack’s already basically told you that they were going to hire you. This is just a formality,” he said, referring to the head zookeeper we’d already met before. I let out a breath and nodded knowing, or hoping, that he was right.
“Okay, I’ll see you before you leave for the game,” I told him. He nodded as I grabbed my purse and resume and made my way downstairs, snatching my car keys on the way.
“Tell the polar bears I say hi!” Sidney called after the closing door. I couldn’t help but smile.
I arrived at the zoo an hour before my scheduled interview time. I figured if I was going to be here already I might as well stop and see the bears for a bit before I went in. I glanced at the other exhibits as I walked by, but didn’t stop until I reached the bears. I leaned on the railing and watched the sleeping forms, not even bothered by the cold January weather.
I went over a few things in my head that I wanted to make a point of saying in my interview. As I did I thought about the possible amazing start that 2010 was going to have. Good riddance 2009, I won’t miss you, I thought. This was a new year, a new start. Things with Sidney and I were perfect, Lulu and Gilly had adapted to our lives well and had made us fall head over heels in love with them, Sidney was officially although not surprisingly going to the Olympics, and I was interviewing for a job I knew I’d love. The year was starting off fantastically.
“How long have you been out here?” I heard someone ask. I looked up to see Zack approaching me with a smile on his face. I glanced at my watch.
“About half an hour,” I told him. He leaned next to me along the railing and nodded as he too looked out at the sleeping bears.
“I always come out here before an interview. The ones worth hiring always stop by and observe for a while before they head into the office. It shows that they really care,” he told me. My smile grew as I took that in. So far so good.
“I would have been here sooner if open hours started earlier.”
“Somehow I know that. Why don’t you follow me back to my office?”
I followed Zack through some doors and to his office. He chatted about things going on with some of the animals along the way and I took it all in. I handed over my resume once I was seated across from his desk and he only glanced at it for a second. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.
“I usually start off my interviews by telling people that while working with animals can be fun and rewarding, it is hard work and can be dangerous. I’m not going to give you that speech. You’ve had more than your share of adversity this past year and being dedicated and hard-working is not something I can question you on. In fact, I only have two questions for you. What made you fall in love with bears, and what are you looking for out of this job?”
I was a little taken aback by what he said. I’d been fully prepared to answer questions, list qualifications, and the like. None of that seemed to matter to him. So instead of doing all of that I launched into the story I’d given Sidney about my first trip to the Bronx zoo and seeing the bears. I gave him every detail like I’d just experienced it and I watched him smile as I recounted it.
“As far as what I want out of the job, I just want to help. I want to help conserve not just bears, but any animal I can's existence and habitat. I want to help people be aware of the risks and benefits associated with these animals and help them to see that they can live with them. I want my children to be able to see every animal I’ve had the ability to see in the wild and not just in zoos.”
“The Olympics start in mid-February and last until the end of the month, am I correct?” I knew exactly why he was asking that, and I felt a knot in my stomach. I wanted nothing more than to go with Sidney to Vancouver, but if it meant losing my opportunity at this job I wouldn’t go.
“Yes, that’s correct.” He nodded and thought for a moment.
“Okay, well I’ll take you around the office, introduce you to some people, and get you to HR to fill out some paperwork. I’ll then see you next Monday at 8 am. You can spend until the Olympics shadowing and learning the job. You’ll officially start when you get back from Vancouver.” I couldn’t stop the grin from forming on my face.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Bairstow,” I said, shaking his hand.
“You’re first assignment is to stop being formal and start calling me Zack like everyone else here,” he told me with a laugh as we stood up and made our way out of his office.
He did as he said and introduced me to the people that were currently in the offices. Then he led me over to HR where I filled out all of the information necessary. Despite knowing that I was only interning to start and wouldn’t be getting paid, I walked out of the zoo the happiest person alive. It was starting. My dream was beginning to come true.
I made another stop at the polar bear exhibit to look out over the animals I was soon going to get to know very well. Then I got into my car and drove home to give Sidney the good news. He was asleep when I got there, and I didn’t want to wake him up before the game, so I just watched some TV until I heard him get up and start moving around.
“You’re looking at the new intern at the Pittsburgh Zoo,” I announced when I stepped into our bedroom. He rushed over and lifted me into his arms, kissing me long and hard.
“Congratulations, even though I knew you would be.”
“Well, thank you. I’m glad you were so sure. They even told me without me bringing it up that going to Vancouver with you would not interfere at all, which was my biggest fear.” He kissed me again, obviously just as happy about that news as I was.
“We’re going to celebrate tomorrow night. I’ll take you someplace nice for dinner. How does that sound?” he asked.
“Perfect,” I told him. This year really was starting out with a bang.
“You look great. Very professional,” Sidney told me, walking up behind me and catching my gaze in the mirror.
“Are you sure? I’m not too casual?” I asked. He grinned at me and chuckled as he looked at the crisp white shirt, black pants, and flats.
“If you get the job, you’re going to be wearing khakis the rest of your career. You think this is too casual?” he joked. I returned his smile and nodded.
“I can always count on you to put things into perspective. Thank you.” He placed a kiss on the top of my head and turned me around to face him.
“Don’t worry. They’re going to love you. Zack’s already basically told you that they were going to hire you. This is just a formality,” he said, referring to the head zookeeper we’d already met before. I let out a breath and nodded knowing, or hoping, that he was right.
“Okay, I’ll see you before you leave for the game,” I told him. He nodded as I grabbed my purse and resume and made my way downstairs, snatching my car keys on the way.
“Tell the polar bears I say hi!” Sidney called after the closing door. I couldn’t help but smile.
I arrived at the zoo an hour before my scheduled interview time. I figured if I was going to be here already I might as well stop and see the bears for a bit before I went in. I glanced at the other exhibits as I walked by, but didn’t stop until I reached the bears. I leaned on the railing and watched the sleeping forms, not even bothered by the cold January weather.
I went over a few things in my head that I wanted to make a point of saying in my interview. As I did I thought about the possible amazing start that 2010 was going to have. Good riddance 2009, I won’t miss you, I thought. This was a new year, a new start. Things with Sidney and I were perfect, Lulu and Gilly had adapted to our lives well and had made us fall head over heels in love with them, Sidney was officially although not surprisingly going to the Olympics, and I was interviewing for a job I knew I’d love. The year was starting off fantastically.
“How long have you been out here?” I heard someone ask. I looked up to see Zack approaching me with a smile on his face. I glanced at my watch.
“About half an hour,” I told him. He leaned next to me along the railing and nodded as he too looked out at the sleeping bears.
“I always come out here before an interview. The ones worth hiring always stop by and observe for a while before they head into the office. It shows that they really care,” he told me. My smile grew as I took that in. So far so good.
“I would have been here sooner if open hours started earlier.”
“Somehow I know that. Why don’t you follow me back to my office?”
I followed Zack through some doors and to his office. He chatted about things going on with some of the animals along the way and I took it all in. I handed over my resume once I was seated across from his desk and he only glanced at it for a second. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.
“I usually start off my interviews by telling people that while working with animals can be fun and rewarding, it is hard work and can be dangerous. I’m not going to give you that speech. You’ve had more than your share of adversity this past year and being dedicated and hard-working is not something I can question you on. In fact, I only have two questions for you. What made you fall in love with bears, and what are you looking for out of this job?”
I was a little taken aback by what he said. I’d been fully prepared to answer questions, list qualifications, and the like. None of that seemed to matter to him. So instead of doing all of that I launched into the story I’d given Sidney about my first trip to the Bronx zoo and seeing the bears. I gave him every detail like I’d just experienced it and I watched him smile as I recounted it.
“As far as what I want out of the job, I just want to help. I want to help conserve not just bears, but any animal I can's existence and habitat. I want to help people be aware of the risks and benefits associated with these animals and help them to see that they can live with them. I want my children to be able to see every animal I’ve had the ability to see in the wild and not just in zoos.”
“The Olympics start in mid-February and last until the end of the month, am I correct?” I knew exactly why he was asking that, and I felt a knot in my stomach. I wanted nothing more than to go with Sidney to Vancouver, but if it meant losing my opportunity at this job I wouldn’t go.
“Yes, that’s correct.” He nodded and thought for a moment.
“Okay, well I’ll take you around the office, introduce you to some people, and get you to HR to fill out some paperwork. I’ll then see you next Monday at 8 am. You can spend until the Olympics shadowing and learning the job. You’ll officially start when you get back from Vancouver.” I couldn’t stop the grin from forming on my face.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Bairstow,” I said, shaking his hand.
“You’re first assignment is to stop being formal and start calling me Zack like everyone else here,” he told me with a laugh as we stood up and made our way out of his office.
He did as he said and introduced me to the people that were currently in the offices. Then he led me over to HR where I filled out all of the information necessary. Despite knowing that I was only interning to start and wouldn’t be getting paid, I walked out of the zoo the happiest person alive. It was starting. My dream was beginning to come true.
I made another stop at the polar bear exhibit to look out over the animals I was soon going to get to know very well. Then I got into my car and drove home to give Sidney the good news. He was asleep when I got there, and I didn’t want to wake him up before the game, so I just watched some TV until I heard him get up and start moving around.
“You’re looking at the new intern at the Pittsburgh Zoo,” I announced when I stepped into our bedroom. He rushed over and lifted me into his arms, kissing me long and hard.
“Congratulations, even though I knew you would be.”
“Well, thank you. I’m glad you were so sure. They even told me without me bringing it up that going to Vancouver with you would not interfere at all, which was my biggest fear.” He kissed me again, obviously just as happy about that news as I was.
“We’re going to celebrate tomorrow night. I’ll take you someplace nice for dinner. How does that sound?” he asked.
“Perfect,” I told him. This year really was starting out with a bang.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Chapter 56
So I just want to apologize for this and probably the upcoming chapter. I'm kind of stuck on this story right now. I know exactly where I want it to go, but it's the getting to that point part that's giving me fits. This and the next one will probably be filler chapters just to get to that point. Once again, I apologize!
I walked out of class with an enormous smile on my face. I was free. No more classes, no more papers, no more tests. Well, at least as an undergrad anyway. I stepped outside and paused for a moment to look around at the campus. I’d only be back one more time in a few days to graduate.
I saw other students on campus, some done for the semester, others still with a final to go. Most of them weren’t experiencing the kind of elation I was. Only a small number of seniors were graduating with me in a few days. Most graduated in the spring in May, not in December. I didn’t even know anyone that was. I turned my back on campus and made my way to my car. As I got closer I saw a figure leaning against my car.
My smile only grew at the sight. I knew that figure well. I couldn’t help but giggle to myself at all the people passing him by without a clue, thanks to the low slung cap and nondescript jeans and jacket. I broke out into a run and launched myself into his arms when he saw me coming.
“How does it feel to officially be done with school?” Sidney asked when I pulled away.
“Amazing. Are these for me?” I turned my attention to the bouquet of red and yellow roses.
“No, they’re for my other girlfriend.” I gave him a dirty look. “They said that red and yellow roses together symbolized congratulations. Since I can’t be here for your graduation, I wanted to give them to you now.” I took the roses from him and inhaled the scent. Then I tipped my head up and pressed my mouth to his.
A few months ago I would have been upset, even angry, about him missing my graduation, but not now. Of course it was disappointing that he’d be in Philadelphia instead of in the crowd, but it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t make the schedule, so there was no reason to be angry with him. Just knowing that I felt that way showed how much I’d matured in this relationship recently.
We parted ways, just for a little while, to drive home. Upon reaching it, we fell into a routine we were sure to do a few hundred more times. Sidney sat down next to me on the couch with his laptop on his lap as I flicked through channels. A little bit later he shut the laptop and headed upstairs for his pre-game nap. Two hours later he emerged dressed in a suit and gave me a kiss goodbye before leaving for the rink.
Once he left I made my way upstairs to get into the shower. I spent the next hour after I was out getting dressed, doing my makeup, and then my hair. I put on my jacket and grabbed my purse just as a car horn sounded from the driveway. I hopped into Vero’s car and we headed in to the rink together.
All the girls cheered at the end of the game when the Penguins destroyed the Flyers 6-1 in the first of their home and home. I grinned and clapped at Sidney’s first star selection and then we headed downstairs to wait for the guys. When I walked into the room I saw all the banners and balloons littering the walls.
“Congratulations!” everyone called out when I walked through the door. I couldn’t help but laugh and thank them for their thoughtfulness. I had no idea where I’d be without these girls.
Two days later I walked across the stage to accept my diploma. When the ceremony ended I was met with my friends, including Hailey who had flown in, and my parents and brother. Hugs were given out liberally before what must have been a million pictures were taken.
We all made our way back to my house where my mom cooked a large dinner for everyone and we spent the night watching the Penguins beat Philly in a shootout, with Sidney getting a goal. He was the only thing missing from my day, and I missed him and wished he was there. Unfortunately I knew it wouldn’t be the last time he wouldn’t be around for me on a big day.
A couple of days later he was home from his short road trip. We spent all of his off day decorating the house for Christmas. We’d decided that because they didn’t have a long break to just have our families come to Pittsburgh to celebrate. It was the first time for both of us to decorate a house for the holidays and I pretty much dragged him all around the city to buy decorations.
It took two days and a little help from some of the guys to get all the decorations up. When we had finally finished I collapsed back onto the couch and looked around me. The whole house looked so festive, and I loved it. Even so, I was tired, and fully planned on spending the rest of the day lounging lazily on the couch. Unfortunately, that wasn’t Sidney’s plan.
“Get up, we have somewhere to be,” he told me. I gave him a strange look, not having a clue what he was talking about.
“Where do we have to be?” I asked. He just shrugged and pulled me up off the couch by the hand.
“You’ll see,” was all he said. I narrowed my eyes at him. He knew I hated surprises and yet he was always surprising me.
“Wait, should I change?” I checked when I watched him grab his car keys. I glanced down at the lululemon pants and zip-up I was currently wearing. It wasn’t exactly my ideal outfit to be traipsing around Pittsburgh in.
“No, that’s fine. You probably don’t want to dress up more than that,” he told me. Now I was really confused.
“Are you taking me to the gym?” I questioned, less than enthused as I followed him to the garage and got into the car. He simply laughed at me and shook his head.
Despite my millions of questions, pressing for any information on where we were going, he remained tight-lipped and wouldn’t tell me. I tried to figure it out based on the route we were taking, but I was simply lost. The streets we were turning down made absolutely no sense to me. That was until he pulled into the parking lot and came to a stop.
“Are we getting a dog?!” I exclaimed excitedly when I saw the shelter looming in front of us. He laughed and nodded.
“You’ve been saying you wanted one, and with you just graduating and it being Christmas I thought we could pick one out,” he explained. I clapped my hands together excitedly before leaning over to hug him.
“Have I told you how much I love you lately?” He simply laughed at me again and led me inside. Thankfully Sidney had had the sense to bring me to the shelter to pick up a homeless dog rather than suggest going to a breeder. Pure bred dogs were so much more likely to find a home than a mutt at the shelter.
We were led back to the kennels where the dogs were being held. I hadn’t expected it, but the second we walked through the door I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness. As I looked down the row of kennels I wondered how I could possibly pick a dog and leave the others. They all deserved good homes.
We made our way down the rows stopping to look at each dog and find out a little about them. Through some long conversations and heart-wrenching decision making I narrowed the dogs down to two. The first was a female black and tan Rottie/Retriever mix named Lulu and the second was a male black and white Border Collie/Shepherd mix named Gilligan.
“How am I supposed to pick between them? Just look at how cute they are!” I whined to Sidney in complete despair. He smiled at me sadly and shrugged.
I continued to make the trek back and forth between the two kennels, looking at both of them, waiting for something to tell me which one I should get. Both of them continued to look out at me with hopeful eyes, wagging their tails each time I approached them, mouths open in a smile. It was breaking my heart.
“Get them both,” I heard Sidney say from behind me. I spun around in surprise.
“I’m sorry, what?” I asked.
“If you can’t decide, get them both,” he repeated. My eyes went wide and I tried to keep the smile off of my face.
“Are you sure?” I checked.
“Consider Lulu a graduation present and Gilligan a Christmas present.” I let out a squeal of delight and threw my arms around him.
“They’re both under a year old. Are you really sure?”
“Do it now before I change my mind.”
A little while later Sidney and I walked out of the humane society with two dogs on leashes. He dropped me off at the house before running out and getting all the items I wrote down on a list for them. By the end of the night he was complaining about the lack of attention I was giving him because I was only paying attention to the dogs, who were both complete sweethearts.
“What do you think our families are going to say when they get here tomorrow?” I asked as we got into bed that night. Lulu and Gilly, as I’d decided to call him, were in their crates since they weren’t housebroken yet.
“They’re going to think we’re insane for taking on two dogs under the age of 1,” he replied.
That’s exactly what happened with both sets of parents as they showed up at our house the next day. Even so, they seemed to love Lulu and Gilly as much as I already did. The whole family had them outside playing and running around the backyard as Sidney napped before the last game before break.
Christmas went by without a hitch, everyone enjoying themselves over the couple of days Sidney had off. By the time our parents both headed back home I’d already taught both dogs a few tricks and I was starting to work on a few more. It shocked everyone how quickly I seemed to take to being a dog owner.
I’d never been able to have pets before with my family in Manhattan and I was surprised at how complete I suddenly felt having them in the house. Obviously I’d always known I had a love for animals, but until I took in two of them I hadn’t realized just how much they could fulfill my life. I was in love with my new “kids” as I called them and thankfully Sidney was too.
I walked out of class with an enormous smile on my face. I was free. No more classes, no more papers, no more tests. Well, at least as an undergrad anyway. I stepped outside and paused for a moment to look around at the campus. I’d only be back one more time in a few days to graduate.
I saw other students on campus, some done for the semester, others still with a final to go. Most of them weren’t experiencing the kind of elation I was. Only a small number of seniors were graduating with me in a few days. Most graduated in the spring in May, not in December. I didn’t even know anyone that was. I turned my back on campus and made my way to my car. As I got closer I saw a figure leaning against my car.
My smile only grew at the sight. I knew that figure well. I couldn’t help but giggle to myself at all the people passing him by without a clue, thanks to the low slung cap and nondescript jeans and jacket. I broke out into a run and launched myself into his arms when he saw me coming.
“How does it feel to officially be done with school?” Sidney asked when I pulled away.
“Amazing. Are these for me?” I turned my attention to the bouquet of red and yellow roses.
“No, they’re for my other girlfriend.” I gave him a dirty look. “They said that red and yellow roses together symbolized congratulations. Since I can’t be here for your graduation, I wanted to give them to you now.” I took the roses from him and inhaled the scent. Then I tipped my head up and pressed my mouth to his.
A few months ago I would have been upset, even angry, about him missing my graduation, but not now. Of course it was disappointing that he’d be in Philadelphia instead of in the crowd, but it wasn’t his fault. He didn’t make the schedule, so there was no reason to be angry with him. Just knowing that I felt that way showed how much I’d matured in this relationship recently.
We parted ways, just for a little while, to drive home. Upon reaching it, we fell into a routine we were sure to do a few hundred more times. Sidney sat down next to me on the couch with his laptop on his lap as I flicked through channels. A little bit later he shut the laptop and headed upstairs for his pre-game nap. Two hours later he emerged dressed in a suit and gave me a kiss goodbye before leaving for the rink.
Once he left I made my way upstairs to get into the shower. I spent the next hour after I was out getting dressed, doing my makeup, and then my hair. I put on my jacket and grabbed my purse just as a car horn sounded from the driveway. I hopped into Vero’s car and we headed in to the rink together.
All the girls cheered at the end of the game when the Penguins destroyed the Flyers 6-1 in the first of their home and home. I grinned and clapped at Sidney’s first star selection and then we headed downstairs to wait for the guys. When I walked into the room I saw all the banners and balloons littering the walls.
“Congratulations!” everyone called out when I walked through the door. I couldn’t help but laugh and thank them for their thoughtfulness. I had no idea where I’d be without these girls.
Two days later I walked across the stage to accept my diploma. When the ceremony ended I was met with my friends, including Hailey who had flown in, and my parents and brother. Hugs were given out liberally before what must have been a million pictures were taken.
We all made our way back to my house where my mom cooked a large dinner for everyone and we spent the night watching the Penguins beat Philly in a shootout, with Sidney getting a goal. He was the only thing missing from my day, and I missed him and wished he was there. Unfortunately I knew it wouldn’t be the last time he wouldn’t be around for me on a big day.
A couple of days later he was home from his short road trip. We spent all of his off day decorating the house for Christmas. We’d decided that because they didn’t have a long break to just have our families come to Pittsburgh to celebrate. It was the first time for both of us to decorate a house for the holidays and I pretty much dragged him all around the city to buy decorations.
It took two days and a little help from some of the guys to get all the decorations up. When we had finally finished I collapsed back onto the couch and looked around me. The whole house looked so festive, and I loved it. Even so, I was tired, and fully planned on spending the rest of the day lounging lazily on the couch. Unfortunately, that wasn’t Sidney’s plan.
“Get up, we have somewhere to be,” he told me. I gave him a strange look, not having a clue what he was talking about.
“Where do we have to be?” I asked. He just shrugged and pulled me up off the couch by the hand.
“You’ll see,” was all he said. I narrowed my eyes at him. He knew I hated surprises and yet he was always surprising me.
“Wait, should I change?” I checked when I watched him grab his car keys. I glanced down at the lululemon pants and zip-up I was currently wearing. It wasn’t exactly my ideal outfit to be traipsing around Pittsburgh in.
“No, that’s fine. You probably don’t want to dress up more than that,” he told me. Now I was really confused.
“Are you taking me to the gym?” I questioned, less than enthused as I followed him to the garage and got into the car. He simply laughed at me and shook his head.
Despite my millions of questions, pressing for any information on where we were going, he remained tight-lipped and wouldn’t tell me. I tried to figure it out based on the route we were taking, but I was simply lost. The streets we were turning down made absolutely no sense to me. That was until he pulled into the parking lot and came to a stop.
“Are we getting a dog?!” I exclaimed excitedly when I saw the shelter looming in front of us. He laughed and nodded.
“You’ve been saying you wanted one, and with you just graduating and it being Christmas I thought we could pick one out,” he explained. I clapped my hands together excitedly before leaning over to hug him.
“Have I told you how much I love you lately?” He simply laughed at me again and led me inside. Thankfully Sidney had had the sense to bring me to the shelter to pick up a homeless dog rather than suggest going to a breeder. Pure bred dogs were so much more likely to find a home than a mutt at the shelter.
We were led back to the kennels where the dogs were being held. I hadn’t expected it, but the second we walked through the door I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness. As I looked down the row of kennels I wondered how I could possibly pick a dog and leave the others. They all deserved good homes.
We made our way down the rows stopping to look at each dog and find out a little about them. Through some long conversations and heart-wrenching decision making I narrowed the dogs down to two. The first was a female black and tan Rottie/Retriever mix named Lulu and the second was a male black and white Border Collie/Shepherd mix named Gilligan.
“How am I supposed to pick between them? Just look at how cute they are!” I whined to Sidney in complete despair. He smiled at me sadly and shrugged.
I continued to make the trek back and forth between the two kennels, looking at both of them, waiting for something to tell me which one I should get. Both of them continued to look out at me with hopeful eyes, wagging their tails each time I approached them, mouths open in a smile. It was breaking my heart.
“Get them both,” I heard Sidney say from behind me. I spun around in surprise.
“I’m sorry, what?” I asked.
“If you can’t decide, get them both,” he repeated. My eyes went wide and I tried to keep the smile off of my face.
“Are you sure?” I checked.
“Consider Lulu a graduation present and Gilligan a Christmas present.” I let out a squeal of delight and threw my arms around him.
“They’re both under a year old. Are you really sure?”
“Do it now before I change my mind.”
A little while later Sidney and I walked out of the humane society with two dogs on leashes. He dropped me off at the house before running out and getting all the items I wrote down on a list for them. By the end of the night he was complaining about the lack of attention I was giving him because I was only paying attention to the dogs, who were both complete sweethearts.
“What do you think our families are going to say when they get here tomorrow?” I asked as we got into bed that night. Lulu and Gilly, as I’d decided to call him, were in their crates since they weren’t housebroken yet.
“They’re going to think we’re insane for taking on two dogs under the age of 1,” he replied.
That’s exactly what happened with both sets of parents as they showed up at our house the next day. Even so, they seemed to love Lulu and Gilly as much as I already did. The whole family had them outside playing and running around the backyard as Sidney napped before the last game before break.
Christmas went by without a hitch, everyone enjoying themselves over the couple of days Sidney had off. By the time our parents both headed back home I’d already taught both dogs a few tricks and I was starting to work on a few more. It shocked everyone how quickly I seemed to take to being a dog owner.
I’d never been able to have pets before with my family in Manhattan and I was surprised at how complete I suddenly felt having them in the house. Obviously I’d always known I had a love for animals, but until I took in two of them I hadn’t realized just how much they could fulfill my life. I was in love with my new “kids” as I called them and thankfully Sidney was too.
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